As women earn and spend more, companies are looking for new ways to reach them throughout the year.

"The fact of the matter is women are autonomous today," said Michael Bolchalk of Bolchalk Marketing. "It's their decision. They don't need a man to make it for them."

Traditionally, few companies outside those that make home-oriented products like cleaning supplies, diapers, kitchenware and appliances recognized women as a viable target. But that's changing.

In 2001, 47.1 percent of full-time and salaried workers in professional jobs were women, compared with 34.2 percent in 1983, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women earn 76 percent of what men do - up from 63 percent in 1979, the bureau said.

Single women and single working mothers also make up a growing segment of consumers.

"The females have been 50 percent of the population all along," said Michal Strahilevitz, marketing professor at the University of Arizona. "It is their earning and purchasing power that is growing."

That means more women are buying big-ticket items, like cars, homes and financial services. Women today account for or influence approximately 80 percent of all buying decisions in the U.S. - or two-thirds of the gross domestic product, said Martha Barletta, author of Marketing to Women.

"More women have the confidence to make those type of decisions on their own," said MJ Jensen, owner of IdeaMagic, a Tucson-based marketing and promotions firm.

Advertisers are taking notice not just because women are making more financial decisions, but because they're easier to reach.

"Men have always been harder to reach through television. That's part of the reason why sporting events have been at such a premium," said Jo Alenson, a partner at Tucson-based advertising firm MediaDex.

Many men flip through channels when commercials appear on the screen; they're also more likely to buy new technology like TiVo Digital Video Recor-der, which records live television, enabling them to skip through commercials, Alenson said.

"You can tell advertising is shifting toward women by the programs that run on television during the week," said Gretchen Kalwick, advertising consultant for Cox Media. "There are a lot more programs aiming to grab the female viewership. Shows like 'Trading Spaces' and 'Interiors by Design' are geared toward women that are home during the day."

Most of the new advertising geared toward women encourages them to buy cars, financial services and home improvement products:

Automakers saw market

Recognizing stay-at-home soccer moms, the automobile industry was one of the first to identify women as a profitable market segment.

Ten to 15 years ago, higher-end brands like Lexus and BMW realized women were buying their cars and started reaching out to them, Strahilevitz said.

Then more moderately priced car companies like Saturn took notice. Saturn has geared commercials toward women since the beginning, and promotes its no-haggle price policy to women who dislike a pushy sales pitch.

Now women show up in ads for SUVs, said Karl Brauer, editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com, an online resource for automotive information.

"It used to be that you only saw big, burly guys with these vehicles," Brauer said. "But now you see TV commercials for vehicles like the Chevy Tahoe with women sitting up in the mountains, enjoying the great outdoors."

A smart car dealer will treat that woman exactly the same as a man and assume that she knows a lot about cars, Stra-hilevitz said. "Women do not want to be treated as ignorant," she said.

Financial services

It is similar with financial services. Women are learning more about their investments, and companies are courting them through television commercials.

"It's probably effective for a lot of people," said local homemaker Nancy Jett, who often sees such ads during financial shows. Still, "I'm not that influenced by advertising," she said. "I've always done my own research."

Financial companies have good reason to reach out to women: 90 percent of women will end up divorced or widowed because they live longer than men and tend to be younger than their spouses when they marry, Strahilevitz said.

"That means in way of financial services, women need think long-term," she said. But fewer women have retirement accounts than men - just 41 percent participate in their companies' 401(k) plan, she said.

Women who heed the ads' call often do better than men in the stock market. "Women investors are outperforming men because they are more risk averse and don't trade as often as men do," said Strahilevitz, who points to Charles Schwab and Janus as companies that have been successful in marketing financial products to women.

Home improvement

Some of the same women who shun risks in investing are happy to take a chance when it comes to improving their homes.

Female consumers make 60 percent to 75 percent of home improvement decisions, said Bob Piwowar, sales manager at Lowe's on North Oracle Road. "They have more of an interest in the fashion side, like the final paint, carpet and tile choices," he said.

While Lowe's doesn't have a specific strategy to target women, their general customer service plan is to make shopping there a more pleasant experience. "It comes down to customer service and we treat everyone the same," Piwowar said. "We make no difference between men and women shoppers."

And customer-friendly means female-friendly.

"Lowe's has done a good job reaching the female market," said local marketer Jensen. "When you walk into a Lowe's, they are bright, aesthetically pleasing and, generally speaking, the employees aren't condescending."

Women shoppers there tend to cite those qualities.

"It does have more of a womanly touch," said Wendy Seymour, a hairstylist and student, while shopping for a rug last week. "It's a nicer atmosphere. It's cleaner," she added, comparing it to Home Depot.

While industry leader Home Depot posted record third-quarter earnings, Lowe's holds a tight second with third-quarter earnings of $452 million, a 33.3 percent increase over the same period last year.

Major marketing shift

The move to target women consumers reflects a major shift in the advertising industry: Marketing campaigns have become more segmented and companies can no longer just rely on one advertising pitch that will appeal to everyone.

"We've got so much media hitting us that we need to target now," said Cindy Ramirez of Tucson-based advertising firm Target Media.

"It's tough for businesses because they really have to think about producing multiple marketing ads," she added. "You can't just do one generic ad and hope that it sweeps through everybody."

Ramirez recalls, for example, that a local tire salesman once told her he saw no need to advertise to women. "I can assure you that his attitude has changed," she said.

Even companies that already offered merchandise for women are putting a stronger emphasis on highlighting those products.

Cole Haan, a subsidiary of Nike, has been aggressively pushing its lineup of women's footwear, handbags and outerwear this fall with its first-ever print campaign geared toward women.

The ads, which began appearing in September magazines, mark an increase of more than $1 million in Cole Haan's advertising budget.

"We've never done it as obviously as this year," said Anneli Shearer, spokeswoman for Cole Haan. "What we had done previously were unisex ads. This was a way to take our five ads and really reinforce women's brands."

Emotional connection

As companies try to reach women, they try to make an emotional connection between the consumer and the product.

"Twenty years ago, if you take a look at the ads, they would more or less focus on a bunch of features of the product," said Alan Alexander, director of agency services at Moret Advertising. "Today's ad tries to do more and secure more of a relationship that is a stronger bond."

For example, instead of just spotlighting how well a car performs, a commercial might also try to paint a picture of a safe haven for professional women driving home after a long day at the office.

Softer images that involve kids and families are often common themes in ads from home builders and community colleges, said Bolchalk, of Bolchalk Marketing.

The warmer, more inviting environment can be crucial to businesses such as automotive repair shops or dealerships, where many women have felt intimidated, said Moret Advertising's Alexander.

But not all consumers are sold on commercials geared toward women. Tucson homemaker Jamie Baker said she applauds the ads but would prefer to see more of the product, not just the women.

"All the men do is look at the women," she said, recalling commercials for cars and alcohol.

Networks, advertisers and consumers alike are seeing the shift to attract women consumers. The success of these campaigns stem from an advertising industry that now includes more women executives.

"In the media industry, there are a lot of women taking roles traditionally given to men," Kalwick said. 

Tucson, for example, has several agencies heavily staffed or run by women. "They're consumers as well as businessowners," said Target Media's Ramirez. "They bring a perspective to the table that wasn't as prevalent 20 years ago."