Brian Cooper of TNS North America and Amy Janis of Yahoo! discussed their research into the digital lives of women around the world.
Three questions that their research answered:
- What are the online behavioral differences between men and women? Half of women’s time online is communication or community. Women across continental regions communicate more than men online. Women spend more time shopping and are more likely to seek out brand information online. Women are also much more engaged with health content than men are.
- Why do women use different online channels and what specific needs do they fulfill? “Connectonomics” is a function of needs, channels and receptivity to assess marketing effectiveness. For receptitivity, where is she getting production information, making purchase decisions and responding to advertising. Online use is about enablement, improvement and being smart. Yahoo! and TNS prepared a quadrant analysis — validation of others vs. personal growth relying on others vs. relying on self — to analyze women’s need states. Interestingly, some of what women learn online they share offline, in person, with their friends and family.
- How can advertisers leverage this for digital advertising campaigns? “It’s not just about social media but connective media, connecting not just with others but with content as well.” Each of the online channels meets different needs and provides different reach, engagement and receptivity, to allow advertisers to tailor their messages to resonate with women.
In conclusion, Amy said, “Women are playing a pivotal role in the current Internet evolution, satisfying their need for connection. Regardless of lifestage, the reasons women communicate is more similar than different. Women use multiple online channels to connect and share.”
Author Notes:
Jeffrey Henning
