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Monday 10th September 2007
Women find tech ads a turn off 9:33AM, Monday 10th September 2007
Women are being overlooked by technology retailers and advertising which is predominately geared towards men, according to new research.

In a UK survey of 750 female internet users, almost one in three say technology advertising isn't relevant to them, with a majority admitting they feel as if they're not viewed as a relevant group of customers.

Thirty five per cent say they would increase their spending on consumer electronics if marketers and retailers showed more thought in how to approach them.

"Women are more interested in the benefits rather than the specs," says Eleanor Conroy, Communications Director of Saatchi & Saatchi. "They don't want to know how many megabytes something is, just how many songs it holds, how it will be a benefit to their life."

The survey points
 
 
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out that tailoring advertising towards women doesn't mean lots of pink or a fundamental redesign of the product, in fact only 9% of respondents think it's important that their gadgets look feminine.

"Men are segmented by all sorts of demographics by advertisers but women are just lumped together instead of being targeted by specific groups," Conroy says, citing Apple's emphasis on choice and benefits over technical jargon as an example of how to do it right.

The survey also says that one third of women do not feel confident enough to ask questions in stores, with Conroy suggesting that the technology world was still viewed by many woman as a predominately male domain.

"There's a real opportunity here for brands and retailers in the consumer electronics sector to target women," says Belinda Parmar, planning director at Saatchi & Saatchi.

"This group of women told us loud and clear that they do not want diamante encrusted mobile phones and baby pink DAB radios. Our aim is to get clients to think differently about how they develop, distribute and market products to women."

On average women spend £321 on personal technology every year according to the report amounting to a market currently worth £15bn.

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