The Ladies Are Concerned

Lichtenstein-esque woman

Reported in today’s AdAge, featuring the spot on analysis of Marti Barletta:

Even though they have arguably fared better in the recession, women are more pessimistic about the economy than men, according to a 300-person survey by Performics, part of Publicis Groupe’s VivaKi Nerve Center.

While men appear to have improved their outlook on the economy, women have not.

The unit’s “2009 Online Buyer Economic Trend Study” reported that 53% of women said their situation is worse than a year ago. By contrast, only 38% of men said they are worse off than a year ago.

The trend is interesting, considering unemployment among women is more than two percentage points lower than it is for men, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Men, by many accounts, have born the brunt of the job cuts.

But the divergence is more eye-opening when you consider the rule of thumb that women are responsible for more than 80% of household spending. And that “chief purchaser” role may actually be contributing to the pessimism.

73% of women said the recession has fundamentally changed the way they think about saving and spending money vs. 57% of men.

According to the survey results, 55% of women expect to spend less in the next 60 days, vs. 37% of men. And 41% of women expect to spend less on household essentials in that time period, up from 34% in April.

If we can’t get women to feel more hopeful and confident about the future, it’s going to have significant implications,” said Marti Barletta, the author of “Marketing to Women” and CEO of TrendSight Group.

About angelgibson

I am a former big ad agency brand planner, running footloose and fancy-free through the streets of New York City. I read all those huge research reports that explain how and why consumers love or are indifferent to particular brands, the types of messaging that make them break out in night sweats, and the ONE thing you are not doing that your customers really wish you would. I read a lot of other stuff too. I write custom reports, design proprietary research, basically help my smart and fabulous clients become even more so.

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