There’s a saying that goes, “Behind every great man is a great woman.” And while we think that men and women can certainly be great independently, when it comes to purchasing decisions for men, women definitely play a powerful role. Driving roughly 70 to 80 percent of all consumer purchases and contributing an estimated 18 trillion dollars to the global economy, the power of the purse is undeniable.

Evidence supports the notion that women influence most household shopping decisions – even when they’re not specifically shopping for themselves. Let’s take cars, for example. Women play the leading role in 85 percent of those purchases.

But wait, isn’t this a blog post about Father’s Day? Yes – yes, it is.

If you want to find your brand’s products among coveted Father’s Day gifts, your best bet might be to target the leading ladies in Dad’s life. Here are two approaches you might consider: one emotional, one more practical.

Tug At Those Heart Strings

You might think of fishing and hunting as an outdoorsman’s – emphasis on man – activity. Yet, we opted to use primarily female influencers in a recent campaign for our client FoodSaver^® to promote their GameSaver^® vacuum-sealing device, which is designed to meet the needs of big game hunters. Why? Because we know that women seek and give recommendations to help them make wise purchasing decisions.

The campaign generated tributes to fatherhood that seamlessly tied to the message of preserving the moment – and the spoils of your hunting or fishing efforts – with GameSaver^®.

Amelia Mayer, of Tales of a Mountain Mama, shared a heartfelt story of how three generations had embraced the art of providing game for their family, in many ways shaping their way of life and identity as nature enthusiasts.

Focus On the Benefits

But, marketing to women doesn’t necessarily have to be sentimental.

Deb from Seeking Lavender Lane took a pragmatic approach to discussing why a SANUS TV mount is the perfect gift for her hard-to-shop-for father. She honed in on key benefits of the product – the fact that installation is super simple and that it’s a present he’ll use virtually every day.

So, when it comes to Father’s Day, it’s really all about reaching the women in their lives – whether you’re aiming to tell an emotional story or to illustrate the practicality of your product.