This TV commercial is an illustration not only of the evolving tenor and tone of today’s modern Indian woman but also of how marketers are increasingly recognising this and addressing this new-found gumption. It’s not just makers of noodles, detergent and fairness cream that speak to women nowadays; the marketers wooing them come from the construction, banking and insurance sectors as well.

As the woman’s share of voice in the family gets bolder, as she begins to enjoy the money she’s earning, businesses that traditionally didn’t address women have begun doing so, some including them in their advertising and some launching products for them too.

Says Sujit Ganguli, Senior Vice-President and Head (Marketing), ICICI Prudential Life Insurance: “Times have changed, women’s roles have changed, decisions are being taken jointly and ads have to reflect that. ICICI Prudential has always had women in its ads since its launch in 2001 – then the emphasis was on fulfilling responsibilities to the family and protecting it, now the woman is an equal partner.

Earlier, the goals were connected to protection against future uncertainty, now insurance is seen as an investment for the long-term.” While ICICI Prudential doesn’t have insurance schemes specifically tailored to women, some health plans keep women’s needs in mind, he adds.

Sanjay Jain, Head-Marketing, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, holds similar views. “Women are equal partners. The lifestyle of a household is not a one-person show, it’s based on the joint income.” He also says that married or single, financial security is important for today’s women, who have their own future and are not dependent on their husbands/families.

He doesn’t find much difference between women and men customers. About 28 per cent of Bajaj Allianz policy holders are women.

Thirty-five per cent of all agents working for the company are women, says Jain, adding that the company is planning products and communication specific to women.

Consumer durables makers too have had women in focus for a while now, and not just the manufacturers of the machines which help her work at home more efficiently.

“Even products like mobiles and laptops are now sleeker, slimmer and lighter so as to meet the needs of the woman consumer,” points out Girish V. Rao, Vice-President (Sales), LG Electronics India Ltd. Today, women are the decision-makers. Not only that, marketers realise women are the end-users of their products and hence it is important to address them directly. “Also,” he adds, “I believe a woman’s thinking and decisions have a 360-degree approach. She not only keeps in mind the needs of each family member but also is aware of the market trends, latest technology and aesthetic needs of her home.”

“Even over the last 10 years there has been a significant change in the way the women want to spend their time – there is clearly greater seeking of convenience products which save them time and effort, maybe dosa batter or cut vegetables, as more and more women work and overall seek to get more out of life.

The other trend we see clearly is that health-consciousness is more driven by the women than the man, which drives the focus of products,” says R. Subramaniam, Managing Director of discount chain Subhiksha Retail. “Earlier they were more focused on their family members, now there is a bit of “me” in this,” he points out.

Says S. Subramanyeswar, Vice-President (Strategy), at ad agency Rediffusion: “It used to be said men buy brands and women buy convenience. That’s not the case today. Brands are making the extra effort, trying to forge the bond, they know that they don’t come at the end.” They are now part of the mass market. And there’s a softer side to men that’s emerging nowadays, they’re more empathetic and decision-making is shared, he adds.

Subramanyeswar also talks about Nike’s Goddess initiative, which was aimed at connecting with women consumers, as illustration of how a marketer successfully exploited a whole new market. “It’s a huge, parallel business; I’d love to see an auto company do that, it would be a clear difference,” he says. Some auto companies, though not from the four-wheeler segment, have done that. One of the two-wheelers that wooed women is TVS, though it didn’t originally intend to.

The product: Scooty. In the mid-late ’90s, when the scooterette was launched, it was a unisex vehicle, but in the first two or three years, the company found girls showing a higher preference for the Scooty.

The penetration of two-wheelers among women is just 5 per cent, and is an urban phenomenon at that, says S. Srinivas, Brand Manager, Scooty.

Even now, male users account for 70-80 per cent of this market. When TVS found women taking to the bike, it decided to launch a pink version, though with much trepidation. It did well, and TVS launched bikes in 99 colours. “We looked at how women bought cell phones and saris,” says Srinivas, “and we also added features that made it easy for women to drive and park the bike – the stand, an auto choke – they aren’t auto enthusiasts, they don’t care for engineering, they just want to go from Point A to Point B.” Over 70 per cent of Scooty buyers are women.

What Srinivas calls a disinterest in technology is the challenge discount retail chain Subhiksha is trying to overcome as it launches its mobile phone stores. Managing Director Subramaniam says products and services focused on women would be a reality soon. “In our mobile stores we are working on some ideas where we will make it easier for women to shop and buy gizmos as there is a general hesitation that gizmos are somehow male things.”

A. M. Haree, Marketing Manager at Chennai-based construction company VGN Enterprise, points out that in his line of work, “if women say no, men definitely back out”. The company recently signed on Mandira Bedi as its brand ambassador, to differentiate itself from competitors in a booming real estate market, but it’s also a sign that it wants to reach out to more women than before.

Buying property was a male-dominated decision once, not anymore. “A few years ago, an apartment was never considered an investment, only individual houses were. But people realise there are a lot of advantages – you get a good community to live and grow with, and a different kind of lifestyle with many facilities.

Women realise, and look for all this – men may take the initiative, but women decide,” he adds. Finally, this group of consumers seem to be coming into its own.

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