Ypulse Interview: Heidi Dangelmaier, Founder, 3iying

What is a marketing think tank to do when girl consumers just don’t “get” ad campaigns aimed at them? Bring a brigade of smart, media-savvy teen girls on board and give them a platform to let companies know exactly what they want and exactly how to do it. At least that’s what Heidi Dangelmaier, the gutsy, girl-empowering creator of 3iying, did. Heidi will be keynoting at The Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup East, revealing what she has learned from girls about the evolving world of “girl culture” and how to make your brand “girl approved” by teens and young adult women.

Ypulse: What inspired you to start 3iying?

Heidi Dangelmaier: As a female in a male dominated research environment (computer science and robotics), I recognized I approached problem solving much differently then the other department members, what interested me, what I valued as important, even the applications that impassioned me were different. I then realize that gender was influencing the way science was progressing, even the hard sciences.

As my career advanced and I had the privilege of being involved in many areas of innovation, from industrial design, technology to digital marketing and advertising, I saw the same gender imbalance I first discovered back in grad school, only in this case the disconnects were impacting the well being major brands.

It became clear that if innovation was to truly progress a more gender-balanced approach to innovation and creative strategy was needed. In this approach girls would lead the research, strategy and design for products that they used. And that is why I started an all-girl innovation studio.

YP: What is the biggest misconception advertisers have when it comes to teen girls?

HD: Advertisers underestimate them, the sophistication of the millennial girl is sky rocketing. The industry believe that young girls don’t know themselves, so they are fickle, easily influenced,  impulsive, and hard to please.

My experience working with young girls every day is quite the opposite. I think girls are discerning,  deep, and design savvy. If they are hard to please it is only because they have sophisticated taste levels, and demand quality - a quality far beyond what most brands have had to deliver in the past.

YP: Which brand do you think gets it right when trying to reach girls?

HD: Target is good example of a girl-approved brand. What girls love about Target is it’s originality and design integrity. Target always pays attention to the details. Their designs are intelligent,  simple, and full of imagination. They are always coming up with fresh, new ideas and products, instead of trendy knock offs. 

In a certain way they aren’t “trying to reach girls,”  they are just busy being themselves - great modern designers.

YP: How do you recruit the girls who work with you at 3iYing, tell us a bit about your process working with them?

HD: When you stand up for something you believe in, you will attract people who share your beliefs. 3iying has vocally stood up for the talents and the sophistication of the millennial girl. From writing for Businessweek to posting YouTube videos, to speaking at schools and events (even if people rolled their eyes at first), 3iying has fearlessly challenged the design industry to re-think itself. Thankfully, there have been many who have heard about what are doing and believed in it so much that they wanted to be a part of it.

Today, we have professors and students from design universities and high schools, girls who have written to us from all over the world, girls who want to go into marketing and believe in what we are doing,  and even parents in the industry who send their daughters to help make changes that they never could in their own careers. The girls of 3iying collaborate on every aspect of projects, including insights, innovations, aesthetics, and production. Beyond that, our girlapproved process is top secret.

YP: What can Ypulse Mashup attendees expect to learn from your keynote in November?

HD: There is a giant gap between what girls want and what they are getting. Through us, brands will come to see that the gap is really an opportunity for new leadership,  great innovation,  and a lot of reduction of waste in every aspect of the marketing process.

YP: Anything else you think Ypulse readers should know?

HD: When it comes to marketing to girls, many brands show up looking for a few quick tricks to get them on the right track. But there aren’t any quick tricks because what they are facing is an extremely astute, sophisticated, and empowered market. The only way to really win them over is an open mind to think differently and a commitment to real quality of work in everything that they do.