RE:INVENTION, a Chicago Marketing and PR firm - specializing in B2B marketing - HELPS COMPANIES MARKET THEIR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO WOMEN. Welcome to our blog. Explore our toolbox and learn how women-targeted marketing and PR can boost your sales and profits. Visit re:invention's corporate website at: www.reinventioninc.com.


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Client Endorsements
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National Media Mentions
- Read What Media is Saying...

"...Some of the smartest people I have met, I've never met..."
- Inc. Magazine (Aug '05)

"...a plethora of resources about women business owners...plus current news."
- Entrepreneur Magazine (Aug '04)

"...marketing and business tips and tidbits for women entrepreneurs."
- The Washington Post (Mar '05)

"...re:invention has been reinvented..."
- About.com (Jan '06)

"...Don't miss re:invention's shoe of the week feature!"
- Seth Godin's Bull Market 2004

"...one of the best marketing blogs out there for everyone."
- Web Digest for Marketers

"...wins honorable mention, Best Small Business Blog."
- Marketing Sherpa


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RE:INVENTION'S SHOE OF THE WEEK™  ...TATTERED OLD SHOES (SIGNALLING THE LOOMING GLOBAL DEPRESSION).





SMART WOMAN QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"We encourage all our fellow men and woman to buy at least two stocks to help with the global economic crisis. We want everyone to step up and help in any way that they can. This is a huge crisis we face, but together we can make a difference. Do not just sit by and watch."
-- Jackie Christie, Fashion Guru/Founder of film production company, Infinite Love Productions.


RE:INVENTION'S "VENTURE FUNDING FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS" REPORT





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APPRECIATIONS

Many appreciations to Scott Kiekbusch (A Fresh Design), Tony J. (CrashShop), Dan T. (Core12), Peter D., and Ann K. for their work sprucing up this BLOG. 4 good men & 1 great woman.

We began this blog with appreciations, a Whole Foods Market tradition. We thank our mentors, our business partners, our clients, and our readers. Thank you for giving re:invention wings.

CLOUDS

re:invention writes about...






Saturday, March 24, 2007

RE: Think Pink and the Culture of Cute in Japan.

From AP News...

Nissan is powerfully marketing their new pink Pino car in Japan to young working woman with "pink bear-shaped cushions, seat covers with hearts, a CD case that looks like fat red lips, and a colorful cover for a tissue box." Pino ads showcase three 20-something well-dressed women shopping, manicuring their nails to match the patterns on Pino seats, and using aromatherapy oils in the car.

Noted in the article:

"In most countries, experts tend to advise against making products pink or adding other "cute" features to appeal to female drivers partly because that may smack of sexism and turn off women -- except in Japan. Here, young women are extremely powerful in setting trends, and the culture of cute is so prevalent grown men aren't embarrassed about dangling little mascots from cell phones..."
Just goes to show you -- when it comes to marketing to working women, IT IS NOT about thinking pink or avoiding pink altogether. IT IS about 5 things:

(1) pursuing your best opportunity target market niche (remember: one shoe size does not fit all!)
(2) listening for your target customers' stated (and latent) wants, needs, hopes and dreams and respecting their concerns and issues
(3) catering your company/product key messages to those stated (and latent) wants and needs
(4) sweeping those good folks off their feet with a product and product experience that surprises and delights them -- "taking their minds, hearts, and souls to places they've never been" and giving them "a reason to tell all their friends about you!"
(5) providing a clear call to action.

What makes PINK so scary? According to the website "Gender Specific Colors," pink was considered a boy's color at the turn of the century. PINK is merely bright unsaturated RED. The color of love. The color of passion. Pink can be pale or proud or shocking. When it comes to marketing to working women, pink marketing could merely imply: "making the extra effort to court your best customers."

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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

RE: Connecting with Entrepreneurs Can Build Corporate Executive Reputation.

In a Harris Poll conducted in February, over half of people polled expressed a "great deal" of confidence in leaders of small business. Small business leaders elicited more public confidence than leaders of any other insitution.

Here's the breakdown of public confidence levels by institution:

Over at Small Business Trends Blog, editor Anita Campbell points out the wide disparity between public confidence for small biz leaders and corporate executives.

RE:INVENTION may be a small business -- but our team is comprised of former Fortune 500 marketing executives turned entrepreneurs...

Our Quick Insight
Aligning with small biz owners could have a positive halo effect on corporate executives' public image. Some specific tips for enhancing corporate reputation:

- Consider putting a small business leader on your B.O.D.
- Create a Small Business Advisory Council
- Test a Small Biz/Big Boy mentoring program
- Negotiate results-based small biz organization sponsorships/partnerships that include corporate executive event presence (they'd do well to wander outside their Ivory Tower and spend some time in the real world).

(hat tip to Small Biz Trends for the story and the "sized-down" chart)

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RE: Marketing to Working Moms Doesn't Have to Mean Fun and Games.

Interesting article from this week's Star Tribune - "Helping Women Find the Playground."

Inspires us at RE:INVENTION Marketing to ask: does marketing to women really have to mean fun and games?

We think that's the easy way out and sadly, an altogether too common approach for marketers. Not all women swoon for fashion shows, playtime, and makeover parties. "One shoe size simply doesn't fit all."

Maybe it's time to think differently. Bold, savvy, educational, and aspirational marketing may work better.

News for Marketers...
Over at DraftFCB, they've banned the word "mom" from agency vernacular. According to agency creative director, Gigi Carroll, women with children "are more than moms" and they "respond much more when you play back to them who they think they are." DraftFCB research proved that marketers are prone to relying on motherhood stereotypes.

"When we did our first round of research, we found that 35% of women are blatantly offended by the mom-centric way they are portrayed (in advertising)," says Carroll.
Busting the Myths...
- The number of "single women with children" (SWWCs) has doubled in the past 30 years.
- 35% of marketers believe single women with children are 18 to 24 years old. But the reality is that only 12% of single moms are this young. The largest age group of single moms is 35 to 44.
- Many marketers believe that single moms did not finish high school. In reality, only 19% of single moms did not finish high school.
- Many marketers believe single moms are ethnic. In reality, 58% of single moms are Caucasian.

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Thursday, March 08, 2007

RE: BusinessWeek Declares: Be Cocky.

Today BusinessWeek references a new study exploring success factors among entrepreneurs. In summary, says BusinessWeek, "entrepreneurs need a dose of cockiness."

The study -- conducted by Drexel, Penn State and Northeastern Universities -- suggests "it is not enough to be well connected." OVERCONFIDENCE and LOW RISK PERCEPTION drive entrepreneurial success.

CLICK HERE to read the full report.

For more on this subject, visit SportLizard Entrepreneur blog for Adam McFarland's take on cocky versus confident entrepreneurs. Are you confident or cocky? Take the test.

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RE: IWD - A Recap.

Today marks International Women's Day. Over 468 events took place today in 44 different countries. This year's theme: ending violence against women and girls.

Women in the media today:
- Entrepreneur
- Toronto Daily News
- New York Times
- Guardian Unlimited
- International Herald Tribune

On an interesting and related note -- during yesterday's Dateline NBC show, "Breaking and Entering," security expert Bill Stanton put people to the test in a variety of security risk situations. His conclusion: "...in the end, perhaps the most crime-savvy of the bunch wasn’t a neighbor, a security guard, or a city employee - it was a young girl who knew when to smell a rat."

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Wednesday, March 07, 2007

RE: Only In Illinois.

On the same day that Illinois Governor Blagojevich announced the largest tax hike in Illinois History, the Chicago Entrepreneurial Center (CEC) formally announced the launch of the Illinois Innovation Accelerator (IIA), a $10 million seed investment fund.

About the Blagojevich Plan...
Blagojevich wants to create a new tax on every business transaction in Illinois. Among his proposed tax plans:

- A gross receipts tax. Companies with less than $1 million in revenues would be exempt. That covers 75 percent of all Illinois businesses. Roughly 3% of all women-owned businesses gross over $1 million annually.

- A 3 percent payroll tax - levied on businesses that do not provide health insurance to their employees. Businesses with less than 10 employees are exempt.

Why We Take Issue...
Roughly 60% of small businesses provide health care coverage to their employees. Women business owners, in particular, are concerned about the rising cost of healthcare benefits. Among smaller women-owned companies (4 to 20 employees), only 38% offer health benefits; among larger women-owned companies (21 or more employees), 69% offer health benefits. For women business owners, "affordability" is the key barrier to health care coverage.

Where we take issue - the number of employees threshold set for exemptions.

"We are all God's children," the Governor quipped Sunday in a press conference. The governor did not take questions about the program after his seven-minute speech or explain how it would be financed. Guess God will provide.

Too Bad, So Sad...
As an FYI, we asked for an advance copy of the plan from the child of God's Governor's office. We didn't get it (even though RE:INVENTION's fax number appears on our website contact page).

Hmm. Guessing that last jibe will preclude us from qualifying for the 3% of government contracts that are allocated every year to women business owners. That's ok. We really don't want to float another government loan.

Sadly and for the record, one of the 5 characteristics of a women-owned business that breaks the million dollar mark: government or corporate contacts.

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Monday, March 05, 2007

RE: Inc. Increases Its "It List"

Inc. Magazine is expanding its Inc. 500 list of America's fastest-growing private companies to become the Inc. 5,000. Entries to the Inc. 5,000 are now being accepted. Companies must be U.S.-based and independent, with four full calendar years of revenue generation. You must provide revenue documentation for consideration. In an effort to keep fast growth companies on their radar screen, Inc. is encouraging all companies to apply, even if they aren't yet eligible for the list.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY!
The deadline is April 15.


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Saturday, March 03, 2007

RE: Entrepreneurship Week USA Wrap-Up.

Entrepreneurship Week USA came and went. Governors issued proclamations in 17 states including Illinois. Here's the wrap-up.


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Friday, March 02, 2007

RE: Don't Quit Your Day Job!

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, released today by the Center for Women's Leadership at Babson College...

DUAL EMPLOYMENT is a critical factor in the creation of women-run entrepreneurial ventures.

Globally, entrepreneurial activity is highest among women who are also employed in a wage job (whether full or part time). This hold true in high and low income countries, regardless of levels of education of the woman entrepreneur. Working provides access to resources, social capital, and ideas that may aide in establishing an entrepreneurial venture.

View the FULL REPORT.

Thanks to Michael Chmura, Babson PR, for the breaking news...


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Thursday, March 01, 2007

RE: Why Maryland Makes RE:INVENTION Swoon.

According to the 2007 State New Economy Index: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, and California are the 5 top states leading the global, knowledge, and innovation based New Economy. The study was conducted by the Kauffman Foundation and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington D.C.

For more on this study, see the March issue of Inc Magazine. Maryland outranks all states on the number of scientists and engineers as a share of the workforce. According to Inc., Maryland is "well-positioned as a nexus of government and science."

Maryland makes RE:INVENTION swoon...


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RE: WBENC Releases Annual World-Class Supplier Diversity Program List

The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) has released its annual "America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises" list. The list honors corporations with world-class supplier diversity programs.

This year's Sweet 16:

AT&T
Avis Budget Group, Inc.
Bank of America
BellSouth Corporation
Chevron Corporation
The Coca-Cola Company
Exxon Mobil Corporation
IBM Corporation
Johnson & Johnson
Office Depot
PepsiCo, Inc.
Pfizer Inc
Shell Oil Company
TXU Corp.
UPS
Verizon

- MORE.

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RE: Next Time We're Traveling Via Private Jet.

We're back from a week-long trip to the East Coast. Our butts hurt from the cramped row non-reclining airline seats. Next time we fly to D.C., we want a private jet.

Today we stumbled upon THIS NIFTY LITTLE SWEEPSTAKES sponsored by Microsoft Office Live. The Grand Prize — 10 hours of private jet travel. Dibs on that grand prize. Don't you even think about entering.

Has any small biz owner out there used Microsoft Office Live? Any feedback, product tips, or success stories?

Judi Sohn, over at Web Worker Daily, offers this comprehensive product review, drawing points of comparison to Google Apps Premier. For the record, neither Microsoft nor Google is a current re:invention client.

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