The Australian
Edition 1 - All-round CountryTHU 15 SEP 2005, Page 016
Women in the buyer's seat
By Simon Canning

WOMEN play a much more significant role in important household purchases such as home loans and cars than previously thought, a new study reveals.

Although many marketers may think men are the final arbiters when it comes to household expenditure, from cars to home loans, it is women who often take most, if not total, control of the decisions.

The far-reaching study of 1200 Australian women aged 16-60 by ad agency Whybin TBWA and Bergent looked at what influence women had on purchases and the factors that swayed them in terms of trust, brands and personality.

“At least 85 per cent of women in each category had final decision-making autonomy, from it being entirely their own choice through to equally with another person,” study author John Berenyi says.

In home loans, 33 per cent of women chose a loan almost entirely on their own, while 51 per cent of women had the upper hand in choosing a car.

Other areas where women asserted control over purchasing decisions included underwear, clothes, sports shoes, mobile phones and credit cards.

The survey also looked at the “Hot Buttons” that signified what was important to women, rating subjects according to importance, frequency of thought and ease of solving issues.

Berenyi says weight -- typically considered by most marketers as of great importance to women -- was ranked only 20 and was of moderate importance. However, in terms of frequency of thought, weight ranked No.7 and it was considered the third most difficult thing to change, effectively ranking it as the No.1 hot button across all age groups.

“The top five hot buttons are about control,” Berenyi says. “Control of body image, control of economic independence and control of their direction in life.”

Attitudes to what is important also change over time.

Teens tend to focus on holidays and life direction as important issues, while those in their 20s and 30s tend to look at owning a house.

By their mid-30s, many women are also seeking time for self. But by the time they reach their late 40s and 50s, beyond weight, independence and looks, all women change their focus to feeling and being healthy, and pondering the future direction of the country.

Safety, often identified by marketers as a powerful selling point with women, appears to be much less significant, according to the survey.

“Feeling safe personally is the second most important issue for women,” Berenyi says. “However, they don't think about it that often [ranked No.18] and women feel it is relatively easy to feel safe [ranked No.34]. Thus, feeling safe personally is only a mid-level hot button [ranked No.16]. So personal security is not a key driver for most marketing purposes.”

One of the most contentious findings of the study is that women have developed an inherent distrust of many brands.

“Brand imagery means very little if women, who do make purchase decisions, think your brand will cheat them,” Whybin TBWA Melbourne managing director Amy Smith warns.

“Players in the discount department store category were the most trusted by women, followed closely by movie studios. For both categories, it is possibly a matter of what you see is what you get.

“Trust was also strong for both packaged and frozen foods and underwear, [despite] low to very weak brand recognition. But financial and telecommunications service deliverers face a challenge in gaining women's trust.”

Berenyi says: “Women do not trust many well-known and respected brands. Marketers need to build trust in those brands that lack it and use other options in those categories where all brands are equally trusted.”

The trust measure also had an influence on brands that used personalities to get their message across. Berenyi says how women perceive personalities depends on the question being asked.

“A strong score on one question does not mean a strong score on another,” he says. “Just because women see someone as attractive does not mean they see them as likable, intelligent or credible.”

Personalities to whom women related in positive ways included Rove McManus, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Jamie Durie and Georgie Parker. Personalities who scored high on personality but suffered in credibility included Bert Newton, Kylie Minogue, Sarah O'Hare and Megan Gale.

Those who struggled in terms of personality included Ian Dickson, Kim Beazley, John Howard and Peter Costello. Paris Hilton scored the lowest of all personalities in terms of credibility and personality.

“Rove McManus followed closely by Nicole Kidman lead on credibility and intelligence,” Berenyi says.

“John Howard, Kim Beazley and Peter Costello were rated highly for intelligence, but with poor credibility. Pauline Hanson did not perform well on either measure.”

“Sally Williams, the Brand Power lady, was not considered to be intelligent and lacked credibility.”

Caption:  Driving force: John Berenyi says women are taking control of most of the purchasing decisions in a household Picture: Michael Potter

Illus:  Photo

Column:  Media

Section:  FEATURES

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