Seeking: A Naturalist with strong opinions!

Finding a naturalist is proving to be tougher then we thought! We are wrapping up casting for our second Season of the Define Yourself campaign which will feature a range of women with dramatically different mindsets on the topic of aging. We have had no challenge finding lots of women to be involved with one exception-- we are looking for a women who loves every wrinkle, rarely or never wears makeup and is against any anti-aging products or treatments. Does this sound like anyone you know? If so, we would like to hear from you asap! Please email contact@swingthink.com

Dismissed again! Smart marketers missing the female vote in family travel.

One step forward and five steps back. Sometimes it seems that we aren't quite as far ahead as we thought in understanding and addressing women as serious players when it comes to the household finances. I recently returned from a family vacation in Dominican Republic at my favourite resort in Punta Cana. We had a lovely time barring one major technicality--- we made the mistake of agreeing to be introduced to the resorts new exclusive members program that involved premier service for its best clients. Well, we all know how these things go.

We were taken upstairs to a room that we didn't even know existed and entered what look and felt like the Toronto Stock Exchange floor-- hustle, bustle and hard core sales tactics. Now, I would consider my husband and I to be two quite savvy sales and marketing people, so we certainly knew how to navigate this territory. However, what became immediately apparent is that the sales person did not consider me to be key in this decision making process. Now, you know that these sales people have been trained in North American sales techniques. They also knew that I was a working professional. And still, my concerns and objections were glossed over while the salesperson became more and more focused on my husband -- particularly as my questions became more challenging and he appeared the more friendly ear.

Women are the primary decision maker when it comes to family travel-- whether they work in the home or out of the home. This classic error on the part of the sales person cost him a significant sale and left me with a bad taste in my mouth which unfortunately translated into bad feelings about the resort and brand in general. When I arrived back to Toronto I promptly sent a note to the Senior Executive in charge of Marketing, based out of Spain, to share my experience and offer them support in figuring out the female species.

Aging? The good, the bad and the ugly.

Ahhhh, aging. Although most of us would like to be fresh faced and makeup free as we approach those 40, 50 milestone ages, it's just not realistic for most of us. It is tough to get to the real deal when it comes to the way women feel about aging. There is how we SHOULD feel, and then there is how we really feel. Take our the Define Yourself, Which Type Are You poll and see how your aging mindset compares to other women across Canada.