Women on bikes: it’s not just fun and games – targeting specific audiences for effective marketing Lake Strongheart McTighe, Janis McDonald, Marne Duke & Elizabeth Williams
Dec 21, 2014
Women on bikes: it’s not just fun and games – targeting specific audiences
for effective marketing
Lake Strongheart McTighe, Janis McDonald, Marne Duke & Elizabeth Williams
How Can You Tell If Your City is Bikeable? Hint: Count the Women.
69.70%
64.70%
30.30%
35.30%
1994 2011
Bicycle Mode Share by Gender, Portland metro area, 1994 and 2011
Male Female
In many places women make much fewer trips by bicycle than men
the reasons many women do not bike are complex
1. Make champions of all women on bikes - not just Olympians. The best way to get women cycling is to show them women cycling.
2. Mother and child on two wheels? It can be done. We can encourage mothers to cycle with their children by making the necessary bike kit affordable and easily available. We can also drop the judgment. If a woman chooses to cycle whilst pregnant or with her child, chances are she’s thought through all the pros and cons extremely carefully and arrived at a reasoned conclusion.
3. The cycling industry needs to properly embrace women. Check out Elly Blue’s 5 tips for the Bike industry (tip #1: not all women are alike!)
4. Figure out how cycling can fit in. Many women do not cycle because they don’t really see how it can fit into their everyday lives. Listen to what women need, what their concerns are.
Lake Strongheart McTighe, Project Manager Active Transportation Program, Metro Tel: 503-797-1660 [email protected] www.oregonmetro.gov/activetransport