Don’t You Forget About Me!Marketing To YOUR Customer - Even If No One Else Is
A few years ago, a former Estee Lauder colleague referred me to a woman who had created an innovative new product. Off I went with my awesome younger Millennial colleague to this founder’s chic offices in Midtown Manhattan to meet her and learn about her product. It was a multi-purpose, ultra rich, does-it-all moisturizer.
As we sat in her office and she filled us in on her brand story, her goals, and the formula, I blurted out “Oh! So this is for a middle aged woman then. I’m so excited because that makes me your customer!”
Upon hearing this, our brand founder screwed up her face like she had tasted something impossibly sour and asked, “And exactly how old are you?”
I was tempted to tell her that her face could get stuck like that.
I was in my late forties and she definitely did not like hearing that. And hey, I’m even older now (51)!
“No,” she said. “A woman your age is definitely not my target market. You are really not who I want at all. I’m interested in a woman HER age,” and beamed a smile at my thirtysomething colleague. And I might have imagined it, but I think this woman actually turned her chair away from me to face this younger woman!
The founder of this brand was an elegant, beautifully dressed woman who actually told us that she was 59. Everything about her product spoke to…her! She was a well heeled woman sitting in a Park Avenue office. On her desk sat a handbag that would have cost more than 6 months of mortgage payments. How could this woman think it was a smart idea to ignore women like herself with plenty of disposable income, and go after the audience that everyone else was chasing?
I knew the answer even as we sat with her…everyone was marketing to Millennials then. It was just the cool thing to do. The thing everyone said you were supposed to do. So of course, she wanted in. I don’t know how long her company stuck around but it wasn’t very long.
Being an “also ran” and blindly following the herd is never a great idea.
So many brands are targeting a GenZ customer these days, which is great because I have been told that I am “the world’s oldest GenZ person”! I really enjoy working with brands for that customer because I love the GenZ mindset. This generation is all about giving back and making a difference. They are true individuals - although they are big vintage shoppers and they are snapping up all the best thrift finds and leaving nothing for me!
Did you know that the youngest GenZers are 10? The oldest are 25. I wanted to mention this because if you are marketing a beauty or wellness product, chances are that a 10 year old is not buying it, and you need to think very carefully about if your target audience is actually this young.
A few customers that are being underserved at the moment include:
Black Beauty Consumers - Things have seemingly improved but there is still way more to be done here! This is especially the case in international markets like the UK. Check out this great article Report: Black beauty shoppers over-index but remain underserved (yahoo.com)
Women Over 40 - Perimenopause and menopause may be the words on everyone’s lips right now, but there is still a lot more room in this space. In addition, a lot of us don’t relate to beauty brands that use this language, but would still like something that feels sophisticated and built for us. It bears mentioning that at 51 I don’t have perimenopausal skin - I have skin like a teenage boy and I get a zit if I eat a French fry.
Physically Active Consumers - With the growth of the fitness and wellness industry, more people are leading active lifestyles. These people don’t want a 17 step skincare routine - they want something easy that they can toss in their backpack or gym bag and go!
Climate Specific Audiences - People who live in climates with extremely high humidity have different needs. Imagine creating products that specifically target these parts of the world - your skincare or makeup brand could be the next big thing in India! We all know how many people there are in India!
Instead of shaping your brand to speak to the popular customer of the moment, I invite you to think about the customer that you may never hear about - they need you!
If you’d like to chat about how to reach any type of customer, schedule a time to talk with me here!
