[...] many markets, most buying decisions are made by women or influenced by women. And the degree to which big dumb companies (unless they’re selling diapers or diet soda) [...]

Zoe, thanks for coming by! My sense was that he meant more the “name brand” gurus, but it’s a good point. Oprah is a very interesting example, though. Martha Stewart, unlikeable though she may be at times, is another. They’re maybe not known primarily as “marketing gurus,” but they both have a very smart approach that bears looking at.

All too true! Tom Peters’ argument about female thought-leaders is one I’ve made myself (see the footnote on my Recommended Reading page, http://visionpoints.net/tipsfreestuff/reading.html ), but I think it is slowly changing.

So many of us hate being pigeonholed as pink purchasers, but it still works on some levels. I think the point you make is key: as “push” marketing fades in importance, marketers are finally grabbing on to marketing personally, to people, not “targets.”

The aha! moment comes in discovering that “relationship” marketing IS NOT NEW. “Connection. Community. Communication. Sincerity. Permission.” New buzzwords for the ways women always decided on products/services to be loyal to… in everything from my favorite brand of flour (’cause Mom loved it) to my favorite mechanic (’cause they get it done quickly, let me wait in comfort, and give my daughter stuffed animals on the way out for being so patient).

Now companies are starting to incorporate these ideas consciously, instead of as near-accidental byproducts. That news is long overdue.

Great post! Glad Caroline pointed to it on her blog… my “connection” with Caroline got me here!

Regards,

Kelly

You definitely get my vote for Queen Guru, Sonia;-D