How Does Gender Affect Online Advertising?

When putting together any kind of marketing strategy, it is always a good idea to identify your target audience. Knowing who you are trying to reach can have a major impact on the types of ads that you choose to run, and the content inside your ads. If you are aiming to sell to one gender more so than the other, you really need to pay attention to how you put your ads together, as research has shown that men and women react differently to online advertising and advertising in general.

We all know that men and women have different tastes, but who knew that how they look at advertising was also different? For example, are men more concerned with price than women? While historically men have been the bread-winners in the family, it is generally the women who run the household. That is why females tend to be more on the lookout for a bargain than men, and may also explain why men are more likely to go with proven brands, no matter how much they have to pay to get them. Yes, it may sound as though we are stereotyping, but research shows that this how the world is today, more often than not.

With regards to advertising, women are much more driven by emotion than men are. There are certain buzz words that will appeal to women and will quite simply fly over the heads of their male counterparts. Women also like to know how a product functions, as they need it to work in a certain way that fits their needs and of their families. An ad that is vague when it comes to function could very well fall flat with female audience. Know what your product does, and ask how it can specifically help your target audience.

As you may have guessed by now, women tend to be attracted to ads that show a product or service to be practical. Again, this often comes down to viewing how a product can help the entire family without being complicated to use. Time is money for women, which is why they like things that can get the job done quickly. Men tend to move towards the luxurious side of things, so highlight attractive and innovative features when targeting them. As mentioned before, they do not mind paying extra to get a little splash of luxury.

This is just beginning to scratch the surface of how men and women view advertising differently. There are of course exceptions and situations where the roles mentioned above are reversed, but the numbers show that what we have outlined tends to hold true statistically. When you advertise, what you really need to do is look at your product or service and decide how it will most appeal to men and women. If that means creating separate ads for each, then so be it. Your chances of making the sale will be boosted when you do so.