Beauty and the Marketing Beast

What Really Drives the Female Consumer

Media news outlet Adweek released information compiled from media planning agency PHD suggesting marketers should tap into the superficial insecurities of women, namely physical attractiveness or lack thereof, to sell products. They claim that hours of the day, days of the week, and isolated occasions in which women feel ugly provide an opportune window for marketers to target female consumers with certain, relatable products. Well, mirror, mirror on the wall — Resonate finds it doesn’t really matter at all.

Targeting the female population to purchase certain goods should encompass an entire array of values and motivations. Profiting from whether a woman is feeling pretty or ugly doesn’t really speak to her as an individual or as a human. Resonate polled over 7,000 ladies of all ages, just a smidge more than PHD’s 648, and found that women value much, much more than self-image in regard to their purchasing behavior. It seems beauty really is only skin deep.

Women between ages 18-24 prioritize health and longevity at a threefold value to self-image. Additionally, they hold enjoyment of life as well as knowledge and learning near and dear, similar to 25-34 year olds. Women over 35 also have a concern for future generations, personal freedom and value control at their core.

The PHD findings have ignited a virtual divide on whether appealing to women as consumers based on physicality sets back the women’s movement, promoting age-old stereotypes of appearance-obsessed females. Others feel that tapping into a woman’s psyche about how she perceives herself at a certain moment can be quite beneficial to product revenue. Whether you lean one way or the other, the bottom line is that what motivates women is way more complex than just a reflection in the mirror.