Published: June 29, 2008 12:15 am            

DRINKWALTER: Have we really ‘come a long way, baby?’

I used to work for a company that sold carpet fiber. We were a group of mostly women who worked throughout the country from our home offices. We visited flooring stores in our regions promoting our brand name and the benefits of buying and selling product made with our brand. We offered incentives such as co-op advertising dollars to accounts that sold a lot of our fiber. My job was to focus on those who did and encourage those that were close to meeting our requirements to sell more of our product. They understood that by buying and selling our brand, they would reap the benefits thereof.

After one of our annual meetings, in an effort to better empower us to do our jobs, one of our managers gave each of us a book titled “Pocketbook Power.” It boasted, “How to reach the hearts and minds of today’s most coveted consumer — Women.” The book was written by Bernice Kanner, an award-winning advertising journalist. One the way home, while nestling into my seat on the airplane, I turned the pages quickly as the book was an interesting eye-opening read.

The statistics were staggering. I read that one in every 11 women in America owns a business, women control 88 percent of all purchases and women handle 75 percent of family finances and 43 percent of those with assets over $500,000 are women.

That said, “Pocketbook Power” clearly pointed out that men in business that talk down to potential female customers may want to think twice before continuing to do so. Whether the women are just out kicking the tires or ready to make a purchase, they encompass more than 51 percent of the U.S. population.

Women, they also found, rely on trusted brands that are tried and true and yes we relate well to commercials with animals like the AFLAC duck and the GEICO gecko. (Go figure?) And when it comes to learning about a product we are considering purchasing, we want helpful information, not just more information.

Well, I could rattle off statistics until I’m pink or blue in the face, but I need to ask, have we “come a long way, baby?” I must wonder after reading about a group of high school girls, aged 16 and under, in Gloucester, Mass. that supposedly made a pact to all get pregnant and raise their children together. That school had 17 reported pregnancies this year. Whether they really made a pact or not, what were they thinking? Where will that leave those young women at the end of the day? What kind of legacy will that leave for their children? Isn’t life tough enough?

Women and girls need to grasp onto that empowerment in this ever-changing society. I know many women were rooting for Hillary Clinton to win the Democratic nomination, some just because she was a woman. Although it would be great for a woman to preside over our country, I didn’t believe she was the right woman. I was never quite sold on Hill with or without Bill.

Although we have come as far as flirting with the idea of a woman for president, most women still have a difficult time teetering on the tightrope between Gloria Steinem and June Cleaver. Thankfully, most of us have come into our own enough to be able to don a pretty dress with a designer pocketbook and high heal shoes and still command respect when we’re out kicking the tires. So come on young ladies, the power is there, just snatch it up and the benefit you will reap is empowerment. You are our future.

Deb Drinkwalter is a Lockport resident. Her column appears every Sunday. Send comments to d.drinkwalter@yahoo.com.

        

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