Genders and Perception of Brands

The previous post emphasizes on the fact that branding is not only about the name, the image or logo that represent the brand, but it is more about the emotional level of a product.

Lau Kong Cheen and Phau Ian in their article on the Journal of Marketing agree that women are more sensitive than men; therefore would be more sensitive interacting with specific brands. Researches based on experiences have shown that the biological and psychological make-up of each gender explain the difference on how men and women process information; therefore emotionally interact with brands.

Bridget Brennan, a woman figure in marketing in her book Why She Buys shows that 80% of products in the United States are bought by women or under the demand or advice of women.

Thomas Jordan in his book Regender the Gender talks about the sexual differences in the process of purchase decision and the act of purchase. When a man walks down the aisle of a store, the time between the purchase decision and the act of purchase is relatively short. In a similar situation, a woman will go through every aisle, looking for information, advice, and guidance, be attentive to details, and be sensitive to the conditions in which it will be accepted. Men make a purchase with their eyes(they usually select what look good enough for them thus pay less attention of the brand they select); women make a purchase with their ears (they usually seek advice and information about a product before they select it).  

There are also some other reasons why men pay less attention than women while purchasing products

While shopping for a brand, women are looking for:

• Authenticity: Beyond the immediate appearance, marketers must realize that women select a brand based on its background and history.
• Quality: Not only the quantity or size. For women, "bigger" and "more" is not necessarily better.
• Connection: Women need to connect emotionally. They also have a need for belonging and recognition.
• Quality of life: Women have material and spiritual needs based on different needs that clearly fit into the dynamics of social life. So unlike to popular belief, they are not really consuming impulsive with their 45 handbags and 78 pairs of shoes .The purchase of these products participate in their social goal achievement at the time T.
• The others: Women buy certain type of luxurious brands to show to others their success or achievement or to focus the eyes of people on them.

Men in the other hand use

• Temporality: Men tend to focus more quickly than women when they are looking for something. Men do not “waste” their time in stores, they buy what they need.
• Causation: Men are practical and tend to focus their consciousness. Therefore, they spend less money on branded items.

Work Cited

Cheen , Lau Kong, and Phau Ian . "Impact of gender on perceptual fit evaluation for prestige brands."Journal Of Brand Management . 17.5 (2010): 354-367. Print.

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