patriarchal delusions

April 20, 2007 by Mary Wynne-Wynter 

If you think that most marketers have the capabilities to move beyond simple, tried and true tools like gap analysis, you’d be wrong. Especially when its about marketing to women. When marketers fail horribly in this regard they may be described as condescending or patronizing. I believe the failure is rooted in patriarchy.

Female business travelers seem to agree when giving feedback about a new American Airlines Web site that targets them. It not only fails to provide them with any value, but manages to insult and infuriate them.

On the Road: Maybe a Lavender Web Site Wasn’t How to Attract Women: “A new American Airlines Web site just for female travelers has hit a nerve with many businesswomen.”

“There are so many things that are infuriating about this lip-service nonsense that I can’t begin to list them all,” said Ms. Pfeffer, an executive with the emerging markets division of Artisan Partners, an investment management company.

“But I have to ask this: Why does AA feel that female travelers need things explained to them that male travelers don’t? Are we that dumb? That inexperienced in the ways of air travel?” she said.

“We most certainly do not need 1950s-era advice, such as ‘Always bring a little black dress to wear with these heels’ — from the ‘Tips From Our Road Warriors’ section — good grief!” she said.

Said another: “As a female frequent traveler for both business and leisure, I’m quite indignant that AA thinks this kind of silly fluff is going to appeal to me. I want a clean plane, a comfortable seat, and good service at a fair price (not cheap, just reasonable). That’s what my husband wants. That’s what my colleagues of both genders want.”

(Via NYT > Technology.)

Its not just dinosaur companies that flounder in the patriarchal perception gap. Recently I had to threaten a car dealership sales guy with a “that’s two strikes, dude…” to get him to stop saying “duh” things like: “you can always pay extra per month on your car loan”.

The craziest thing is that the NYT article seemed to be written at least partially to prove that AA wants this valuable market to give them another chance.

American posted a statement on Flyertalk.com saying that content on its site “will evolve based on valuable feedback from our customers.” The statement said, “We felt this was an important step in furthering our relationship with our women travelers and demonstrating our continued commitment to the women’s market.”

Delusional.

patriarchy.jpg

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