Marketing Myths: "The Woman Voter"

By Guest Blogger, Mary Schmidt, Marketing Troubleshooter

"White women are a problem, that's, you know -- we all live with that."  - Bill Kristol, talking about Hillary's support in the Democratic party.

""I know, I shouldn't have said that." - Bill Kristol, two seconds later.

The 2008 election is one of most interesting and energizing one in my lifetime. (I'm really tired of voting against people...and listening to simple-minded fear-inducing sound bites.) Regardless of who wins in November, the times they have changed, baby!

Women are a big part of the change - and could be even bigger (something like half of eligible women voters didn't go to the polls in 2004.) 

As a marketer, I find it highly entertaining to watch the various experts and pundits trying to predict how "the women" will vote.  They slice, dice, dissect...and often come back to the same hoary ol' "givens."  "All blacks" will - of course - vote for Obama.  Ditto "the minorities" (Never mind that the minorities are actually a majority in some parts of the country.)  "Soccer Moms" will vote for security and the Daddy party.  McCain will get beat like a drum by the Evangelical vote. All us middle-aged white women will go with Hillary. And so on.

 "The only people supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-NY) presidential campaign "are the Democratic establishment and white women." - Bill Kristol

Then the election results start coming in. We see an interview with a black couple in Arkansas.  She loves Hillary. He voted for Obama. Gen Y women are standing behind Romney.  Hillary gets a ton of votes from the Latino voting block in California.  Obama takes Connecticut.   Etc. etc. etc.

Oops!

It's just not that easy any more to define target markets.  We keep moving around on the board.  Women don't fit into those neat little categories anymore (if we ever really did.)  So, trying to predict how we will vote is a dicey game.  We play multiple roles (that Soccer Mom could also be a far left-wing former hippie that's now CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation.  Try fitting that into a neat little category!)

We also have access to tons of information, even if we're "stay at home Moms" -  if we choose to use that information. We don't just vote like our husbands do - or how the commercials tell us to. (Mommy could also be a former Fortune 50 corporate attorney - she can read and understand big words.)

So,  mass market to us  "white women" "Soccer Moms" "Gen Y'ers" and "minorities" at your own risk.  We'll surprise you, just as we did on Super Tuesday.   

Comments

[feefifoto]

As you noted, it's not just women. My father, a lifelong Republican for fiscal reasons, has found himself leaning ore toward the Democrats in recent elections. As he's gotten older, humanitarian issues have begun to overshadow most others for him.

[Yvonne DiVita]

I hope the right people are reading your post, Mary. It's so, so on target! (oops, I hate using the 'target' word when talking marketing to women!). Women are voting with their intelligence, not their...sex. It's not a popularity contest. We know that. We're all looking at candidates that reflect our values and expectations...and that's who gets our vote. Not "the black guy," cause he's black; not the "white woman," cause she's a woman, not the conservative or evangelical because they are white men.

If pundits actually gave voters - men and women alike - credit for some thoughtfulness and intelligence, they'd know this election is far too hard to predict, at this early stage.

I love, love, love your references to Mommy and CEO and how women are all of that...and more. Right on!