Men Are Not From Mars

"Men are not from Mars nor women from Venus. They are from planets much further apart."
John Molloy, 2005

From Ad Age, here's an article about "The Man Conference" that included "statistics from a 500 man survey conducted just weeks before the conference".

However well or poorly the survey was conducted, the findings are interesting.

The results spoke to the surprisingly high consumer activity of the average male. For example, 58% of men polled spend more money than they make each month. "It almost makes their target household income irrelevant," Mr. Donaton said.

This highlights something I've noticed since doing Iowa tests in elementary school - that household income and job title is asked for, and survey findings are based upon, the respondent telling the truth.

When I was little I would fill in that dad was a salesman and I'd mark the highest income level available. He was no salesman and I still don't know his income level.

To date, some America research projects are recruited using claimed household income. Show me the person who tells the truth as I'd like to try selling them the Bayswater Bridge.

Hey:

"I don't believe in focus groups in hotel ballrooms," said Kerri Martin, director-brand innovation at Volkswagen.

Ms. Martin's recent launch of the Volkwagen GTI was released without focus-group feedback and was a huge success. In fact, it was so popular among consumers across the country that it elicited user-generated videos and design models of the product.

I've taken part in large focus group settings - NEC anyone? Another odd American import, like watching focus groups behind a mirror in sterile laboratory conditions.

The power of word of mouth is much more effective with men than any celebrity or athlete endorsement, said Rose Cameron, senior VP-planning director at Leo Burnett USA.

There's a big shake up going on in the research world these days, thank goodness. The research procedure that finds out what people really believe is already being used. It's sometimes called "Ethnography" although I call it "hanging out and chatting madly".

Thrilling times.