Can an Eleanor Roosevelt Barbie really make a difference?

 

Mattel has announced that the newest addition to their "Inspiring Women Series" is Eleanor Roosevelt.  She joins Maya Angelou, Florence Nightingale and Sally Ride among others.  The series began in 2018 as part of Mattel's #MoreRoleModels campaign.  (2018)

Interesting. 

I once had a discussion about role models with my brother-in-law who said:  "Maybe Tiger Woods doesn't want to be a role model."  My reply: "He may not want to be a role model, but the first time someone looks at you and says - 'I want to be just like you when I grow up' - shame on you if that doesn't make you want to clean up your act."

Because the truth is people don't get to choose to be role models.  It's the followers who do the choosing.

Research shows that we are more likely to engage in "prosocial behavior" if we think lots of others are doing so too.  And that's where role models and public messaging come in. 

If we share stories about people not wearing masks and ignoring rules prohibiting large gatherings, then are we unintentionally encouraging others to do the wrong thing as well? 

Wouldn't it be more effective to highlight how people are behaving safely instead?  (Tingley, 2020)

 

What if we share this photo?  Could it make a difference?

 

Can you think of some examples where role models have inspired people to do better?  Do you think a specific MBTI preference would be more influenced by role models than others?  What about dolls?  Do they matter?  Why?

 

(2018, March 6) Inspiring Women.  barbiefandom.com.  Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://barbie.fandom.com/wiki/Inspiring_Women#:~:text=The%20Inspiring%20Women%20doll%20line,to%20the%20women%20they%20honor.

Tingley, K. (2020, December 10)  We Know How to Curb the Pandemic. How Do We Make People Listen?  nytimes.com.  Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/magazine/covid-research-behavior-.html

 

 

 

I don't think that word means what you think it means.

 

I've been overwhelmed with emails lately.  My husband wardrobe shamed me a few weeks back so I bought some new clothes online - despite the fact that I really hate buying clothing online.  But, Covid.

Some of the vendors I used now send me multiple emails daily.  Really?

According to a recent study 69% of people said that they have unsubscribed to marketing emails due to too much frequency.  So I am not the only one feeling overwhelmed.

But how much is too much?  Almost 2/3 of people who sign up for an email list say they want to hear at least monthly.  (Greenspan, 2021)

Different studies have identified different sweet spots from four a week for new companies to six a week for fashion brands.  Some even show that while open rates go down with greater email frequency, some consumers keep clicking.

Everyone seems to agree that the way to increase open and response rates is Personalization. 

But what does personalization mean? 

The Wall Street Journal puts my name in the headline when they send me an email - i.e. "Pj, Your Latest WSJ+ Offers Are Here."  Yes.  They do not capitalize the J.  A sure sign that none of the items they are selling in the email will be of interest to me.  I don't bother to open their emails anymore.

Yet, research shows that simple field insertion of a customer's name can increase email open rates by upwards of 18%.

I was surprised when two companies actually went further than simply putting my name in the headline of their emails, since this had been my experience with personalization to date.

Lands End and Target both referenced my previous purchases. 

Target wrote: "Pajamas & Loungewear: Come back & see more."  While Lands End wrote: "Tonight! Long sleeve tees from $6? Yes, please."  Wow.  Lands End really gets me.

Not surprisingly, research shows that a personalized product recommendation can increase open rates by 41% and conversion rates by 188%. (Grunberg, 2019)

What are your thoughts about email frequency?  Do you think the amount of emails people are willing to receive is based on MBTI personality type?  If so, which type might be more interested in frequent emails and why?  

Have you yourself unsubscribed due to too much frequency?  If so, how much was too much?  And does it vary by vendor?

Have you clicked on a personalized email?  Which type?  Did you buy something too?

 

Greenspan, S. (202, January 15) How often should you send marketing emails? jilt.com.  Retrieved March 2, 2021, from https://jilt.com/blog/email-marketing-frequency/

Grunberg, J. (2019, June 25) Email Open Rates: Leveraging Personalization to Be Ever in Your Favor.  sailthru.com.  Retrieved March 2, 2021, from  https://www.sailthru.com/marketing-blog/email-open-rates-personalization/