Book Review: Why She Buys

One of my favorite past times is devouring case studies. I’ll stay up late gorging on white papers about successful public relations or marketing activities. I consider them a buffet of knowledge and hope. Hence the book review on Why She Buys, cooked up by Bridget Brennan.

According to her website, The Wallstreet Journal touts Brennan’s book as, “essential reading” and Fortune Small Business states it’s “required reading for anyone burdened with a Y chromosome.” Funny, I didn’t know any of that. I picked it up on a trip to the library with my son. The kids’ section is adjacent to where they keep the business books. Every two weeks I scan the shelves quickly and grab one on the way to the checkout. That’s my reality of going to the library with a three year old. I say this because it’s an appropriate story that would fit well into her book.

I felt empowered and validated by the title, and better educated and equipped by her case studies. To understand how and why women make or influence 80 percent of the purchasing decisions in the household is to understand the economy and successful marketing.

My favorite morsels from this book are:

• The Lexus customer service model is one to be emulated. It’s not only the car; it’s the way the company and the employees exceed customers’ expectations in order to develop long term relationships. Isn’t that what women want most of all – longstanding, meaningful relationships?

• The research that Proctor & Gamble puts into their products is phenomenal. They actually live with their customers to see how their products are used - the challenges, shortcomings and benefits. You can’t get that kind of information from a survey, or even a focus group.

• Bluefly.com was smart to have a non-management employee blog about the reality television show Project Runway and then tie the episodes into their product line. The employee was an actual fan of the show and stayed away from corporate jargon. It was more like reading a post on your friend’s Facebook page than a company’s blog.

Potential readers should think of Why She Buys as a guide to the elusive core of what makes women tick – those hungry for this kind of information will find this book worthy of their time and money.