In this opinion piece, Lillian Zrim, associate director at research company Nielsen, looks into how brands should market to the multi-screening, multi-tasking Australian woman.

Historically, males primarily drove technology uptake, however it is today’s modern woman that is driving consumption on emerging devices and leading the digital charge in certain areas.

Connected women know exactly how to harness technology and navigate the digital landscape to meet their needs and desires, and, women want brands to talk to them in a way that makes sense in their world. Understanding patterns of behaviour and preferences for devices and platforms gives brands a better opportunity to reach, engage and influence this power demographic.

In June 2015 there were nine million women online, representing 51 per cent of the entire online population. Women are more likely than men to engage online, with more than half (57 per cent) regularly browsing profiles, and sharing more than men. Now more than ever, brands and advertisers must understand how, when and where to engage with a multi-tasking, sociable and digitally confident Australian woman.

The latest edition of the Australian Connected Consumers Report indicates a real tenacity in women to stay connected across many devices, with a tendency towards mobiles and tablets for portability and convenience. The report highlights clear peaks in engagement throughout the day, as well as a strong appetite for TV content delivered via both traditional and online sources.

Mobile Lovers

Australian women are fiercely connected to their mobile phone; using it to watch and listen to content, to stay active on social media and to share across these platforms.

Smartphone ownership is on par between the sexes however while men spend more time online each week than women in general, the share of time that women dedicate to accessing the Internet via their smartphones far surpasses their male counterparts.

Media Multi Taskers

It’s a well-known fact that women are expert multitaskers, this is also seen in their media consumption habits, with three in five (60 per cent) simultaneously watching TV and using the Internet daily or almost every day (compared to 56 per cent of men). Women are commonly found multi-screening between 6pm – 10pm; providing a perfect opportunity for brands to engage with them in a meaningful way via both TV and online media.

Laptops, mobile phones and tablets are key ‘second screens’ for women and in fact, women are now slightly more likely to own a tablet device compared with men, a trend which shifted for the first time last year.

Social Butterflies

The mobile is a hive of activity for women, and they are more likely to make regular use of communication and social apps while men are more likely to use shopping and commercially focused apps.

Social media is also a key place for brands to engage with women as they love to share and discuss across social platforms. Women are considerably more likely than men to browse social media profiles regularly (57 per cent females versus 46 per cent males weekly or more often) and use ‘sharing’ buttons to share content (23 per cent females versus 20 per cent males weekly or more often).

Females and males are equally as likely to connect with brands and companies via social media highlighting the appeal of social to all. Of note, more women are active on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest and while Facebook is still the dominant social platform among Australian men, they complement this with YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn; men and women are on par when it comes to Twitter.

The popularity of social media among women and its clear foothold in the daily repertoire highlights a clear opportunity for brands to use these platforms as a vehicle to engage, create loyalty and stay top of mind.

Tech Leaders

Wearables are also increasingly appealing to the female population with slightly higher ownership overall than males. The Samsung Galaxy Gear and Sony Smartwatch are the most popular brands among both sexes however the FitBit is much more popular among females whereas males tend more towards the Nike Fuelband. Wearables will surely surge with the introduction of the Apple Watch, and the role that brand content will play in wearable technology will become more important throughout 2016

Despite this movement into new technology, traditional media remains important; 91 per cent of women still view TV content via traditional broadcast TV regularly (slightly higher than men), while men are more likely than women to watch video on demand (71 per cent weekly versus 62 per cent in women). Men are also more likely to be obtaining video on demand via subscription services like Netflix as well as piracy networks, while women are more likely than men to view video on demand via the catch-up services offered via local broadcasters.