Years ago, running an ad campaign during TV soap operas was a safe bet for any marketer wanting to reach the female demographic. Times have changed. Women’s TV viewing habits have become as diverse as their demographics. “Conventional wisdom says soap operas are better for reaching women but in media consumption, as in fashion, there’s no such thing as one size fits all for today’s women,” says Gary Drenik, president and CEO of BIGresearch.

According to Bigresearch, women are likely to be watching the following:

Hispanics

• Soap operas 63.7%
• Sports 61.8%

African/Americans

• Soap operas 53.8%
• Sports 66.2%

Asians

• Soap operas 40.2%
• Sports 55%

Caucasians

• Soap operas 36.3%
• Sports 60.7%

Online searches for sports vary by ethnic group as well. About 42% of women engage in this activity overall, but rates are significantly higher for Asians (50.3%) and Hispanics (49.3%).

The study results also indicate that women of all ethnic groups most frequently shop at Wal-Mart, Macy’s and JCPenney for clothing. Marketers seeking steal market share from industry leaders and attempting to reach women via TV and online campaigns should take these study results into account as they develop their media purchase plans for the future.

[Source: Reach Women via Sports – but Media Use, Shopping Habits Vary by Ethnicity, Bigresearch, 2010]