The female of the species are the economic powerhouses of today.

With their ever-increasing purchasing power, marketers risk ignoring them at their own risk.

In this marketing to women series, AsiaOne interviews some insiders in the business to get them to share insights on their marketing techniques - and how they get their female consumers to part with their dollar.

We talk to one of the founders of 6th sense, a PR agency that made its name in doing PR for F&B outfits.

Full name: Carlyn Law
Age: 31
Title: Director

How long have you been there: 5 years
How long have you been in the marketing/communications/PR industry: 8 years

Which companies have you worked with, either presently or previously: A couple of ad agencies, a publishing house and production company too.

Some of the clients that you have handled: Whitebait & Kale, Aerin's, Wong San's Group, BSH Home Appliances

1. Why target women? Are they worth it?

According to latest survey results, women make up more than half of undergraduates and graduates.

Thus when they enter the workforce, they have a lot of spending power.

I think women are also the ones who make major purchasing decisions across the age groups, be it mothers buying groceries for the households or working professionals on a shopping spree.

2. How do strategies differ from those directed at both genders or just the men? Please give example(s) from past campaigns you were involved in or know of.

To start with, strategies differ because of the targeted audience, positioning and brand values associated with a concept.

Campaigns targeted at women are usually very niche products but these days, there's a lot of clutter too.

Thus clients and marketers need to know how best to reach their demographics and make their efforts stand out (how do you make Lipstick A stand out from Lipstick B?).

I thought successful campaigns include the UOB's Lady Card when they ran a very catchy tagline "The men don't get it" and I believe it's one of the reasons why they've done so well in the ladies' cards sector.

3. Women love to talk shop. So, "word-of-mouth" marketing works best with them. What say you?

Defintely! Third party testimonials are very powerful persuasive tools especially with women consumers.

This works well with products that are more personal from beauty products (cosmetics and facial/hair salons) to toiletries (sanitary pads). Women are always consulting one another for opinions and advice (the perpetual question: do I look fat in this?), and are more forthcoming with volunteering info like what they have tried, bought or been to.

4. Form vs Function - how do you market gadgets to women?

I think both are equally important but if both brand A and B work equally well, women would of course pick one that appeals more to their emotive side.

So colours, designs and form are important in this competitive gadgets market from your MP3 players to cameras and handphones.

For example, handphone brands like Nokia and Motorola are riding on their new designs (floral) and colours (pink) to promote their products targeted at women specifically, instead of telling them how great the functions are.

Most women I know don't know how to use half of their gadgets' functions!

5. "I can sell anything to anyone. All it takes is the right strategy." Your comments?I agree to some point.

Sometimes it's a matter of luck and timing (entering the market at the right time).

6. What is the psychographical profile of a typical woman from a marketing perspective?

Psycho graphics involve the study of psychological reasons why people do things (for e.g buying supplements for health); in a nutshell, their emotional needs.

These are different from demographics who include age, income etc.

I think it'd be hard to generalise the psycho-graphical profile of a typical woman as women have varying needs in different degrees!

It will depend on the products and positioning again.