I was once on a development team
for a product
targeting men in their early 20’s.
I was the only woman.
I knew I was at a disadvantage
so I researched my ass off,
ensuring that I was locked down
on that demographic.
Turns out,
that disadvantage was an advantage.
My male coworkers approached the launch
with a
‘I’m male, if I like it then our target will like it’
attitude.
The thing is…
they weren’t the demographic.
They were older.
They were better educated.
They weren’t ‘average.’
I ended up challenging their perceptions.
That’s why when I hear
‘only women should market to women’,
I groan.
A man with no personal bias,
relying on research and study,
can out market a lazy female marketer any day.
Don’t assume you know all about your target market
just because you’re the same gender.