In Response to Aubrey Menegus....

Women control 80% of the consumer market, so why wouldn’t you market the media to the majority of the consumers? Do you think it is smart for VH1 to market more towards women? Will that be more effective to gain more of an audience?

     I think that marketers are starting to market more to women.  Which is definitely a good move in the right direction for all companies, including VH1.  As Aubry mentioned in her blog, TV stations don't want to grow old with their viewers because eventually those viewers are not going to be there anymore, and if they are not attracted new audiences, than they are going to be forced to close down.

According to a book called The She Spot "Women are not a niche audience, women are the audience."

     The book focuses on why marketing to women is such an effective marketing decision (they focus on non-profit marketing/political marketing however, a majority of the information applies generally as well).  Here are some of the points that are mentioned:

• As philanthropists and donors, women take more risks than men. They’re more likely to give to a new or less well-known organization they believe is truly making a difference than.
•  Women do not use a gender lens when choosing their favorite candidate. They won’t favor a female candidate over a male one just because she’s a woman.
• More women are online today, than men, and more women are blogging.

 
     The book goes on to discuss Stonyfield Farms yogurt company being one of the first companies to successfully market it's product to women, particularly moms: 

"Stonyfield Farm grew from being a seven-cow organic farming school in the early 80s into a company with $250 million in annual sales.  Every cup of Stonyfield yogurt bears a personal message from the CEO and founder Gary Hirshberg. Turn the lid over and you’ll find tips on how to make the world a better place. Stonyfield was ahead of the curve when it came to products that had special appeal to moms, like Yo-Baby yogurt and calcium-fortified yogurt.  All of this has been critical to the company’s surge as the fastest-growing yogurt company in the world."

     I am not certain that VH1 will see a great response from the shows that they are thinking of putting out, because honestly, none sound very appealing to me, but I am interested in seeing how it works out for them.  Can you think for any other companies that market specifically to women?  Have they been successful in doing so?