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Ketchum's Marketing-to-Women Expert Launches New 'Too Busy to Shop' Marketing Book in Chicago at Fifth Annual Marketing-to-Women Conference

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 April 2009, 14:22 CDT

CHICAGO, April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The fifth annual Marketing-to-Women Conference in Chicago, April 29-30, couldn't happen at a better time as companies are part of an intense competition for every consumer dollar. Women, who control 85 percent of all consumer purchases and a growing number of business purchases, are vital to a business's success, no matter what its size.

"Too Busy to Shop: Marketing to Multi-Minding Women," a just-released book by Praeger Publishers, reveals what marketers and business owners need to know and do to capture the purchasing power of today's women. On Tuesday, April 28, the book will be introduced in Chicago at a book signing and discussion for attendees at the opening reception of the Marketing-to-Women Conference. The book's author, Kelley Skoloda, Ketchum's Global Brand Marketing Practice director, is a featured speaker at this year's event.

According to The Economist, recession-hit companies are increasingly targeting female customers in an effort to improve their sales. And women today are no longer multi-tasking, but multi-minding -- mentally juggling a complex mix of family, career and self-care decisions at any given moment, with little time for attention to commercial messages. It's a cultural phenomenon that adds to the complexity in reaching women today.

"Women in Chicago and all across the world are busier than ever juggling their lives at work and at home; they don't respond to the tried-and-true marketing approaches," said Skoloda. "And given their buying power, if marketers aren't targeting women effectively, they'll lose."

Called a "must read" and "a treasure trove of timely insights" by Publishers Weekly, "Too Busy to Shop" explores one of the biggest challenges in marketing to women today: multi-minding.

Besides theory and insight, readers will get how-to's and action items, packaged as "M2 Must-Dos," designed to ensure women view their brands favorably and "hear" the marketing message. "Too Busy to Shop" also predicts what the future of marketing to women will look like; namely consumer co-brand management

Interviews for the book were completed across the country with experts of all types, including Midwest experts Hedy Lukas, vice president, integrated marketing communications, Kimberly-Clark Corporation; Mark Baynes, global CMO of Kellogg Company; Denis Darragh, general manager, Forbo Flooring Systems, North America and Asia; and Paul Rand, president and CEO, Zocalo Group.

"Too Busy to Shop" is published by Praeger Publishers, a part of the Greenwood Publishing Group. Among other outlets, the book is available at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and at www.greenwood.com. For more information about "Too Busy to Shop" and Kelley, please visit www.ketchum.com/multiminding.

About the Author

Kelley Skoloda is an M.B.A., an author and a public relations executive in Pittsburgh, Pa. She is currently a partner and the director of Ketchum's Global Brand Marketing Practice. A recognized authority on marketing to women, Skoloda and her work have been widely covered in media, including BusinessWeek Online, Brandweek, CNNMoney.com, Today's Chicago Woman, The Washington Post, PRWeek and others.

Skoloda was named one of the most influential women in business in the Pittsburgh region by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in its "Women at the Helm" special edition. She has served on the advisory board for Pink magazine and is featured in a BBC television show, "Beat the Boss," which is airing in the winter and spring on the BBC. Skoloda's blog, www.toobusytoshop.blogspot.com, helped to collect input from women for "Too Busy to Shop: Marketing to Multi-Minding Women."

Skoloda earned her M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and her undergraduate degree from Seton Hill University.

About Ketchum

A communications innovator, Ketchum ranks among the largest global public relations agencies, operating in more than 50 countries. With five global practices - Brand Marketing, Corporate, Healthcare, Food and Nutrition, and Technology - and specialty capabilities that include Access Communications (high- and consumer-tech PR), Concentric Communications (experiential marketing, events and meetings), MMG (clinical trial recruitment), Ketchum Global Research Network, Ketchum Sports and Entertainment Marketing, and Stromberg Consulting (change management and workplace communications), Ketchum leverages its marketing and corporate communication expertise to build brands and reputations for clients. In 2009, Advertising Age named Ketchum to its annual "Ones to Watch" Agency A-List, noting the agency's long-standing client partnerships, digital and disruptive media expertise, and CSR and sustainability programming. For more information on Ketchum, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), visit www.ketchum.com.

SOURCE Ketchum

Source: PR Newswire

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