Of SATC as a Lesson in Marketing to Women
If you are female, you probably have May 30 circled in red in your date book or tagged on your Blackberry. Need I tell you that’s the day the Sex and the City movie debuts? Oh pleez, you say, do you think I exist in a cave?
SATC appeals to a wide range of women, from 20 to 40 and beyond. Why? I believe the show taps into its female audience in ways marketers can only hope:
- The power of friendship – One of my friends said these women would never be close in real life. I beg to differ. How many women have friends who are completely different and still love them? I’d say just about everyone. The show explores the complex nature of our relationships, whether we're infuriated, bitchy or jealous of our friends.
- It’s never always about our love lives – Romantic relationships can be infuriating. If that’s all we lived for, we’d go nuts. Friendships keep us sane.
- Life’s not glamorous – Sure, the SATC women prance around with gorgeous clothes and shoes, but their lives aren’t always glam. All have had deep disappointments. SATC is about overcoming life’s nasty bits, even if they’re more frequent than we think we can stomach.
- Jobs are jobs – Even if you’re a careerist, a job is a job. Have you ever really heard Samantha worry about a public relations gig? And yes, Carrie frets over her columns but she always seems to pound them out without all that much angst. SATC shows us that we can do our jobs very, very well and still have a life.
- We like to laugh – One of my most memorable nights as an adult woman was laughing so hard with my girlfriends, chardonnay gushed out of my nose. Honest. Laughing at your own travails with a friend is amazingly therapeutic … just like the SATC gals.
- A shoe is more than a shoe – Yes, it’s a stereotype, but it’s true. A great shoe trumps all. Sorry, it’s a woman thing.
Marketers who can tap into the SATC zeitgeist can have a goldmine. Study it, guys.
