Navigating Venus is an in depth research study based on observations and actual behavior on how women are acting, reacting and redefining themselves today. The study identifies four emerging patterns of womanhood and implications for brand strategies in both communication and innovation. Find out more at www.navigating-venus.com

1. navigating
V E N U S
PATTERNS
NAVIGATING VENUS
Queen For A Day 01
Flexible Imperfectionism 02
Back To Mother Earth 03
Embracing Mars 04
An in depth exploration into the ever (r)evolving woman.

2. navigating Navigating Venus is an in-depth research
study and exploration on how women
V E N U S are acting, reacting and rede ning them-
selves today. e study identi es 4
emerging patterns of womanhood and
implications for brand strategies in both
communication and innovation. For
more information, please visit our
website www.navigating-venus.com.
01
Queen For A Day THEMES
e sexual revolution and its resulting consequences have le many
women with a hangover. e race for equality and gaining access to
Hyper Femininity
male dominated elds le them exhausted and disappointed because Women are dropping the blue suits and
the comfortable heels and are embracing
women were asked to leave their femininity behind. Political correct- femininity like never before.
ness le them all frustrated and walking on egg shells. e time has
nally come to acknowledge and articulate that ‘women are di erent’
and for many, the di erence comes with special characteristics. ey Beauty As Currency
start again to celebrate female behavior and embrace romance and
Beauty has become the new social
nostalgia. Women are still seeking equal opportunities, yet if they currency used to gain success, acknowl-
edgement and a competitive advantage -
don’t win the ght, on some level they want at least some of the old
women are exploiting their beauty as
perks of “being a girl” back. never before.
OPPORTUNITY SPACES Romance Nostalgia
A new independence has also lead to a
1. How can your brand create a counterpart to the queen? new need for ‘strong shoulders’ from
2. How can your service make customers feel like a queen? men...or from other means.
3. How can you gender separate your brand?
4. How can your brand take on noble elements from the past?
5. How can your brand beautify everything around the queen? His & Hers
6. How can you “pink up” the functionality of your product? Women ‘demand’ some of the advantages
7. How can you add elements that help women to self improve? that came in an ‘unequal’ world - men as
bread winners, gentlemen, payers of
8. How can you create a more female friendly environment? dinner bills, but also the special perks that
9. How can you beautify everything around your brand? came with being a girl.

3. navigating Navigating Venus is an in-depth research
study and exploration on how women
V E N U S are acting, reacting and rede ning them-
selves today. e study identi es 4
emerging patterns of womanhood and
implications for brand strategies in both
communication and innovation. For
more information, please visit our
website www.navigating-venus.com.
Flexible 02
Imperfectionism THEMES
Women have undergone a series of transitions since the sexual revo-
lution when they broke out of the expected molds and norms. What’s
Imperfect Me
remained unchanged is certain expectations and demands. that still We are seeing a new imperfect beauty
rising and with it the beginnings of
dominate perceptions and actions. Now in all aspects of life, women backlash against plastic surgery and age
are snacking, sampling and just making it up as they go along refus- rage driven by the desire to simply be real.
ing to accept that there is only one way to be a woman and to live a
woman’s life. ey are creating their own looks and styles rather than
following standardized approaches to beauty. ey are creating new
M.O.M.S. (My Own Motherhood Solutions)
careers and professional opportunities rather than force tting them- More and more mums move towards a
relaxed and intuitive motherhood,
selves into established systems and they are nding their own way to
instead of aiming at being perfect moms,
motherhood and lifestyle in general – a liberation from expectations. breeding ideally adjusted genius kids.
OPPORTUNITY SPACES My Way
Women are embracing patchwork
1. How can you add exibility to products and services? lifestyles from relationships to interior
2. How can you help women to solve time issues? design, open to the idea that the future is
something you exibly make up while
3. How can you strengthen self esteem among your female customers? moving on.
4. How can you mash up your brand?
5. How can you relieve tensions with a sense of playfulness?
6. How can your customers remix your brand, products and services?
Flexible Rules
7. How can you challenge assumptions of perfection? As the economy opens new opportuni-
ties, women enjoy a business landscape
8. How can you reward the black sheep? that is more open to career concepts like
9. How can you make your brand more exible and agile? freelance, part time or entrepreneurship.

4. navigating Navigating Venus is an in-depth research
study and exploration on how women
V E N U S are acting, reacting and rede ning them-
selves today. e study identi es 4
emerging patterns of womanhood and
implications for brand strategies in both
communication and innovation. For
more information, please visit our
website www.navigating-venus.com.
Back To 03
Mother Earth THEMES
Women are re-discovering their motherly and earthy sides and a
strong longing for all things natural. is pattern can be found in
Fashionista Hippie
many parts of life - on the fashionable surface we see the return of the Women are again in love with being a
hippie: owery dresses, beeds & braids,
hippie style, but this goes much deeper. Naturalness and a connection long skirts. All aiming for natural looks
to the earth and the self are growingly important on many levels. & eco-friendly materials.
Even though women enjoy all the possibilities that technology gives
them, it should feel as natural as possible. In general there is a strong
longing for cooking and baking, re-discovering the skills of mothers
Digging Earthiness
and grandmothers. A trend towards the desire to be a mother, o en a Connecting with the earth in a true sense,
tactile experiences like gardening are part
stay at home mom shows the recognition of motherhood being the
of women's lives again - on their own
natural order of things, albeit sometimes later in life. patch or in the mid of the city.
OPPORTUNITY SPACES Natural Motherhood
Well educated older mothers aim at
1. How can you add a tactile experience to your brand? caring and nurturing the natural way.
2. How can you expose the nurturing side of your brand? From pregnancy to childcare, women
want to feel much more connected to
3. How will your brand behave hippie-ish? Sharing, community, social? nature again.
4. What other dimension can t the naturalness of your brand?
5. How can you not restrict but reward nature friendly behavior?
6. How can you add an element of self made and DIY to the brand?
Inner Nature
7. How can you add a sense of cra manship to the brand experience? Nature in a health & spiritual sense - the
rise of natural health practitioners, the
8. How can you make your brand more authentic? love for yoga & a growing number of
9. In what way can you inject your brand with positive karma? vegetarians among women.

5. navigating Navigating Venus is an in-depth research
study and exploration on how women
V E N U S are acting, reacting and rede ning them-
selves today. e study identi es 4
emerging patterns of womanhood and
implications for brand strategies in both
communication and innovation. For
more information, please visit our
website www.navigating-venus.com.
04
Embracing Mars THEMES
Females are not only from venus anymore – they have acquired many
skills that are needed to get ahead in a male dominated world. On the
Let’s Get Physical
way they have also taken up male iconography, hobbies, sports and Women are discovering their physical
strength. A rise of active females in male
leisure behavior. ey have become signi cantly physically stronger – dominated sports is proof as well as a
without completely losing their femininity. Feminism 3.0 for example growing rate of physically aggressive
women.
takes up a rather provocative tone of voice, playing with sexuality and
self-con dence on a new level, claiming everything for themselves
and seeing the world as their playground. e countertrend is de -
Alpha-Girls & She-Geeks
nitely the “pinki cation” as in Queen For A Day: strong emphasis of Business is becoming more female - and
women are tech savvy: already equal
all things feminine and a rise of classical romanticism as well as the
regarding higher education, they are even
return to clear gender roles. catching up in tech domains.
OPPORTUNITY SPACES Dark & Demanding
Females adapt male iconography and
1. How can you add functionality, strength and muscle to your brand? roles: not just the biker look but the bike
2. How can you use a more explicit language as a brand? itself, having le the role of the hunted,
becoming the hunter themselves.
3. How can you balance and/or mash up mars with venus?
4. How can you add competitiveness and/or alpha to your brand?
5. How can you reinterpret male symbols in female style?
6. What punching bag can you give her?
Feminism 3.0
7. How can you “unpink” your brand and make it more male? Feminism today is more physical,
provocative & playful. Not shy to speak
8. How can you make technology and features not feel like technology? up and play with sexuality - but still be
9. How can you add intellect and rationality to your brand? conscious of stereotyped gender models.

6. navigating
V E N U S
CONTACT
INTERESTED?
Joanna Bakas Nina Rieke
Managing Partner LHBS Consulting GmbH Managing Partner doubleshift
Rasumofskygasse 26, 1030 Vienna Colonnaden 18, 20354 Hamburg
jb@lhbs.at, www.lhbs.at info@doubleshift.de, www.doubleshift.de
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