Yesterday, I wrote a post about a new ad agency in New York City on my branding blog called Womenkind. I also wanted to write about the agency here on Women On Business, because the agency’s unique business model focuses on women as consumers as well as women in business.
Womenkind is led by four advertising experts, Larry Judge (former CEO of Lowe), Steven Leitner (former CTO of WPP Group), Kristi Faulkner and Sandy Sabean (both former members of the creative team for Ammirati Puris Lintas). The attribute that differentiates this agency from its competitors is its focus on women. The agency will use a network of women to design and execute ads that appeal to women operating under the premise that women make 85% of brand purchases but most brand messages are ineffective at communicating to the female market.
The part I like the most about this agency (and the reason I would love to work for them) is that the business model relies on a pool of freelance female workers called ‘mavens’ from a variety of marketing backgrounds (e.g., creative directors, art directors, copywriters, marketing executives and producers) who will be hired ‘as needed’ to develop and execute advertising initiatives and projects.Â
Additionally, Womenkind will use a network of ‘muses’ including small business owners, mothers and activists to act as an ongoing focus group. The network will communicate through a password-protected website, lunches, salons and telephone conversations. I love this concept. Pick me, Womenkind, pick me!
To top off the unique business model, the agency will give back to society by donating 5% of its profits to charitable organizations that help disadvantaged women.
I think this kind of niche marketing focus is a fantastic idea, and I expect the results to be quite powerful. It sounds like Womenkind is starting with a business plan that is headed in the right direction. What do you think?
Photo courtesy of Adweek
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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