Hartford, CT – February 24, 2009—Studies show that even during tough economic times, 78% of women are willing to pay full price for items they want and need1.  Women are still buying--but are they buying your brand?   “Most brands already know that women do the bulk of the buying,” says Marti Barletta, founder of The TrendSight Group and keynote presenter during the 5th Annual M2W®-The Marketing To Women Conference, April 29 & 30, 2009, at Chicago Cultural Center.  “The brands that are winning with women are those that align their marketing and sales efforts with women’s priorities, preferences and buying processes.”

According to a recent survey for the National Retail Federation’s Stores magazine, those spending priorities include low-level splurges on items that help women stay connected with their family and friends such as Internet services and cell phones as well as discounted offerings on luxuries such as clothing and salon visits.  “We call today’s female shopper a ‘Recessionista,’” says M2W® presenter Tony Cardinale, SVP, research & strategic insights, Bravo Media and Oxygen Media. “Whether she’s a young, single, working woman with no family obligations or she’s a more budget conscious mom looking for value, women are still shopping. The key is for marketers to gain the right information and use the right tools to stay connected with the female consumer and help her make smart buying decisions.”

Barletta and Cardinale are just two of the 30+ speakers and presenters set to show brand leaders and marketing executives how to recession-proof their company by strategically targeting women during the 2009 M2W® program.   Each year, M2W® brings together the best of the marketing to women world—giving executives unprecedented access to the information, resources and connections they need to successfully market their brand to women. 

Women@NBCU is the Exclusive Presenting Sponsor of M2W® with Associate Sponsors Ketchum,  Draftfcb, Engauge, SheSpeaks, Lifetime, Paramount Market Publishing, JSH&A, General Growth Properties, Barkley, Booz & Co. and MS&L.   imc2 is the Pre Conference Workshop Sponsor and Affina and BlogHer are Hospitality Sponsors.  SNiPPiES is the Video Journalism Resource and Getty Images is the Imagery Resource.

M2W® is produced by PME® Enterprises, Hartford, CT. Please visit www.m2w.biz or call 860.724.2649 x 11 for more details or to register for M2W®.

1-National Retail Federation