Throughout the world, the economic power of women is growing. As education levels are rising, incomes are following. The global middle class will at least double in the next two decades. While women in the more developed world will continue to find opportunities, developing nations will have the largest impact.

Women in Latin America have been gradually joining the labor market over the past decade driven by various economic, personal and financial factors.

Learn about how women’s brains are fundamentally different than men’s—and why understanding the critical differences are crucial to marketing success today.

When Frito-Lay wanted to increase the appeal of its calorie-conscious snacks to women – who are snacking more than men – it turned to NeuroFocus, a research company that brings neuroscience to the world of advertising, messaging, packaging and product development.  By measuring brainwaves, eye-tracking and skin conductance, researchers can, for example, determine whether a message resonates with a consumer.
In Frito-Lay’s case, NeuroFocus was enlisted by the ad agency charged with re-defining calorie-conscious snacks such as Baked Lays and 100-calorie packages to make them appeal to women.  To learn more …

American households headed by people age 65 and older spent 55% more on vitamins and 45% more on medications and remedies than average American households during the 52 weeks ending June 28, 2008, according to Nielsen.
Households headed by Americans age 65 and older account for 14.4% of all U.S. households.  These households represented 22.3% of vitamins product dollar sales and 20.8% of medications and remedies product dollar sales.
Other categories skewing to households with older people include pain remedies, canned fruit, and coffee, as well as canning/freezing supplies and floral/gardening supplies.

Rank
(by highest index)
Top 10 Categories:
Households …

Women ages 25 to 54 with at least one child are nearly twice as likely as the average American Internet user to provide frequent online advice about parenting and family issues (88% more likely), non-food household products (84% more likely), and beauty/cosmetics (82% more likely).
These “power moms” are also 51% more likely than average Web users to provide frequent online advice on clothes and fashion, food and beverage products (39% more likely than average), home decorating (36% more likely than average), and health, dieting and exercise (27% more likely than …

“Hockey moms” — famously invoked by Gov. Sarah Palin in her V.P. campaign speeches — may also have a passion for politics.
According to a Nielsen analysis released Tuesday, “hockey moms” — defined as women ages 25 to 54 who live in homes with children and who watched at least six minutes of the most recent Stanley Cup Finals on NBC – were more likely than average moms to watch the first two debates of the 2008 election.
Last Thursday, Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin’s V.P. debate drew 23.8% of all mothers (ages …

In August, videos at JohnMcCain.com attracted more female than male viewers for the first time, Nielsen Online reported Wednesday.
Women accounted for 58% of all unique video viewers on John McCain’s website last month — up from July and June, when they made up 48% and 37% of unique video viewers on the site.
The increase in women video viewers at JohnMcCain.com came during the same month that McCain selected Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate.
Barack Obama’s website drew consistently large percentages of women video viewers during the summer months, …

According to Forbes, men and women use their mobile phones very differently.
Forbes’ story cited data from Nielsen Mobile showing that men are more likely to surf the mobile Web and watch mobile TV, while women take more photos, send more text and multimedia messages, and download more ringtones than men. 
The story also noted that women, who see their phones as extension of their personalities, are more likely to personalize their phones, while men treat their phones as a tool for keeping up with news and work email.
Learn more about mobile usage …

British women are the target of a new marketing push that aims to prop up flagging beer sales in the UK, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Beermakers like Coors and Diageo, which owns Guinness, are hoping women, a largely untapped group of potential beer customers, will be drawn to sweeter, lighter new beers they’ve introduced. 
But that strategy alone may not be enough to boost beer sales, Graham Page of Nielsen told the Journal. 
“[Women] don’t consume the volume [of beer] — and that is crucial — that men do,” Page noted.