Intimo più mare n° 200 - Luglio 2015

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
OBSERVATORY on page 16
THE WOMEN OF TOMORROW
Stressed by a glaring lack of time for their personal pursuits. Torn
between family and work. Forced to do their shopping in unpleasant
surroundings. They are looking for an oasis of peace and they can
find it in the boutiques
In a constant race with time and in quest of a quiet, peaceful oasis, a
moment of relaxation, a soothing break from the relentlessly frenetic
pace of modern life, taken up with domestic and professional chores.
A picture of their challenging lives emerges from focus groups and
market research. A recent Nielsen survey examined the lives of
women from 21 countries (Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Russia,
Australia, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Japan, India, Brazil, France,
Italy, Spain, Malaysia, the United States, Sweden, Nigeria, Thailand,
China, South Korea and Germany) in order to understand their role
in the area of consumer consumption. Those conducting the study
interviewed fully 3,053 women from emerging countries and 3,421
from developed nations.
WOMEN AND SOCIETY, POLITICS, ECONOMY
Based on what the subjects declared during the interviews conducted in
the various countries, it has been possible to understand the influence
women are having in the realm of society, politics and the economy.
“Women’s involvement in society is increasing in every way imaginable,
economically, socially, in the medical field and in the political
arena” (France)
“Women’s roles are rapidly becoming more complex and complete,
with the result that they have to do practically everything” (Italy)
“I have to learn how to juggle numerous tasks all at the same time”
(Australia)
“Women are assuming more and more space in important, prestigious
positions, thanks to their ability to manage everything” (Germany)
“Along with their increasing importance in the work force, women are
achieving a greater voice in society at large” (South Korea)
“I’m convinced that the world would be a much better place and
that all sorts of things would change if women were only given the
opportunity to make important decisions, both at home and in the
political arena” (the United Kingdom)
Fully 90% of the women believe that their lot will be significantly
improved over time and that things will gradually become easier for
women and more opportunities are opened to them.
“Women will be more important, much less undervalued and taken
for granted” (Italy)
“I only hope that they receive the same recognition and compensation
for their time and efforts as the men” (Canada)
“They will have to work increasingly long hours” (Brazil)
“I only hope that women will enjoy greater power and this increased
influence will be the fruit of improved education” (South Africa)
“One will begin to see more women in important places in the fields
of politics and society at large, like in the other countries in Europe”
(Russia)
The opportunities will be obvious, with greater hope and improved
prospects for emerging countries.
MORE POWER, MORE STRESS
This empowerment, however, will lead to less time and more stress.
“I frequently feel like I don’t have enough time” is something heard
from 54% of the women living in developed countries. Of these 64%
are Italian women and 58% of the totality of the European countries,
while this situation applies to 62% of the women living in emerging
countries. “I rarely have time to relax” (37% of the developed countries,
of these 50% Italy and 46% Europe, 55% emerging nations).
“Most of the time I feel stressed and that I have to much work to do”
(38% developed countries, of these 51% Italy and 45% Europe,
49% emerging nations).
The Italian women are the most stressed and short of time of all the
women in Europe.
THE ROLE OF WOMEN AND THE ROLE OF MEN
Are the different roles played by men and women only a question of
being members of different sexes? The task of shopping for personal
care items, clothing and food products falls to the women. The fact that
women are responsible for shopping for these items is due to the fact
that they are better informed about these categories and the prices.
What are the factors that a woman takes into consideration when
she is out shopping? Carefully comparing prices is the main means
of combating the current economic downturn. When it comes to
clothing value for money is the most important consideration in Italy
and other developed countries; price alone is the main concern in
the developing world.
THE KEYS TO SUCCESS
Success lies in anticipating and satisfying women’s needs and desires.
But how is this to be done?
Investing in their future, which means:
• identifying with their convictions and aspirations
• understanding their needs in order to help them achieve a better
lifestyle
• women are capable of multi-tasking and they like this skill to be
recognized
Simplifying their worries and preoccupations, that is:
• helping them to manage these worries
• women realize that they are part of a greater community and as
members in this collective they tend to seek out manufacturing
companies who share their opinions and focus on the issues that
are most important in their lives.
Restoring their free time, that is:
• making things simpler and easier throughout the process of shopping
and purchasing: advertising, packaging, store design, transportability,
use and disposal
• simplifying the decisions which must be made regarding major
purchases, such as automobiles, insurance and financial products
Earning their trust and confidence, that is
• creating relevant, social messages
• not underestimating the power of the grapevine
• understanding how their networks help them under everyday circumstances,
that these networks are an integral part of women’s lives
• creating cross-platform and customized advertising campaigns
which are different for each vehicle, but always consistent in terms
of the message and contents
• making sure that advertising communicated quality in order to earn
brand trust and build brand loyalty
PERSONAL CARE AND WELL-BEING,
PRIMARY VALUES AND NEEDS
Based on the results of a study conducted by Gfk Eurisko for Unipro,
personal care, well-being and health turn out to be fundamental values,
impervious to the vicissitudes of the financial crisis. As a matter
of fact, personal care, especially during periods of extreme external
tension (economic crisis, crisis in values, loss of external certainty/
security) appears to represent a concrete way of constructing a positive
(individual) project, endowed with meaning: beginning with and
based on personal care.
A bit of data and a few figures regarding the trends of the last ten
years throw light on the evolution of this concept.
“I’m very concerned with my health” (72% of the respondents)
“I’m actively concerned with the way I look, with my image” (58%,
+4% from 2000 to the present day)
“I do my utmost to stay fit and keep a good figure” (35%, +7% from
2000 to the present day)
“I have periodic check-ups” (45%, +11% from 2000 to the present day)