Marketing to Women?

Marti Barletta
Founder, TrendSight Group
Winnetka, Ill.

Ten years ago Marti Barletta launched TrendSight, a consulting think tank devoted to helping companies best their competition by boosting marketing, sales, recruiting and retention efforts aimed at women.

A Wharton MBA with considerable marketing consulting experience, Barletta counts Wachovia, Neuberger Berman, Deloitte Consulting, Volvo, Mercury, Ford, Trade Secret, Toys R Us and Logitech among her clients.

But it was her 2002 book, Marketing to Women, that established Barletta as an international authority on the topic. Three years later, she teamed with Tom Peters to co-author Trends. In her latest tome, PrimeTime Women: How to Win the Hearts, Minds and Business of Boomer Big Spenders, she examines the buying power of women ages 50 to 70.

Barletta is frequently seen, heard or quoted on CBS Evening News, ABC's Money Matters, MSNBC's Squawk Box, NPR's Talk of the Nation, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and her byline appears regularly in AdAge.

You struck out on your own after years with large agencies. Why?
I started out in brand management on the client side at Clorox and was there for about five years. I moved to the advertising agency side, and was there for about 10 years. Then I moved to the marketing services side — all the marketing that isn't advertising — promotions, direct mail, sponsorships and events.

Not that many people in marketing have had that kind of 360-degree experience. It gave me a very good grounding in a lot of the various elements of marketing. I launched my own business after developing a marketing program directed at women, so I really stumbled into it.

Why are women valuable customers?
They buy 85 percent of everything — not just groceries and things for the home, but big-ticket items such as cars and computers. These purchases are typically associated with men, but women are the purchasers, not just influencers. They buy two-thirds of new cars and … 53 percent of used cars [and] influence the purchase of 85 percent of all vehicles.

Women buy two out of three computers these days. Women are also brand loyal and are more comfortable than men in recommending products to others, so they also influence other purchasers. Women are more profitable customers because of that loyalty. It costs money to acquire a new customer and word of mouth — both the good and bad — spreads farther and faster among women.

What was your first paying job?
Holiday Inn telephone operator in Washington, D.C. It was my job to connect callers with guestrooms back in the day of the headset and switchboard. Someone called for Chaka Kahn when she was staying there, and that's about all I remember.

Any life lessons there?
I learned more as a Kelly Girl, which I did for three summers. I learned I didn't want to be dependent on subsistent-level jobs for my living, which pretty much persuaded me to get an MBA.

What's your dream project?
To launch womensavetheworld.org, a website devoted to providing tools for women all over the world to share ideas and resources. I truly believe women can [save the world] because women are the molders of the next generation; women spend 85 percent of every consumer dollar and at least 50 percent of [each] business dollar [and] women's strengths are complementary to men's.

Globally, it's been verified that when micro-loans are made to women in poor countries, the money is applied more to the benefit of the family and community, whereas men are more likely to spend it not so much on investment as on consumption.

Person(s) you'd most like to meet?
Hillary Clinton and Maya Angelou.

Little-known quirk?
The only wine I drink is champagne.

Any hidden talent?
I like to cook and my specialties are coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon and Greek pasta.

On your wish list?
An iPhone.

On the coffee table?
Annie Leibovitz's Women.

Favorite downtime activities?
I don't leave my desk until 8 or 9 p.m., so I generally watch some TV. I love action shows like Burn Notice, 24 and The Closer, but I also really enjoy movies.