The She Spot

Infobox Book
name = The She Spot


author = Lisa Witter and Lisa Chen
country = United States
language = English
genre = Non-fiction
publisher = Berrett-Koehler Publishers
release_date = June 1, 2008
media_type = Print (Hardback)
pages = 288 pp.
isbn = ISBN 0312347294 (10) and ISBN 978-1576754726 (13)

"The She Spot" (subtitled "Why Women are the Market for Changing the World – And How to Reach Them") is a 2008 non-fiction book about how nonprofit and advocacy organizations, politicians, and other change-makers can leverage the untapped power of women for positive change through fundraising, advocacy and the ballot box.

"The She Spot" incorporates real-life case studies of marketing campaigns from the corporate world, as well as from non-profit and advocacy organizations, that successfully appealed to women, and offers specific steps and actions organizations can take to communicate with women more effectively.

Authors

Lisa Witter and Lisa Chen are executives at Fenton Communications, a public interest communications firm with offices in New York, DC, and San Francisco. [ [http://www.fenton.com Untitled Document ] ]

Lisa Witter is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. She head the firm's practice in women's issues and global affairs. She is a political and social commentator and blogger. [http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/86253/ Six Reasons Why Women Are the Most Important Audience for Changing the World | Reproductive Justice and Gender | AlterNet ] ]

Lisa Chen, Senior Vice President, is the firm's head editor and writer. Her writing has been published in the New York Times, USA Today, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, and other leading dailies.

Message

The primary message of "The She Spot" is that women aren't a niche market, they are "the" market for social change. Women vote more, volunteer more, and control more than half the wealth in the United States. They are 52% of the population and make 83% of all purchasing decisions. Nonetheless, organizations and individuals in the business of making positive change have been slower than corporations to understand and take advantage of women's power.

"The She Spot" features examples from corporations such as Home Depot, T-Mobile, and Kellog's, and from non-profits like MoveOn.org, Women for Women International, and the American Lung Association. These case studies, along with bulleted highlights lists at the end of each chapter, make this a practical, usable guide for individuals and organizations.

Contents

*Chapter 1: Why Women Matter - This chapter gives key statistics about why women are the primary change makers and shows how their influence is growing.

*Chapter 2: How Women Think - This chapter explains why and how women think differently from men and how this impacts marketing strategies.

*Chapter 3: What Women Want - This chapter lays out the 4Cs - Care, Connect, Cultivate, and Control - and explains why women's priorities are in line with progressive social change goals.

*Chapter 4: Care - This chapter explains how women care about the issues and how change makers can reach women by showing that they care too.

*Chapter 5: Connect - This chapter discusses marketing tools that rely on women's sense of community and the importance of connecting people.

*Chapter 6: Cultivate - This chapter details the kind of energy it takes to win women's support and the benefits from doing so.

*Chapter 7: Control - This chapter explores the ways in which marketing can be attuned to women's busy lives and their desire to have control.

*Chapter 8: Where to Reach Women - This chapter talks about the crucial venues for reaching women, based on research and statistics.

*Chapter 9: Segmenting - This chapter looks into three segments of the female market: single women, mothers, and women of color.

Press

"The She Spot" has received significant internet coverage, as well as reviews in several print publications. Publishers Weekly writes that the authors "present their material efficiently and engagingly... Witter and Chen have crafted a thoughtful, helpful guide to nonprofit marketers." [ [http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6552502.html?q=the+she+spot Nonfiction Reviews: Week of 4/21/2008 - 4/21/2008 - Publishers Weekly ] ] The Chronicle of Philanthropy wrote a review entitled "Non-profit and Political Groups Need to Learn How to Market to Women." [ [http://philanthropy.com/premium/articles/v20/i15/15003602.htm The Chronicle of Philanthropy ] ]

Several notable progressives have commented on the book. Arianna Huffington called the book, "Smart, engaging and eminently useful." Naomi Wolf said, "This book may up-end some of your long-held assumptions of what makes women—and men—take action, and will help you re-assess how the personal affects the political." George Lakoff, a cognitive linguist who has published work on political communication, called it, "A important book that aptly describes the role that communicating care plays in effective progressive politics." [ [http://www.shespotbook.com/Front/Praise.aspx Shespot E-Book ] ]

In addition, the book has been featured by prominent progressive online media. Salon.com, a progressive online magazine, wrote a review entitled "Why political candidates should be sucking up to women." [ [http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2008/06/02/she_spot/index.html Why political candidates should be sucking up to women - Broadsheet - Salon.com ] ] AlterNet, a progressive news and opinion site with over 1.7 million visitors per month, excerpted the book in June. [ [http://www.alternet.org/story/86253/ Six Reasons Why Women Are the Most Important Audience for Changing the World | | AlterNet ] ] Feministing posted a positive review, which said, "I'm excited to think about the ways in which The She Spot might influence politicians and nonprofits." [http://feministingcommunity.com/2008/06/] BlogHer also posted a feature on their site. [ [http://www.blogher.com/im-no-more-hillarys-woman-i-was-soccer-mom-or-sex-and-city-voter I'm no more "Hillary's Woman" Than I Was a "Soccer Mom" or a "Sex and the City Voter"! | BlogHer ] ]

Notes

External Links

* [http://shespotbook.com/ She Spot Book Web site]
* [http://www.fenton.com Fenton Communications]