Behind the Buzz - digital and interactive advertising and marketing

Atalanta - the new Twenty Something woman

by Rachel on March 16th, 2007

JWT have released the latest news from their trendspotting survey, identifying ‘Atalanta‘ as the new ‘type’ of single woman. A survey of almost 6000 women, across 9 countries (the U.S, the U.K., China, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, France and the Netherlands) it identifies 5 key trends:

1. Single motherhood by choice will become more common. Not so long ago (and in many places still), it was not possible for an unattached woman to deliberately plan to have a child. But that has changed significantly: A quarter of respondents (26%) say they would have children without a partner. Though most of these women will not go on to have a child on their own, their openness to the idea indicates that single mothers by choice will become a growing niche in the next five to 10 years.
2. I want Hillary … or someone like her … and my SATC … or something like it. High-profile female role models are seen as a key factor enabling female independence, with the strongest agreement on this coming from the U.S., Australia, Mexico and China. “Media-friendly attitudes toward women” are also seen as a strong enabling factor contributing to female independence, and specifically “media portrayal of single women (e.g., Sex and the City).”
   Though Sex and the City’s finale aired three years ago, Atalantas continue to look for a comparable replacement that not only reflects their reality but influences it. They also look for role models who are passionate, dedicated and even obsessive about achieving their goals, like U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.
3. They’re nesters, not nightclubbers. Living a life in constant motion, Atalantas seek refuge in the home. Their key challenge is finding a balance as they juggle work and/or school, family, friends, relationships, fitness and entertainment. Many feel they have little time to sit back and relax. It’s no surprise, then, that twentysomething women are more inclined to describe themselves as home-loving than clubbers.
4. The power of peers prevails Atalantas look to their peer networks, both real and virtual, for advice on everything from cars to cosmetics to clothing. According to the survey, Atalantas emerge as almost equally balanced between career-minded and friend-focused. And at this stage in their lives, they tend to live with others from their peer group, especially in the U.K. (42%) and Australia (35%), where “flat sharing” is part of the culture.
5. Flirting with extremes This population feels a push-pull between living a life of free-floating exploration and one dedicated to getting ahead unencumbered. Their personalities tend not to veer to one extreme or the other: They are carefree and spontaneous one minute, responsible and thoughtful the next. Respondents describe themselves as slightly more “anything goes” than the more controlled “maintaining standards,” but at the same time they believe themselves to be somewhat more organized than impulsive.

For a marketer, number 4 is key - the power of peers prevails. They look to their friends, both in real life or the online friends (whom they may have never met in the real world) for recommendations on products, on choices, on services. This means that you cannot assume that the only way you will touch a person is with your carefully crafted message; assume that it will be filtered by friends. Every single touchpoint has to reflect your product and needs to reflect it well.

Share This

Related Stories

Herbal Essences Dump Cupid
Marriage Proposal shot with Motorola Z10
Who’s your audience for videos?
Berghouse
Guinness Hands

POSTED IN: Branding