Women Have Less Time For Everything (Listening TOO)

Thinking about Val Geller's points (Never Lose A Listener below) about the differences between men and women in terms of how they individually experience radio reminded me of this item from Radio Business Report:

Why it's difficult to reach Women 25-54

A national survey reveals why marketers find it more difficult today to reach women ages 25-54-- a powerful demographic group of 53 million women.

The conclusion: They have much more on their minds today than five years ago as more things compete for their attention, leaving little time for commercial messages.

The survey of 1,000 Americans by Ketchum PR, found that 58% of women ages 25-54 have "much more" on their minds now than five years ago. That percentage is a startling 18% higher than that of the total public, 20% higher than men ages 25-54, and 35% higher than men in general.

Women ages 25-54, the survey found, are more likely to have many things competing for their attention as they juggle multiple tasks and thoughts, and also are more easily distracted.

Underscoring how little time they have in an average day for media, the survey disclosed that, among women 25-54:
-- 59% "rarely" or "never" read a newspaper from beginning to end, compared to 52% for the total public and 51% for men ages 25-54.
-- Only half (51%) "frequently" watch a television program from start to finish, compared to 60% of men and 55% of the total public.
-- Just 47% frequently listen to the radio for more than 30 minutes straight versus 62% of their male counterparts.
-- 56% rarely or never read a magazine from cover to cover, a percentage that, surprisingly, is nearly similar to their male counterparts (57%).

The survey also found that women ages 25-54 trust experts the most for information (27%), followed closely by family and friends (26%). Want women to listen more? Follow Oprah and The View's example and have lots of informative, topical 'experts' on your show. But keep them fun, current and interesting.

And nearly one in four (23%) cites media reports as the most credible sources of information.

Marketing, however, isn't likely to be considered credible, with direct mail (3%) and advertising (2%) at the bottom of the list. The survey findings hold important implications for marketers:

-- Though women 25-54 respect the media as a credible source of information, they don't have a lot of time to absorb the information. So offering shorter chunks of information for women to digest likely will cut through the clutter.
-- Since this demographic group trust experts the most for information, tapping into experts will lend credibility to media reports, campaigns and messages.
-- While women ages 25-54 may not realize they're indeed multi-minding, they have less information on how to deal with all of the thoughts and concerns they juggle.
-- Because these women spend a significant amount of time thinking of others, marketers likely can tap into women 25-54 by showing them how their products and services can help them take even better care of others, and themselves.