Old, Rich Cluttered Men

Ajilon Office, a professional staffing firm with expertise in workplace issues, conducted a survey that uncovers what the state of your desk may reveal about your personality.
Highlights from the survey:

* Women claim to be more organized. 56% of women claim to keep their space organized, versus only 42% of men. And, nearly twice the number of women than men considers themselves "neat freaks."

* Northeasterners are more organized than their Western, Central, and Southern colleagues with 59% of them keeping their spaces streamlined, while 50% of those in the Central U.S., 48% of Southerners, and 46% of Westerners say the same.

* The older you get, the messier you become. Whereas 60% of 18-24 year olds keep their spaces organized, only 36% of workers ages 55-64 claim the same.

* The higher the salary, the messier the person: 66% of Americans making $35,000 or less per year are self-described "neat freaks," whereas only 11% of those earning above $75,000 claim the same.

* The more educated tend to be messier with only 16% consider themselves to be neat. For those who did not finish college, this number increases to 29%.


What does your workspace look like? Are you streamlined or cluttered? Do you think gender, age, education and geography really play any part in workspace housekeeping, or are the survey results coincidental? Let us know what you think!

Women's Independence

"Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation." --Abigail Adams to John Adams, March 31, 1776

Women gained the right to vote more than 144 years after the Declaration of Independence.

Now we vote with our purse strings. Do you notice businesses that make an effort to gain your business? Are you more likely to do business with them? Let us know what you think!

Who Likes to be Hosed?

According to a June 5 report in the esteemed Wall Street Journal, there is a rather heated debate over the merits of panty hose in today’s business world. Boomer women, known sometimes for their bra-burning days in the 60’s, apparently aren’t so quick to give up their panty hose in the corporate ladder climb. Many younger women, on the other hand (or leg), have never even worn a pair to work or otherwise. The WSJ report does mention that the Midwestern Dons of the Dress Code are less likely to give up the nylon.

WSJ also pointed out that one male reader –in the interest of research, of course – wore panty hose under his suit trousers for several weeks to discover if ties or panty hose were more uncomfortable. His conclusion was that he liked panty hose better.

Check out the article here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121262443191346927.html?mod=2_1357_middlebox

And let us know what you think of panty hose. Do you own a pair? When was the last time you wore panty hose?

Would you give up chocolate?

Apparently blogging is very *woman-centric*. According the Center for Media Research, a recent study about women and blogging was done by BlogHer and Compass Partners.
Women are so passionate about blogging, says the report, that large percentages said they would give something up to keep the blogs they read and/or write:

• 55% would give up alcohol
• 50% would give up their PDAs
• 42% would give up their i-Pod
• 43% would give up reading the newspaper or magazines
• only 20% would give up chocolate

Time shift from traditional media is accelerating in the general Internet population:
• 24% of women surveyed watch less television because of blogging
• 25% read fewer magazines because they are blogging
• 22% read fewer newspapers because they're blogging

In addition:
• More than half of women surveyed consider blogs a reliable source of advice and information
• Half of women surveyed say blogs influence their purchase decisions

How do you feel about blogging? A reliable source of information? Worth giving up chocolate or alcohol for? Let us know!

To see more facts from the study, visit http://www.blogher.com/files/BlogHer.CompassPartners.Social%20Media%20Study.ppt.pdf

A Few Good Women

In a new ad the US Marine Corps is marketing to women. The ad featuring a woman commander is intended to appeal to young women who are weary of being separated from boys and men in sports and are eager to prove themselves on a larger stage, said Marshall Lauck, JWT’s lead executive on the Marines account.

“The message is that the Marine Corps offers a unique opportunity to earn that title and be shoulder to shoulder with your male counterparts,” Mr. Lauck said. “That’s an important aspect for the young women seeking that challenge, women seeking an opportunity for a great and selfless endeavor.”

To read more about this, go to the article in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/business/media/21adcol.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=business&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

How do you feel about this push to recruit women? Let us know what you think!

International Women's Day

On March 8, women from all over the world will be celebrating International Women's Day.

International Women's Day (IWD) is the global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential.

What a great day for each of us to let the women in our lives know that we appreciate them! A hug, an extra "thank you", a smile, maybe even dinner out - let's see if each of us can use this opportunity to give the ladies in our lives an unexpected act of kindness...just for fun!

Is this woman-centric marketing?

According to today’s Business Journal http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2008/01/14/story3.html, the Hampton Inn in downtown Albany, New York, is going to be offering a women-only floor to female guests. Guests will receive special amenities and services and the security of having exclusive access to the floor. Of course, security comes at a price. Twenty dollars extra a night, to be exact. Perhaps it helps that the electronic keys granting that exclusive access are pink. And we know all women like pink. Right?

What are your thoughts about this latest innovation in the lodging industry?

New Years Business Resolutions for Women

A website aimed at women who want to start and grow their own businesses has launched a new Business Resolutions Program to help women achieve their New Year's Resolutions. "The IndieBizChicks.com Guide To: Business Resolutions To Make It Great In '08" is a guide and motivational tool for women who are ready to set and achieve their goals. For more information, visit http://www.indiebizchicks.com

Home Color Ideas

Woman-Centric Matters is the brainchild of Design Basics, the largest home plan design firm in America and a leading expert in marketing to women. In addition to home plans and marketing, we also publish Her Home magazine, which gives a wealth of helpful information about all-things home-related. So in addition to sharing facts and figures about the economic power of women and companies that "get it", I thought I would use this blog to share home tips with you. Let me know what you think!

Defining living areas in today’s open floor plans can be quite a challenge. Do you paint each area a different color, or opt for one color fits all? Josette Buisson, artistic director with Pittsburgh Paints says, “The law is that everything has to have a link and a flow.” Buisson continues, “There’s a main color and then lighter shades.” She advocates the 60:30:10 rule. Use 60 percent of one color, 30 percent of another and 10 percent of an accent color.

Jessica Gordon, color specialist and owner of Interior Artistry in Seattle, suggests choosing one color for the most public spaces and altering the shades in adjacent areas. “Keep the hallways and stairs one shade,” she says. “And only totally change color if you have good cut-off points like a soffit or a door between the living and dining rooms.”

Buisson likes to pick up the accent color (the 10 percent) and repeat it in an adjacent area. “If the living room has an accent color and you can see the kitchen from there, you might paint the entire kitchen in that color.”

Women: Lucrative Consumer Segment

A recent article in Maine Today (http://business.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=153263&ac=PHbiz) confirms what we here at Woman-Centric Matters have been saying all along: women are one of the most lucrative consumer segments in the country, particularly those beyond the age the marketers seem to think are best -the hard-to-reach 18-34 year old demographic. Continued research by a variety of sources shows that the Boomers and those about 10 years before are savvy, active, health and affluent. They know what they want and they have the smarts and the money to go after it. The question is: Do companies have the smarts to recognize this under-served market and give them what they want they WAY they want it?

What do they want? Respect (don't EVER talk down to her!). Credible opinions from others (trustworthy word of mouth, family, friends, coworkers). Information (benefits to her AND others – not just “me”, but also “we perspective, how-to, differences). Service (pay attention to her! ...including looking her in the eye, taking time to anticipate and answer her questions in non-jargon terms, providing clean restrooms – indeed, clean everything). Time (don't rush her – don't come on strong to close the sale, maintain your patience and absolute credibility – if she trusts you, she'll be your customer for life AND tell others).

What's important to YOU when you shop? Let us know!

Vitamins, Minerals and Chocolates - Oh My!

According to a new survey from food giant ConAgra, 51 percent of women count on fortified foods to get their essential nutrients and more than a third would also like to get these from indulgent foods like chocolate.

Personally, I would prefer to get ALL my nutrients from chocolate. But I’ve tried – so far, it hasn’t worked. Maybe Swiss Miss will be my saving grace. ConAgra is targeting women by expanding its Swiss Miss line of hot chocolates to include functional offerings, saying these products tap into the needs of this important – and lucrative- consumer group.

The new beverage offerings include Swiss Miss Pick-me-up cocoa swirls, which ConAgra says have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, as well as the same amount of calcium and vitamin D as a glass of milk. The food manufacturing giant also says Swiss Miss Great start cocoa is enriched with 15 essential vitamins and minerals.

Additional survey findings from ConAgra include:

-- Almost seven in 10 (69 percent) of women 25-44 consume caffeine at least once a day
-- 40 percent of women consume caffeine more than once a day.
-- Almost all women (95 percent) consume caffeine at least occasionally.
-- 37 percent of women look to caffeine for those mid-morning and mid-afternoon lulls in between meals when they need a pick me up.
-- Most women have caffeine before lunch -- 41 percent when first awakening, another 20 percent mid-morning.
-- Women want their caffeinated beverages to be low-cal and sweet. 70 percent say the ideal caffeinated product has to be low in calories and the majority (56 percent) want it to be sweet.


-- More than half (54 percent) of women 25-44 say they don't get enough
vitamins and minerals from the foods they eat.
-- Women look to fortified foods to get the essential nutrients their
diets lack (51 percent).
-- More than a third (35 percent) said they would like to get their
essential nutrients from "indulgent" foods.


-- Chocolate is the sweet that women crave most (68 percent); more than ice cream (48 percent), followed by cookies (40 percent), candy (33 percent) and cake (31 percent).
-- Moods affect women's cravings for chocolate. 67 percent of respondents said stress drives cravings, followed by "experiencing PMS" (59 percent) and "need a pick-me-up" (58 percent).



http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/10-23-2007/0004687892&EDATE=

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=80858-conagra-swiss-miss-chocolate

Women Are Teed Off: More Women Are At Home on the Range

When you think of golf what comes to mind? Blue skies, green courses, sand traps and men spending an afternoon in the sun? Well Lexus just shattered that stereotype with their recent study released on June 26.

Women are spending an average of five hours on the driving range verses men who are spending four.

What has gotten women so teed off? Women are driven to improve their game and increase networking opportunities while playing the sport. Lexus says 27% of the women surveyed said they would rather have a perfect swing than a perfect marriage!

But this important news does not just have the golfing industry taking notice. Automobile makers, fashion designers and sports equipment companies are also stepping up to provide new products designed for women.

Do you agree with the 52% of the women surveyed that a car should have plenty of trunk space for things like golf clubs and accessories?

http://www.autospectator.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=10238

$2000 LOST Annually!!!

Pay attention to how often you pull a buck out of your pocket this weekend!

According to a report on CNN, nearly half of Americans lose track of how they spend their pocket money. We’re not talking about just nickels and dimes either. The average amount lost is $2,000 a year.

CNN says the results of a recent survey show that men tend to lose track of their spending on nights out while women’s cash vanishes during shopping trips. The survey also shows that the under 34 crowd are the biggest *losers*.

Do you keep track of the cash in your pocket?
To read the CNN story, visit: http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/13/news/cash/

Bloggers, Bloggers Everywhere

Nearly 14 percent of men versus 20 percent of women have blogs, Synovate eNation reports in an exclusive Marketing Daily study. The good news for bloggers of both sexes is that the study also shows that eight out of 10 Americans know what a blog is and almost half have visited the blogosphere – nearly 15 percent as often as daily.

With nearly 100 million blogs available, according to Technorati, it’s no surprise that 54.4 percent of blog readers like to read several different sites rather than remain loyal to the same blogs. Not unlike life outside the blogosphere, men tend to be more commitment-phobic in their blog reading habits. Nearly 60 percent of the fellas surf around with a variety of blogs, with only 50 percent of the gals surfing around.

To read more about the study, visit http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=66471&Nid=33725&p=405800

Black is Beautiful

Percentage of black women who are concerned about the way they're portrayed in popular media: 77

Percentage of black women who say they're portrayed worse than any other racial group in media: 71

Percentage of black women who believe black teens are portrayed worse than other racial groups in media: 69

How much an average black woman spends on beauty products compared with the average woman overall: 3 times

Sources: Procter and Gamble Co. and Essence poll

These impressive numbers are, in part, why Procter and Gamble has started their new marketing initiative “My Black is Beautiful”. The marketing push is aimed at black women of various skin tones and origins. The brainchild of Najoh Tita Reid, multicultural marketing director for Procter and Gamble, the program was seeded in her heart when she was a little girl and a white playmate told her that she and her black doll were ugly.

Multicultural sensitivity is nothing new to Procter and Gamble. They were the first and biggest sponsor to pull the plug on Don Imus in April after his infamous on-air slurs.

To read more about “My Black is Beautiful” and Ms. Reid’s involvement in the program, visit http://adage.com/article?article_id=120091

Taking the Step in the Right Direction – More Women Competing in Triathlons

http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/223571.html

Women of all ages are getting serious about their health and taking a step in the right direction. 35% of all triathlon participants are women, up 10% in the last decade with the fastest growing segment being 35-45 year olds. What drives these women to participate in these lengthy, endurance sport events?

Participation by women in Ironman has doubled in the U.S. in the past five years,” says Blair LaHaye, a spokeswoman for Ironman and Iron Girl. “So many women want to try something new but aren’t seasoned to compete in a full Ironman. Iron Girl is a competitive platform for beginning athletes” with shorter courses or just two, instead of three, disciplines.

In addition to being female-friendly, these events are distinguished by their wide range of participants: The winner of the Danskin triathlon in Austin was 14, while the oldest competitor was 79.

Would you participate in a triathlon or endurance event? Let us know your thoughts on this and other female sporting events.

On The Road Again: Women Only Vacations Hitting An All Time High

Have you ever thought of grabbing a bunch of your girlfriends and hitting the open road for an all girl getaway weekend? You are not the only one! From Oprah Winfrey to your next door neighbor women are hitting the road in record numbers for women only vacations.

AAA says 39% of women are planning an all girl getaway with friends and family over the next three years. They say the reason why is more women are feeling pressured both at home and on the job.

"The experience of a girlfriend getaway has a deep effect on the lives and friendships of women who take these types of trips, and many believe that going away with their girlfriends is important, regardless of the destination," said Betsy Sell, managing director of AAA Travel.

With over $200 million dollars up for grabs in the hotel industry alone, many companies are changing the way they handle women travelers.

So if you could grab your friends for a weekend or a week-long retreat, where would you go?

http://www.marketwire.com/2.0/release.do?id=753024&sourceType=1

National Women's Leader to Serve on Advisory Panel

Omaha, NE (July 5, 2007) – Woman-Centric Matters(sm), a division of Design Basics, the nation’s largest home plan design service to the building industry and a leading expert in marketing to women, announces today the appointment of Sheri McConnell of San Antonio, Texas, to the Woman-Centric Matters(sm) National Advisory Panel. Woman-Centric Matters(sm) is a unique licensing and educational platform that teaches businesses in any industry how to be remarkable by transforming their attitudes and practices based on the woman’s perspective.

The National Advisory Panel is comprised of leading women of various ages and backgrounds from across the country who will help further transform and define the practices and offerings of Design Basics, as well as enhance the educational component of Woman-Centric Matters(sm).

Linda Reimer, president of Design Basics, says, “We are so pleased to have Sheri on the National Advisory Panel of Woman-Centric Matters(sm). Her time and commitment, as well as her unique perspective and opinions, will be a great enhancement to our ability to change the landscape of business in America.”

Reimer states that 91% of all home purchases are made by or primarily influenced by women. Furthermore, well over 80% of all consumer purchases are made or primarily influenced by women. “It just makes good economic sense to market to women. But it needs to be done right. You can’t just put pink ribbons on something and call it woman-centric. Design Basics is leading the way and teaching businesses across the country how to truly understand what their female customers are looking for in design, marketing and customer service. The added bonus in this is that men appreciate the woman-centric approach too.”

McConnell is the president and founder of the National Association of Women Writers (http://www.naww.org). She teaches women writers and entrepreneurs how to discover, create and profit from their intellectual knowledge. MConnell is an entrepreneur, publisher, author, writer and coach with a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management and Bachelors in Social Work. McConnell states, “I’m proud to have been chosen to join the Woman-Centric Matters National Advisory Panel. It allows me the opportunity to be a part of shaping the way businesses relate to women. I’m excited!”
###


About Design Basics:
Design Basics, the nation’s largest home plan design service to the building industry, designs and markets plans for single-family homes through catalogs, newsstand magazines and home building industry publications. Woman-Centric Matters(sm), a division of Design Basics, is dedicated to helping businesses across America become remarkable with its unique licensing program, insightful and innovative marketing programs and continuing educational platform.

Women Taking On Historic Homes

Many women are tackling the challenge of purchasing and remodeling historic homes. Trish Sheehan, 43 years old from Logan Township Pennsylvania discovered the joy of renovating a 100 year old home. “Gutting the home is the worse part but I really enjoy it. It is my passion.”

What drives women to take on a challenge that would make others shake in their work boots?

The Altoona Mirror says women are more financially independent and have the kind of job which allows them to buy a home.

The National Association of Realtors agrees with the Altoona Mirror. A record 22% of homebuyers are women, second only to married couples at 61%.

There are several types of homes on the market a person can buy. From handyman specials which require some basic upgrades to more expensive historic overhauls; women have more choices available to them then ever before.

What type of home would you buy? Let us know your thoughts.

Http://www.altoonamirror.com/articles.asp?articleIS=12775

What is Natural?

According to an article in today’s Mediapost Marketing Daily column, (http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=61655) Burt’s Bees, a personal care products company with an emphasis on a natural, environmental approach has come up with some interesting research findings.

The study, commissioned by Burt’s Bees and conducted by TSC, a division of Yankelovich Partners Inc., shows consumer confusion about what is actually in personal care products versus what the label says.

The study found the following data:

--- 83 percent of American women think there should be one meaning for a personal care product labeled *natural*, while 86 percent agree that there should be a symbol to certify a natural personal care product.

--- 68 percent of American women think it is important for the ingredients in personal care products to be *natural*.

--- Two-thirds of American women think a personal care product labeled *natural* should contain at least 95 percent natural ingredients.

--- 78 percent of American women think natural personal care is currently regulated or don’t know if it is, while 95 percent think it should be.

According to Burt’s Bees, the personal care industry is not regulated, and most products labeled as *natural* contain far less than 95 percent natural ingredients, some with as little as 5 percent. Burt’s explains that many natural products contain synthetic ingredients to help reduce the manufacturing costs.

Burt’s Bees is advocating setting a national standard for what defines *natural* and is working within the industry to develop a seal to certify natural personal care products.

To learn more about Burt’s Bees efforts, go to: http://www.burtsbees.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Burts2/thegreatergood/press.html