Consultant Bridget Brennan authors new book on engaging female consumers

Bridget Brennan, founder and CEO of marketing consulting firm Female Factor, has released her second book on female-focused consumer strategy, entitled “Winning Her Business: How to Transform the Customer Experience for the World's Most Powerful Consumers.”

Women wield the lion’s share of power in household purchasing decisions, driving between 70-80% of consumer spending in the US through a combination of purchasing power and influence.

When it comes to sales, then, it’s a good idea to understand and focus on women. This has been fairly common practice in the advertising industry for decades.

To help businesses better understand the all-important female consumer, Brennan's “Winning Her Business" provides a framework to create engaging customer experiences for women."Women are a compass for how the market is changing," Brennan said. "Just as we continually upgrade our software to stay current, we must upgrade our customer experiences to stay relevant. In a consumer economy dominated by women, new skills are needed."

The book includes best practices from leading brands and business, a motivation-based framework for experiences that drive emotional engagement, a catalogue of major trends influencing female purchase patterns, and a deep dive into women consumers' perspectives and viewpoints.

“Winning Her Business” is a sequel of sorts to Brennan’s 2009 book, “Why She Buys,” which helped marketers unpack women’s beliefs, values, and sensitivities. The Financial Times called the book “fun and anecdotal.”

Brennan’s books draw on deep insights gained from a long career in marketing and public relations. In 2006, she founded strategic consultancy Female Factor. The Chicago-based firm offers clients consulting services in strategic marketing, qualitative market research, and sales and customer experience training programs that tackle the female demographic.

Before founding the consulting firm, Brennan was managing director of consumer marketing and the “Speaking Female” practice at public relations agency Zeno. The female-focused practice she created and led was the first of its kind at a major PR firm.

In addition to her consulting work, Brennan is a highly sought-after keynote speaker on female consumers, a frequent guest lecturer at universities, and a continuing contributor to Forbes.com. For the past three years, she has also been a member of the Vikings Women Advisory Board of the Minnesota Vikings, which helps the NFL team engage with female fans and employees.