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Dear Readers,
I am so proud to announce the latest Savvy Auntie Sponsor! Webwars, an innovator in layered reality gaming and entertainment, is changing the way users engage with online entertainment by removing the barriers between Web gaming and Web sites.
Their first launch is Weblings - a game designed for women! Naturally, we love working with them! and when we discovered that Cindy Armstrong, their CEO, is a Savvy Auntie, we were thrilled! She's one of us, Aunties! And frankly, that's why she's working with Savvy Auntie. She understands the power and influence of PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids).Here's the cool part - they are holding a contest on SavvyAuntie.com. Simply answer one poll question, include your email address so we know how to reach you if you've won, and you're automatically entered to win one of two Toshiba laptops!If I Tweet about this promotion, I'll use [sp] in the tweet so that you know it is part of a sponsored conversation. Oh and if you love online games - then please check out Weblings to play. Check it out anyway. We love to support Savvy Aunties.XOXO,Auntie Melanie
Dear Readers,
Last May, before I launched SavvyAuntie.com, I wrote a blog post about childless women and Mother's Day. It's been one of my most popular posts to-date and so I thought this year, I would simply update the data and re-post.
(First published on May 2, 2008. Data has been updated for 2009)
Dear Madison Avenue,
Please don't wish me a Happy Mother's Day.
It's not that I don't appreciate the wishes. And I don't mean to be the "Ebenezer Scrooge" of Mother's Day. It's a perfectly lovely holiday.
But I am not a mother.
And it's not that I don't want to be. I personally do. But for now, I am not a mother.
So when I walk into your store, or open your e-newsletter, or receive your direct mail, please don't wish me a Happy Mother's Day.
Don't get me wrong. I love mothers. I admire the work and energy it takes to be a mother. In fact, some of my best friends are mothers. But some are not. In fact, some of your girlfriends are probably not mothers either. Stop. Look around. Chances are about 50% of the women you know are not mothers. Especially since you live in a big city like New York.
Madison, or Ms Avenue if you prefer, just look at the US census report on fertility. In 2006 (the latest report) 45.1% of women up to the age of 44 were counted as "childless." (The number of women over the age of 44 who are non-moms is not recorded.) That's up from 44.6% in 2004. And 43% in 2001. So the numbers are growing. Year after year. After year.
For every Mom out there, there is a Non-Mom. Some by choice. Some yet to be. Some who just can't. None of these women want your Happy Mother's Day wishes. In fact, you are probably hurting some feelings along the way.
But Madison, you're a smart marketer. You can step away from the decades-old idea that moms are the most powerful spenders in the US. Perhaps at education and kids' necessities like diapers and milk they are. Sure. But women in general are the most lucrative consumers for marketers. And we've come a long way, baby. 85% of women make or influence the purchasing decisions in their household. The household, by the way, may be a family of four, or a single abode for one. For the first time, more women than men are buying cars, consumer electronics, homes and doing home renovations. And you might be surprised to hear that 50% of single women own their own homes.
Since the 1960's, when women were finally opening bank accounts in their own names, you have been focusing your marketing strategies on Mom since that is how you have traditionally identified "Woman." But it's 2009 and times have changed. Today, non-moms actually have greater purchasing power because they are not supporting children, because a greater portion of non-moms than moms are still in the workforce, and because they have more time for leisure and travel.
Which doesn't mean that non-moms don't love children. Non-moms have nieces and nephews, by relation or by choice, and other children in their lives that they love and embrace (and spoil!).
Madison, since you are a woman who works in advertising and marketing, you may have heard that I call this segment of women: PANKs (Professional Aunts, No Kids.) PANK is the New PINK. We are the fastest growing segment of affluent women in America - the women you should be focusing some really smart attention on.
So don't turn us off. Don't keep assuming all women are moms. Do better targeting and segmenting. Find the women who spend their discretionary income and time on the kids in their lives - and on themselves. We're here. We're listening. And we're ready to buy.
In the meantime, go ahead with your Mother's Day plans. I too wish all moms a beautiful day full of all the love and joy that motherhood brings.
But please, don't wish the rest of us a Happy Mother's Day.
Because the thing is, we're not moms.
Sincerely,
Auntie Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com
Dear Readers,I'm fortunate in that in a relatively short period of time, I've managed to gain some great momentum for my company. And more than ever, I've been receiving emails, Twitter direct messages, Facebook messages, texts and IMs from friends and acquaintances, friends of friends, friends of acquaintances, some virtual and some IRL, all asking me how I "did it."Naturally, it's a challenge for me to respond to everyone the way I'd like to - which is to give them my undivided attention and support - but I just can't. It's becoming more than I can handle. So I thought I would just simply put my secret recipe here. Of course, as with every recipe, the final outcome is in the hands of the chef. Nevertheless, this is my three-pronged approach for success:Strong Product. Powerful Niche. Social Influence.As you know from my story, I invested my life savings into SavvyAuntie.com - the product. All of our constituents (consumers, advertisers, media, etc) are human, and they all either 'get it' immediately, or they don't. I believe you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Don't blow it with a product that's not great. You may never get a second chance.It worked for me. Twenty-three minutes after I launched, I received an email from the digital media buyers for Hasbro. They wanted in. An hour later, Sephora contacted me. And so on. So product, product product. It can't be good. It's got to be great.There's no point to a great product, if no one wants to experience it. You need a powerful niche. PANKs - Professional Aunts No Kids - is a segment I carved out of the population of American women that I feel are under-served, untapped, and incredibly powerful. Know who you are talking to, or they won't listen.Finally, there's social influence. I realized shortly after I launched that people were interested in my voice and any value I might be able to add. With close to 8000 Followers on Twitter, a regular 'gig' on Fox News, representing brands online and on TV, and introducing sponsored conversations people enjoy being a part of, my influence is a great asset to my company.By the way, social influence was never a part of my original plan. The social media platforms that have really become invaluable to me (Twitter, Facebook, this Blog), enabled me to realize my passion for connecting with people and being part of online communities, was something that could actually help grow my brand reach. Timing is everything. I started my company as these tools we taking off. It's not too late for you. But go build your voice online. Add value. Create influence.My advice to anyone thinking about starting a company: Make sure you invest in the development and design of your product, identify a niche that people "get" and use your own social influence to leverage greater reach.Of course, none of this works without a lot of hard work and determination. So be prepared to work harder than you have ever worked in your life. And be prepared to be happier than you've ever been.XOXO,Auntie Melanie
Dear Readers,
Once you've lived with a name for your company for the better part of a year, it just feels right. But of course, most people have never heard of the name of your company and often wonder why you chose it. The name of my company, as you know, is SavvyAuntie.com. Here's the simple story of how it all came to be:
Last summer, as I was starting this company, the Internet was being 'plagued' by four-letter domain names. Hulu, Bebo and Ning were just three destinations being buzzed about. At the time, it seemed like in order to be a 'hot' Internet company, you had to have a four-letter domain name.
I wasn't going to go that route. First of all, whatever is hot today, is not tomorrow. Secondly, I wanted a domain name that no one would forget because it sounded like every other four-letter domain name (I was confused by the names myself since they tell very little about what the sites do and who they are for). Thirdly, I wanted the word Aunt or Auntie to be a part of it so they understood the community was for them.
I decided to create a URL that meant something to Aunts. Seems simple, but I was going to be married to this name forever more. It had to be something I really believed in. And something Aunties could believe in too. That name, whatever it would be, would need to be powerful.
I'm an Auntie. My late mother grew up in England and all of my Great Aunts are called Auntie (Awntie). So I knew I wanted to go with Auntie, not Aunt. Plus, last summer, Gap had come out with a cute t-shirt for little girls that read: I [heart] my Auntie. If "Auntie" was right for the Gap consumer, it was popular enough a term for my niche.
I chose "Savvy" as a qualifier for a very specific reason. PANKs are very savvy in just about everything they do: their job; their social life; fashion and beauty; finances; nesting, etc. But when it comes to kids, they are not as savvy. How could they be, without kids of their own and without sandbox talk - the stuff moms learn about 'on the job?' There is no "instruction manual" for Aunts and until now, Auntie has had to rely on Mom to learn about kids.
SavvyAuntie.com is like a 'parenting site for non-parents.' It's a "safe" place where Aunts can get lots of great knowledge from our Savvy Auntie Experts and other SavvyAuntie.com members, as well as share their own expertise with others - without ever having to feel un-savvy. That's pretty powerful stuff.
Just like Mom, Auntie has questions. And now, just like Mom, Auntie has answers. She's a Savvy Auntie. And it just feels right.
XOXO,
Auntie Melanie
(Dear Readers, I am sorry but I must interrupt my usual letters to you so that I can address something to the fine people in the Advertising and Marketing world.)
Dear Madison Avenue,
Please don't wish me a Happy Mother's Day.
It's not that I don't appreciate the wishes. And I don't mean to be the "Ebenezer Scrooge" of Mother's Day. It's a perfectly lovely holiday.
But I am not a mother.
And it's not that I don't want to be. I personally do. But for now, I am not a mother.
So when I walk into your store, or open your e-newsletter, or receive your direct mail, please don't wish me a Happy Mother's Day.
Don't get me wrong. I love mothers. I admire the work and energy it takes to be a mother. In fact, some of my best friends are mothers. But some are not. In fact, some of your girlfriends are probably not mothers either. Stop. Look around. Chances are about 50% of the women you know are not mothers. Especially since you live in a big city like New York.
Madison, or Ms Avenue if you prefer, just look at the US census report on fertility. In 2004 (the latest report) 45% of women up to the age of 44 were counted as "childless." (The number of women over the age of 44 who are non-moms is not recorded.) That's up from 44% in 2003. And 43% in 2001. So the numbers are growing. Year after year. After year.
For every Mom out there, there is a Non-Mom. Some by choice. Some yet to be. Some who just can't. None of these women want your Happy Mother's Day wishes. In fact, you are probably hurting some feelings along the way.
But Madison, you're a smart marketer. You can step away from the decades-old idea that moms are the most powerful spenders in the US. Perhaps at education and kids' necessities like diapers and milk they are. Sure. But women in general are the most lucrative consumers for marketers. And we've come a long way, baby. 85% of women make or influence the purchasing decisions in their household. The household, by the way, may be a family of four, or a single abode for one. For the first time, more women than men are buying cars, consumer electronics, homes and doing home renovations. And you might be surprised to hear that 50% of single women own their own homes.
Since the 1960's, when women were finally opening bank accounts in their own names, you have been focusing your marketing strategies on Mom since that is how you have traditionally identified "Woman." But it's 2008 and times have changed. Today, non-moms actually have greater purchasing power because they are not supporting children, because a greater portion of non-moms than moms are still in the workforce, and because they have more time for leisure and travel.
Which doesn't mean that non-moms don't love children. Non-moms have nieces and nephews, by relation or by choice, and other children in their lives that they love and embrace (and spoil!).
Madison, since you are a woman who works in advertising and marketing, you may have heard that I call this segment of women: PANKs (Professional Aunts, No Kids.) PANK is the New PINK. We are the fastest growing segment of affluent women in America - the women you should be focusing some really smart attention on.
So don't turn us off. Don't keep assuming all women are moms. Do better targeting and segmenting. Find the women who spend their discretionary income and time on the kids in their lives - and on themselves. We're here. We're listening. And we're ready to buy.
In the meantime, go ahead with your Mother's Day plans. I too wish all moms a beautiful day full of all the love and joy that motherhood brings.
But please, don't wish the rest of us a Happy Mother's Day.
Because the thing is, we're not moms.
Sincerely,
Auntie Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com
