• Los Angeles Times, Monday, October 12, 2009 10:43 AM

Women control 72% of consumer spending in the U.S., observe the authors of Women Want More, and they write that the purchasing power of women is only going to continue to get stronger worldwide. Boston Consulting Group coauthors Michael J. Silverstein and Kate Sayre say that although many retailers and consumer goods companies know that women are in charge of shopping and households, top management ranks remain predominantly male.

"Silverstein and Sayre, as befits Boston Consulting Group consultants, offer an ambitious and systematic view of the opportunities, based on a study of 12,000 women in 21 countries including the U.S., Mexico, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, China and India," reviewer Jonathan Birchall writes. The gist of their argument is that consumer companies need to listen to female customers, he says, "and that politicians might be well served by listening too."

In Why She Buys, Bridget Brennan offers a "fun and anecdotal" and "bullet-point rich account of some of what she sees as the ocean of untapped opportunities" in marketing to women. Brennan runs the Chicago marketing firm Female Factor Corp.

Speaking of women, APM's "Marketplace" had an entertaining piece by Caitlan Carroll Friday about a product that doesn't, on the surface, smell like something that would appeal to their mates. It's called a Mandle, and it's a scented candle for men. Flavors include bacon, mango, auto shop, and meat and potatoes. Coming in time for the holidays: burnt gunpowder.

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