As busy marketers, we rely on statistics and analysis to develop communication strategies, create PPC campaigns and identify which markets are best suited for our product.  Sometimes statistics are simple enough that anyone can understand them. Let’s say you have two bags of apples. 25 percent of the apples in the first bag are bruised compared to 50 percent of the apples in the second bag. The best bag is obvious.

There are other instances, however, in which statistics are complicated enough that it takes a professional to translate them into a meaningful statement. It takes years to develop the skill necessary to dig deep and analyze a variety of statistics and then present them in a cohesive and useful manner.

If you do a search for “pay equity for women” you’ll find a lot of articles reporting numbers in the 70 to 80 percent range. Those numbers suck, but the grains of salt to take with those reported wage disparities are numerous. What follows is a more realistic picture of the situation.

I Don’t Think That Word Means What You Think It Means

In most of these doomsday accounts the number given is not even an average, it’s a median. If you were to take 101 apples from the previous hypothetical and arrange them from ripest to the most bruised apple 51 would be your median. If more than half of the apples are more or less in the same shape that median is a good stat. If however apples 52 through 101 are in much better shape than the median, it has less significance.

Averages can be just as imperfect. If you have an even split of perfect apples and beat to hell apples, the average is going to paint a picture of 101 pretty decent apples even though half of them a horse wouldn’t eat. That’s the problem with using only averages and medians on pay equity. They don’t tell even half the story.

The Good Apples

Currently, for women between the ages of 20 and 34 pay equity is 92%. It’s only after age 34 that things go dramatically downhill and really screw up the average and give a near-meaningless median. The pay range for women between the ages of 35 and 64 is from 75 to 78 percent. That is a huge drop, obviously.

Once women reach retirement age they have 80% the income of their male counterparts. The reason for this won’t require much more elaboration than you get out of retirement what you put into it, and women historically worked fewer hours for less money several decades ago.

That’s not the case anymore and there’s no reason to expect women to ever return en masse to “stay-at-home” status. This should make a huge difference for many male-focused brands that have ignored women because of the perception that they simply don’t have the income. Big mistake. Not only do they have more income today, they’re heads of more household than men, making purchasing decisions up to three times more often. If you’re continuing to ignore women, you’re marketing to a last of its kind generation on its way out. In another decade your brand may only be best known to a handful of misogynists and a lot of crickets.

The More You Learn, The More You Earn

Simply put, the more education, the higher the wage. The worst pay equity out there is not male to female, it’s high school graduates to college graduates, where the former make a little bit more than half the latter.

A few decades ago fewer women were getting degrees. Now more women than men are getting bachelor’s degrees, masters, and doctorates. Within the same field with the same education women have in many respects nearly gained pay equity.

Forbes recently ran an article on 15 fields where women are now making more than men, with ten additional fields where pay is virtually equal. Any pessimist pointing fingers at those median income numbers for women are going to be just as surprised as the analysts in the nineties who said Apple Computer should just sell off their assets and concede defeat to Microsoft.

Even traditionally male brands could find themselves in the cold if they don’t start focusing on women. Women buy cars and power tools more often than men go to the grocery store to do the weekly shopping.

“Male” and “Female” Careers

Nurse. Doctor. Construction Worker. Secretary. All of these careers have a stereotype that pops into your head and with good reason. Those professions are still dominated by the gender most people assign to them without thinking. But that’s changing too. More men are entering into traditionally female fields than ever before and more women are entering into traditionally male fields at the same rate. The divisions of the past accounted for much of the pay inequity, and they are disappearing.

Construction work, for example, is still 97% male, but the women working in it have one of the highest pay equity ranges of any other field at 93%. And that’s a median no less, meaning women at the higher end of the profession are already making equal pay.

Statistics Don’t Lie, Partial Ones Do.

So that’s a more accurate picture of the pay equity scene. As men and women enter careers typically held by the other sex and women continue to earn more higher degrees than men, the pay equity situation will only improve.

Discrimination Is Real, But Is Running Out Of Places To Hide

Is discrimination still a reality? Absolutely. But the world has become too litigious a place for people to discriminate outright. In the past biased hiring practices could be disguised with a job title, but as work becomes gender-neutral pay will have to be equal. If you want to call Bill an “executive assistant” instead of a “secretary” you better call Janet the same thing if she’s doing the same job, and you better pay them the same. You can put it on a paycheck, or pay it in the out of court settlement for a discrimination lawsuit.

If you’re in sales and an increasing amount of customers are women they’re going to buy from your mixed sex competitors if you show up to the pitch with a bunch of dudes and a boys-only clubhouse attitude. As romantic as the world of “Mad Men” is, in today’s reality Don Draper would be just as likely to pitch to big companies headed by women as men. It’s also likely Peggy Olson would be heading up the pitch meeting and Don would be bringing her coffee.

Not Your Mother’s Workforce

The overall career landscape is going through a radical transformation. That nearly 20 point drop in pay equity from age 34 to 35 isn’t as much about the age of the workers, but the times we are living in. Technology and politics are forever altering and leveling the playing field. In an increasing number of occupations not only are women as qualified as men, because of a greater percentage of higher degrees, they are more qualified.

Discrimination will continue to decline because many people want to do the right thing, but everyone will change because it effects the bottom line. If you want to be competitive you need the most qualified people, and that’s going to increasingly be women, on both sides of the conference table. If you need to be marketing to women, and for women, it better be by women too. If you don’t hire them, you can bet your competitors will.

Statistical data on Pay Equity by age

The webinar provides fantastic marketing insight from wine industry leaders on how to sell to women. It address stereotypes, types of wines women like to drink, where to find women, and how to craft communication that speaks to their individual needs.

For a summary of an attendee’s top three marketing wines by the glass takeaways, please visit Kimberly Graziano.

For more information on MORE magazine’s wine club for women, please visit MORE Uncorked.

Find out how to market wine to women:

The integrated marketing approach from NBC’s “Ready For Love” Matchmaker.

Matthew Hussey, an Angelsmith client, has been billed as the top relationship guru in the world. Much of his success can be attributed to his integrated marketing strategy and his appeal to diverse demographics. His dating advice is to throw a wide net and treat everyone you encounter equally well. He uses this same strategy to sustain a vibrant and expanding fan base.

One of the core tenets of his new book, Get The Guy, is that you can’t predict where the best opportunities will come from, so it’s key to always be genuine, always be presenting your best self, and always be saying, “yes.” He’s presented himself with the same sort of friendly enthusiasm to a variety of outlets and channels and allowed each of those individual platforms to crossover and promote his overall success.

More Than The Sum Of Its Parts

Get The Guy hit the NYT bestseller list and you may not have even heard of Matthew Hussey. How does a guy who seems to only have a niche market go from a book release to best seller status in so short a time? The secret is that he doesn’t have a niche market, he has an abundance of them. He speaks to women and men, whether they’re single or in a relationship, old or young, corporate climbers or entrepreneurs. He doesn’t alienate any of his fans, regardless of which of his audiences they belong to.

Yes, We Can All Get Along

As diversified as his base is, his integrated marketing approach is even more impressive.  All of his channels work seamlessly together to move prospects forward, towards an on or offline conversion. Angelsmith designed and built his US website to capture leads, drive awareness about the book, highlight the television show, and promote his live seminars. It serves as a central repository and turns divergent bits of information into a unified call to action.

Just like the stages and progression of a relationship, Matthew understands that not everyone who lands on his website is ready to make a commitment.  He carefully guides those in the research phase as well as providing an immediate opportunity for those website visitors ready to make a quick purchase.

His live seminars feed the marketing engine by reinforcing his book sales. His on and offsite SEO efforts get his content found on both his social media channels as well as his website. Matthew has made the most of his optimization efforts by choosing video as his primary content format.While still building meaningful connections with his growing audience, he creates content with the purpose of guiding fans through the sales funnel.

All ‘Overnight Success’ Stories Were Years In The Making

None of this happened by chance or luck.  Matthew was building his community long before he even had an idea he would be on a television show or write a best-selling book. His passion for his community is palpable and genuine. He puts as much into a video as he does a blog post. As he explains in his book many people take a somewhat mercenary approach, as if their charm is a precious resource they’ll run out of if they don’t save it for the right time and person. It’s like saying, ‘When I get on the stage, then I’ll learn my lines.’ His integrated approach means he’s as good in rehearsal as he is on opening night.

Speak Your Mind

The group that’s helped his book sales the most are his blog followers. Well over a hundred thousand strong they’re predominantly women who have followed Matthew’s work for a while now. Even within this seemingly solitary market a collection of niches are revealed. As Matthew explains,

“The gettheguy blog has been around for the last few years. Initially we hadn’t built it up, it was something I only visited from time to time to put a new article on. But over time it’s proven to be key to our success. Through the blog I’ve been able to build a community for women between the ages of 21 and 50–and many outside of those ranges too. Many are professional women who have found a place to get practical information to help their love lives, and communicate in the comments with other women.”

They’ve been waiting for his book to come out for months, and now that it’s here they’re all excited. They buy copies for themselves and then go back for seconds and thirds as gifts for friends.

Something Fun

Maybe you caught his book trailer for Get The Guy on the Today Show, or a friend posted it to Facebook. You could have seen it anywhere. It’s a hilarious video of grammar school kids complaining about their dating lives. Matthew dreamed it up as a fun thing for his fans and now it’s approaching 2 million views. That would be impressive for a big-budget movie, and it’s a book. I bet you didn’t even know books could have trailers.

A Deal For Everyone

If you’re a fan of Living Social you probably heard about Matthew there. He’s been using the online deal-a-day site to drive people to his sold-out events across the country and to drive sales of his book. The seminars are intimate gatherings of a few hundred people. He picked ten cities to visit and used Living Social to personalize each stop. The events themselves reflect that personalization too. He covers the same core focus of dating and forming relationships, but each one is different. He’s taking his time on audiences that could fit in a high school gymnasium, and in the process gathering audiences that could sell out coliseums.

The Grassroots Effect

If you want to replicate Matthew Hussey’s success you need to follow his advice and say “yes.” Put your best self into each channel available to you and use each little success to build on the last and nurture the next.  His personal website and the companion site for Get The Guy serve as a digital hub for all the various niches. When interest is piqued in one area a new fan is drawn into the forum atmosphere of the sites. Matthew’s diversified approach to his work is built on a have it all attitude. The results show how small efforts and communities of support form a surprising majority.

Sign Up Here: Marketing Wine To Women Webinar

A recent survey by Napa Technology revealed that women are the primary group driving wine by the glass sales. This educational webinar will share the massive revenue generating power of women and provide key actionable tactics you can employ to attract more women to your establishment.

Join Deborah Brenner, Founder, Women of the Vine; Marian Jansen op de Haar, Wine Curator, Women of the Wine and former Wine Director, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar; and Jayne Portnoy, Vice President Marketing & Brand Strategy and Carin Galletta Oliver, Chief Innovation Officer, Angelsmith, for a riveting discussion on what makes women buy and what triggers will make them veto your venue.

On the heels of the 4th Annual VIBE (Very Important Beverage Executive) Conference in Las Vegas, where the brightest and most innovative minds in the beverage industry meet, Napa Technology released data identifying the most compelling trends in the wine, beer and spirits industry.

Additionally, Angelsmith spoke to leading industry experts for insight on what they see happening in wine by the glass trends in restaurants, arenas, hotels, and cruise ships.

An overview of trends for 2013 include a continued effort to reach millennials, more emphasis on women wine drinkers and a general belief that wines by the glass lists need to stretch beyond the “known” varietals and be large enough to accommodate many different preferences.

Last year, Napa Technology’s wine survey data uncovered that wines by the glass was on the rise, and being driven by a more sophisticated and younger customer, but that the Baby Boomer generation was a mighty purchasing force.

The general consensus for wine trends in 2013 is that unconventional wines from new world producers including Argentina and a resurgence of old world wines from Spain are encroaching on the California wine stronghold.

Demographic Groups To Watch

Millennials (1980s – 1992) edge out other groups as the demographic that will continue to drive the wine by the glass trends. 44.3 percent of survey respondents believe that this group will outpace both Baby Boomers(1946 – 1964) and Generation X(1965 – 1982). However, most (68.9 percent) reported that Boomers make up a “significant” portion of their wines by the glass revenue.

More than 70 percent of those polled shared that Boomers account for 20 – 50 percent of their venue’s total wine by the glass revenue.

Although Millennials may drive the exploration of new varietals, they most likely are spending less per glass than their more economically stable Boomer counterparts. This provides a huge opportunity to provide education and tasting opportunities for all demographic groups with the goal of increasing what consumers will spend per glass as they mature.

Aaron Inman, General Manager and Founder of Pinot Patch, an emerging wine label, believes that in the future wine will be more highly targeted not by demographic but by regional preferences.

“Wine preferences are highly dependent on familiarity with wine in general. In areas like the San Francisco Bay Area consumers will generally spend more on a glass across all demographics.”

Gena Carlin, tasting room manager at Calistoga, California, UpValley Vintners, states, “Baby Boomers are slowing down on their wine buying.  They have the cellar full so to speak and they are now making very selective purchases.  In Napa, Boomers want more small, limited production, hard to find wines. And when they find something they like, they will pay a higher price and purchase it by the case.”

What’s Driving The Wines By The Glass Trends

According to the Napa Technology survey, value is the most important reason people order wines by the glass (39.5 percent); with opportunities to taste more wine as the second driver (29.6 percent); and individual palate considerations as the third most important reason (27.2 percent).

Knowing millennial preferences for individualism, adventurous palates and economic restraints, it stands to reason that these three values are the most important for the wines by the glass industry today.

According to Thea Dwell, wine blogger and founder of Luscious Lushes, “A strong by the glass program allows the customer to make a selection based on food pairings, as they progress through the meal. It also allows a party of 2 or more to enjoy their personal favorites, without having to agree on a single bottle.”

Varietals Gaining Popularity

Not surprisingly given that value and adventure are two key traits driving the wines by the glass trends, Malbec and Spanish wines of nearly every variety were listed as those that are gaining popularity.

George Wine, founder of Exclusive-Wine-Club.com sums up the popularity of Spanish wines in the United States, “Spain has a long wine making tradition and many years of marketing efforts to export to the US market. A huge Spanish speaking community, an emerging wine drinking population segment, in the US makes it easier to engage with Spanish products. And as wine always goes with food, popular Spanish cuisine makes an appealing pair with Spanish wines.”

However, Champagne and sparkling wines were listed by 37 percent as a category that is moving up in popularity just behind Pinot Noir at 38.4 percent. While Champagne and sparkling wines have mostly been reserved for special occasions, this survey may indicate that they are making inroads into the core rotation of everyday drinkers.

According to Michele Smith, proprietor of Vino Bello, a Burian, Washington-based wine bar,

“Bubbles are on the rise, we carry 10-12 splits on the menu from Champagne, Prosecco,& CAVA to Brachetto at all times to keep up with demand. And bubbles are not just for women, men are ordering up as well.”

Varietals Losing Ground

Chardonnay was the clear loser with 40 percent of survey respondents reporting that its popularity is retreating with savvy consumers. Many who we spoke to believe that the increase in interesting whites such as Albarino and Torrontes is contributing to the demise of Chardonnay.

Wine, Women & Boomers

Women wine drinkers represent 30 – 50 percent of their total by the glass business as reported by our wine experts. Most see women, across all age groups, as the key to a robust wine business.

According to Marian Jansen op de Haar, wine curator for Women of the Vine, and responsible for choosing bottles for MORE magazine’s new Uncorked wine club,

“Women are much more likely to select a wine based on a recommendation from a friend and less concerned with scores.”  She adds, “For women wine is an affordable luxury that can be enjoyed every day.”

Reporter Kara Newman from Wine Enthusiast, wrote in a recent article that this was the first year that the Wine Market Council included statistics on bottle vs. by-the-glass consumption due to its rising influence. And women account for higher consumption rates of wine by the glass than men.

Despite the fact that survey respondents report women and Boomers make up a significant part of their business, most do nothing to attract either group. However, of those who did indicate they actively pursue these groups, promotions and an increase in varietals top the list of efforts taken.

To attract Boomers, value, more wines by the glass and more varietals were listed as top tactics.

Wine By The Glass Lists Growing

A whopping 83.4 percent, more than 8 out of 10 operators, report adding more offerings to their wines by the glass programs. The majority, 45 percent, have added 3 -5 additional by the glass selections.

Preservation Adoption Among Elite Venues

Although wines by the glass are becoming increasingly important to profitability, 55 percent report still using a dated/manual preservation system and more than 18 percent of operators do nothing to maintain the quality of an open glass of wine.

This leaves the door wide open for competitors to capture market share from venues who do nothing to ensure a great glass of wine is poured every time. In a previous Napa Technology wine consumption survey respondents reported that most consumers were savvy enough to know when they were being served an oxidized or otherwise spoiled glass of wine.

According to Jayne Portnoy, Vice President Brand Strategy & Marketing for Napa Technology, “No longer can venues get away with unpreserved open bottles of wine because consumers are so well educated, they know the difference.” She adds, “And without preservation, having a diverse and expansive by the glass program, is going to make it nearly impossible to remain profitable.”

The rapid adoption of the WineStation in mid-range and upscale brands such as The Brass Tap, with locations throughout Florida and legendary steakhouse Ruth’s Chris, indicates that sophisticated wine programs are critical pieces to appeal to educated wine drinkers.

Summary

We believe that wines by the glass programs will continue to grow as consumers demand more variety, operators gain positive experiences with wine by the glass profitability and wine preservation technology becomes more wide spread.

The industry agrees that a wide variety of global wines are driving consumer’s insatiable appetite for wines by the glass in restaurants, cruise lines, arenas, hotels and more.
To be successful with by the glass programs, operators are deftly keeping up with today’s educated wine consumer by providing choices in varietals, value pricing, and developing a deep understanding that each demographic requires a different approach.

Napa Technology, developer of the WineStation, poured more than 10 million ounces of wine through its systems nationwide in 2012 and is on track to more than double that number in 2013.
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Through surveys, studies, data collected from WineStation’s across the world, and ongoing conversations with leading wine industry experts, Napa Technology is at the forefront of what’s next in wine consumption trends.

Special sessions from the big brains at Google, Facebook and Bing will take place beginning on Monday, March 11th – Thursday March 14th at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

Angelsmith has been creating search friendly content, blogging, and optimizing client websites for more than a decade. Because the requirements are always changing, it’s important to continue education. If you are going to the show, let’s meet for a drink.

The Mouth That Roars

There are plenty of films with small budgets that have made their way onto the Oscar ballot. Some years have been better than others. 2008 saw both Slumdog Millionaire and Mickey Rourke’s The Wrestler take truly modest budgets to new heights of Academy recognition. This year was especially impressive for tightly budgeted movies. Beasts Of The Southern Wild was nominated in 4 major categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress. We’re not talking Best Sound Mixing here (all due credit to great sound mixers).

This was wide-sweeping, big-league attention and they accomplished it with a budget under $2 million. To put that number in perspective the eventual winner, Argo, had a budget of $45 million and Django Unchained broke the $100 million mark. Word of mouth lessons can be extracted from Beasts big success with small numbers.

Bricks From Sand, Dollars From Pennies

Brands don’t need an enormous budget to market successfully. Piles of money or sand can be thrown into a tall pile, but the resulting mound won’t have the stability to hold anything up. You try to rest anything on top of it and the whole thing will collapse and be lost to the wind. An irresistible talking point creates shape and focus, and word of mouth fires that form into brick. That’s something you can build a foundation of any structure on.

Something To Talk About

If you’ve seen the movie you know that then 6-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis got nominated for a reason. Rolling Stones’ Peter Travers just about covers it by calling her performance “flat-out amazement.” It’s really that strong. It lead critic Roger Ebert to speculate if the movie could have even been possible without her. I think the film has more than her as a strength, but I do agree that the young actress is what makes the film irresistible.

Any conversation you have about Beasts will include Wallis, but it will invariably lead to the film itself: its tone, message, look, and the the overall feelings that remain long after you’ve left the theater. The talking point needs a context in order for it to solicit all of those responses, and even after those reactions have been brought out, they exist within the larger world created.

Your Best, But Not Only, Feature

Word of mouth can get people through the door, but once inside there has to be something that keeps them there. If Beasts Of The Southern Wild had simply been about a young actress making an impression, without any substance to the material she was working with, I don’t believe anyone would have been walking the red carpet. The quality of the performance created buzz and brought more awareness to the quality of the production as a whole. If you modeled a word of mouth campaign on that fundamental premise you could count on a solid base elevating your brand.

Which Group Will Lead The 2013 Wines By The Glass Trend?

Bloggers are increasingly gaining ownership in the channels that consumers use to decide on which purchases to make, how people gather information and who to look to as an authority on any given topic. Basically, they are becoming more influential by the moment and it’s crucial to your brand that you have good relationships with a variety of bloggers.

Here are some tips to improving the quality of your relationships with the bloggers in your life and who knows— maybe these tips will help your relationship with a significant other too…

Relationships are Never One Sided

Just like in a marriage, the relationship needs to be two-sided and this starts with the pitch. When reaching out to bloggers in your initial campaigns you are making your virtual first impression. Therefore, your pitch first and foremost needs to be demonstrative of your ability to give and take. Though your intention is to perpetuate a brand or piece of content, it’s wise to brainstorm and include in the pitch what you can offer the blogger. Here are some common ways to “collaborate” instead of throwing a one sided pitch:

• If you also have an active blog for your company, offer to exchange guest posts.
• Make the blogger realize that you are giving them a piece of content or exposure to a brand that their audience would love and find intriguing.
• Do their homework for them. Provide the facts, content, research, etc. necessary for the blogger to effortlessly put up the post promotes your brand.

Engagement is Crucial

Engagement is key not only for personal relationships but for blogger relationships as well. Actively engage in their social media channels. Whether you retweet their words, comment on their blog posts, share their article on Facebook— the blogger will see this interest in what they are doing and feel valued by you.

Appeal to the Ego

Give them an ego boost. Who doesn’t like reassurance? Tell the blogger when you like a piece of their content and how it was beneficial to you or your client. Because our relationships with bloggers are over the web, it’s easy to forget that they have self-esteem that needs boosting too.

Don’t Give them “Gifts” They Don’t Want

No one wants a press release. Would you email a press release to your significant other? Out of all the frustrations voiced by successful bloggers, the gripe about too many press releases is number one.

The problem stems from PR professionals trying to pitch bloggers like they would traditional journalists. Who can blame them? It’s been done this way for years. But, the reality is that bloggers are not traditional reporters and they want creative content that is tailored specifically to their niche which is way more honed in on than news sources from the past.

Make Them Feel Like They Are The Only One

In all your relationships, isn’t it true that the person with whom you are trying to maintain a good relationship wants to feel like “the only one?” Bloggers don’t ever want to feel like they are on some cookie cutter pitch email. Therefore, each pitch should be tailored to each individual blogger and you need to make sure they realize it was written just for them by mentioning specifics from their content. Yes, this can be time consuming but the results make the time spent worth it!

Relationships Need To Be Maintained

Like a marriage, your relationship with each blogger needs to be maintained. It’s not healthy for a long term relationship to reach out and get what you need from the blogger and never contact them again or not contact them again until you need something. With maintenance, you can keep your blogger contacts happy and it’s very likely that they will become useful again in another campaign.

Author Bio: Kristen Matthews the Marketing and Community Manager for GroupHigh, a blogger outreach tool, based out of Boulder Colorado. She loves to write and enjoy life through travel, good food, creativity and interesting people. You can contact her for any writing requests and collaboration ideas at Kristen@GroupHigh.com