Yesterday the Meredith Corporation-responsible for some of the most gendered marketing on the block (Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, Parents, Ladies' Home Journal, More, Fitness, etc)-released a study discussing a new demographic of women, Gamma women. These are women that are different from alpha women in their desire for success, money and stature. Gamma women thrive on sharing, changing the world around them and social networking, online and off.
The Gamma woman is one of 55 million American women* creating a groundswell in today's new media and marketing landscape. Using multiple media--both online and off--she shares ideas, information, and recommendations with her vast network. The Gamma woman stands in the center of a web of positive personal connections: she aims to bring out the best in herself and others. Her sense of self is guided by her internal beliefs, passions, and priorities. She is motivated by the desire to interact, rather than to impress. She is her family's strong center, her friends' trusted ally, and she models the change she wants to see in the world.
According to the Wall Street Journal, this new demographic of women has yet to be properly marketed to.
The Gamma Factor: Women and the New Social Currency, explains how the social behavior, media habits and sheer magnitude of Gamma women represent a tidal force that is redefining the marketing model. By providing strategies and anecdotes for capturing the attention and advocacy of Gamma women, the report reveals how information travels within the Gamma landscape, and how marketers can effectively communicate with Gamma women to leverage the power of this vast and influential segment.
Reading the WSJ article and the executive summary of the report it is hard to figure out if they are talking about women or robots, but I think it is interesting that one of the groundbreaking lessons here is that women should be engaged with, not talked at. Is this an example of feminism going into the field of marketing? Ha, I wish. Corporate-driven, gender-based mass marketing makes no exceptions, everyone is a possible target for a strategic product sell.
So the transition they are seeing is that as women have increased access to different types of social phenomena, technology and work, they are doing interesting and creative things with them that benefit the people around them and society as a whole. And obviously this is the perfect thing to exploit to make a dollar. Market research is astounding.
Women's behavior has changed as society has changed. Perhaps it appears on the surface that what influences us culturally has been decentralized and there has been a move away from the "type-A Alpha woman"-a pretty demeaning characterization in my opinion. But the internalized belief that material possessions equal status has not changed and it is pretty much a given that any break from the norm that "gamma" women possess will be re-focused on creating perfect feminine consumers through strategic marketing.
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I love how the author, no doubt a go-getting alpha type, has decided on a moniker that would underline the superiority of her own personality type.
I don't think this meme is going to catch on. Important note to folk who want to successfully name demographic groups... don't pick names that give away your disdain for the trend you're trying to define.
"Gamma woman"? Sorry, way too much like Brave New World for my taste. I agree with Eileen.
Alpha women and Gamma women are the same damn women. The "go-getter" and "community-builder" categories are not mutually exclusive in the mind of anyone who sees women in 3-D. To me, this is yet another vexing false dichotomy about women.
Why can't we just be people?
Why can't we just be people?
marilove- Because 'people' can't be marketed to. 'Demographics' can.
Yep, "Brave New World" was definitely my first thought when I saw this, with a quick side trip to "gamma" wolves in the pack.
I play outside the marketing game for the most part. I don't watch tv, I don't listen to the radio, I don't read newspapers or mainstream magazines. I usually ignore online advertising and in fact find it irritating at best, so people trying to target me are going to have a hell of a time doing so. I despise the whole system that only wants us to be good little cogs in their mechanistic wheels.
Dear marketers,
Leave me alone.
No love,
me
I guess they got tired of using virgin/whore, then? Betty/Veronica? Ginger/MaryAnn? I mean, everyone knows women only come in two flavors...we just have to figure out how to label them properly!
I agree with others that this strikes me as one more way of telling women not to be ambitious "go-getters" by being agreeable and interpersonal (as if you can only be one or the other).
I also have a problem with the demand that women must be the "strong center of the family," which puts women on a pedestal by unreasonably expecting them to always be family-focused and "moral" instead of just...people.
Hey guys first, love the site. I just joined. I love all of your comments regarding the modern woman and marketing and would just like to add my 2cents for what it is worth. I don't think there is anything wrong with associating yourself with being called Alpha, maybe I am not objective because I am the founder of AlphaWomen.com but I think that we all class ourselves whether we like it or not.
The "Alpha" woman has gotten such a bad wrap because it is a double standard for a woman be out going, aggressive, going after what she wants full throttle she is referred to as a "Bitch." I consider myself Alpha after my husband left me when I was two months pregnant at 18 with no financial support I had to fend for myself and figure out how to make it. I did. Does that make me a bitch? I don't know, I don't care but I only have one life and I am living it to my best ability and to the fullest regardless of what people think of me or how they class me. I see your point about putting a label or name on our gender for marketing purposes. I get that now. However, when I started AlphaWomen.com it wasn't to give women a "label" I JUST LOVED the name and identified with it. It wasn't meant to exclude or keep women out it was and is a place for women to bond. Very similar to your site.
I like your site. Much success to you!
Freda
Believe it or not this is not unusual for anybody to be classified this way in the marketing realm. The thing is with women, much of the language and the intent comes off as sexist. Awhile back there was a marketing breakdown for wal-mart posted on consumerist. This marketing breakdown was extremely sexist in its subtext of the female demographics.
And here I thought they were talking about She-Hulk...
It's like they're amazing that people have changed over the years.