Trying to connect with women on an authentic level is one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today, especially those without a dedicated gender intelligent culture.

This struggle was certainly played out on the big screen this week following the launch of Kmart’s campaign to launch its new low cost pricing model. Sure, the ad has hundreds of women in it but they didn’t connect with me, or many women who have told me they feel disappointed by the retailer’s effort.

Why?

First, Kmart and its ad agency broke the golden rule of marketing to women. It  focused on price instead of the feeling or experience that women would receive in-store.

Sure, the research will probably point to the fact that the target demographic is experiencing an economic squeeze and for them low prices are important. This may be true to a point, but there is an overwhelming body of global research that reveals women want to feel valued by brands that back up service with acknowledgement and recognition.

Kmart might say that their ad campaign shows women having fun in their stores (more about that later) but when I visited a Kmart store last Monday, women were waiting at the sole checkout for service because three staff hadn’t arrived for work. The lone staffer was apologetic and stressed and these female shoppers with their trolleys, children in tow and tight schedules, weren’t laughing.

Second, for some reason the TV ad depicts women doing unnatural things. It actually shows mature women careering down the store aisles on children’s bikes with tiny helmets on their heads. Now, like you I have been in many stores during my time, but never have I seen a sight like this nor have I felt compelled to grab a childs toy for a joyride.

It is unrealistic and whatever the gender of the creative director behind the ad, they certainly don’t understand that women prefer to chat together over a coffee or a wine, with the aim of sharing insights and experiences.

The underlying competitive tone of this ad pitches women against each other to get the best deal and of course price. This outmoded thinking comes straight from a monocultural perspective where everyone is always fighting for the best outcome.

Finally, as Kmart is part of the Coles Group, the ad feels like it has imported a large group of female extras from the Down, Down, Price Are Down, campaign and tweaked it to fit Kmart’s new model.

Some women will be attracted to shop in Kmart for its low prices, wide aisles and clean environment; these are pluses that women can see at a glance. But if they really want to cut through and kick-start sluggish sales, the Kmart advertising and marketing department needs to do much better.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 12th, 2011 at 11:35 am and is filed under My Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.