Michael Gurian

UNDERSTANDING THE MINDS OF BOYS AND GIRLS

The Best Kept Marketing Secret

Think about this: Every single product purchased for children by their parents is for either a boy or a girl. Is your business leveraging this reality beyond just offering “rough and tumble” for the boys and “pink” for the girls?

Michael Gurian is the New York Times best-selling author of THE WONDER OF BOYS, THE WONDER OF GIRLS, and BOYS AND GIRLS LEARN DIFFERENTLY! One of the most sought after experts on boy/girl brain differences in the world, his work was awarded “One of the Best Books of the Year” by Publishers Weekly and he has been recognized by major media outlets, including: - Time Magazine - The Wall Street Journal - Business Week - The Today Show - CNN - USA Today - Newsweek - PBS

And, now, Michael transforms this knowledge into a competitive advantage for your business. Michael’s unique programs enable you to integrate scientifically proven information about boys and girls into new – and more effective - product and marketing strategies. What toys should really be in Toyland?

Companies that target children are aggressively seeking out the best products for boys and girls in a fluctuating marketplace; the safest risk in the face of high production costs; and the most effective means of selling and marketing to reach boys, girls, and their parents. So, as a business, you need to ask critical questions: 1. How do you know what products will sell and what products will be duds? 2. How much would you save by only putting products with a high likelihood of success into production? 3. How can you ensure that your sales and marketing efforts appeal to both the children (who WANT your products) and the parents (who BUY the products)? 4. How can you secure not only domestic success for your products, but also international success?

► Results, Results, Results

By understanding the true differences between boy and girls – based on science, not on popular opinion or social trends – your business is able to: - Save significant dollars by reducing trial and error in manufacturing and marketing efforts - Equip your creative and design team with new tools that help them envision what boys and girls really want - Ensure international acceptance of your products because hard-wired differences are universal - Effectively sell, advertise and market your products in a way that will reach and motivate boys and girls and/or their parents to purchase - Increase market share in this highly volatile market - Save your business up to millions of dollars annually on lost sales from mis-targeted products - Transform your business to being recognized as producing “Top New Products of the Year”

The Indisputable Business Case

Business with “boys and girls” translates into millions of dollars for media, entertainment, toys, food products, fashion and more. In many cases, the dollars defy stereotypes. For example, “boys have become the new darling of the health and beauty industry, spending an estimate $2.1 billion on shampoo, hair gels, and hair-coloring and other personal-care items last year.” (The Morning Call Online 12.5.04) But, the burning question is: How do you create and market products that will appeal to the boys and the girls?

Online competition for boy and girls and their dollars is stiff. According to Nielsen/NetRatings, kids are increasing their web page consumption at a much quicker rate than the overall online population. In fact, kids ages 2 to 11 viewed 106% more web pages on average in October 2004 than two years before in October 2002. (eMarketer, “The Kids Are Online”, November 24, 2004) But, businesses need to ask: Are we really capitalizing on this opportunity? Could these statistics be even higher if we could better gauge the wants and needs of these young male and female consumers?

While the boys and girls markets are increasing, so are the advertising dollars spent to reach them. In fact, “industry spending on advertising to children has exploded in the past decade, increasing from a mere $100 million in 1990 to more than $2 billion in 2000.” Is this advertising really effective? Is it effectively meeting the needs of the intended male and female consumer?

Leveraging the Opportunities

Some businesses have recognized and leveraged these boy/girl differences. One of the trailblazers has been Nintendo. “Nintendo revels in boy culture; it’s all about competitive aggressive play.” Likewise, there have been success stories on the girls’ side: “A powerful new force has emerged in the cutthroat world of magazine publishing: girls aged between 6 and 13, and they can’t get enough of Total Girl… Since being launched two years ago, the magazine’s circulation has grown 50 per cent to 99,829 a month, its readers being high-energy fans with interests ranging from music to politics – and an increasing amount of disposable income.”

But, overall, most businesses have yet to take advantage of this lucrative opportunity. Here are some costly examples:

 The Disney Corporation recently announced new efforts to improve a shortfall in sales to boys compared to girls: “Its Princess line of tiaras, flouncy gowns, toys, books and videos, meanwhile, is a worldwide business generating sales of more than $2 billion annually for Disney and its licensees … The girls market for toys, books, videos and other products is at least twice the size as that for boys … From a merchandising standpoint, Disney knows it would be hard to replicate with boys’ toys the magnitude of the success it has had with the Princess line.”  Videogame producers see a multi-billion dollar gap in their ability to sell to girls …. “A slew of video games now star female characters such as Lara Croft of Tomb Raider and Joanna Dark of Perfect Dark that attempt to appeal to teenage girls but fall short because of the violent nature of the games themselves.”  Many companies are taking the route of simply making something “pink” in order to market products to girls as well. Examples include Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man (almost identical except she wore a pink bow) and Nintendo’s Game Boy (available in bright pink). “While these marketing practices have been successful, they do not maximize girls’ continued engagement because the games themselves do not include components that appeal to them.”  “Hollywood is smitten with teen girls …From near-obscurity a decade ago, they have become the audience of choice for many filmmakers… The sight of 10- to 18-year-old females queuing up at the ticket window is certainly good news for studios, which have watched other parts of their audience fragment or drift away to the Web. The success of 2001’s The Princess Diaries and 2003’s Freaky Friday, which grossed more than $100 million apiece in the U.S., took many by surprise… That said, it’s also a group that can be tough to please. New York Minute has so far wooed mostly girls under 11, grossing a disappointing $6.2 million in its opening weekend.”

Programs and Services

► Boy/Girl Brain Differences

Michael Gurian has pioneered an approach by which businesses can become educated on boy/girl differences and use this knowledge to make informed business decisions throughout the entire life cycle of a product: from vision - to creation and production - to marketing and consumption.

Workshop/Keynote: “The Best Kept Secrets on Doing Business with Boys and Girls™”. All workshop participants receive workbooks or handouts included in the price of the program. - Keynote (1 – 2 hours) - ½ day interactive workshop - 1 day interactive workshop - 2 day interactive workshop - Workshop plus Gender EVal™ Service

Online Training Programs: customized

Gender EVal Services: Your creative team has the opportunity to run products, programs or concepts by Michael. Michael will evaluate them and give you feedback as it relates to boy –girl differences.

Consulting: Michael is able to provide support in an off-site advisory role.

Program Description:

The program includes the following highlights: 1. The facts – a detailed understanding of the scientific findings on brain development and the hard-wired and cultural differences that affect needs, interests, likes and dislikes 2. How differences between boys and girls impact the vision, creation and design of children’s products 3. How to re-vision children’s products and services through the lens of “boy” and “girl” 4. How to create icons, images and signifiers that will be most effective with boys and girls 5. The best way to capture the attention of boys and girls – marketing, advertising, and branding not only to children, but girls and boys 6. Implementation suggestions for specific kinds of businesses – toys, food, beverage, entertainment, medicine, educational 7. How today’s corporations can be on the forefront of brain difference awareness, especially in a synergy now needed between business philanthropy and schools.

► Male/Female Differences in the Workplace Gender difference not only dictates success in understanding consumers, it also permeates the productivity of your own workforce. The women and men within your organization also bring to the workplace their own hard- and soft-wired differences – and those differences can affect communications, productivity, turnover rates and, even, lawsuits. Michael’s approach for understanding male/female brain differences, therefore, is valuable knowledge for executives, management and employees.

Workshop/Keynote: Men, Women and the Workplace. All workshop participants receive workbooks or handouts included in the price of the program. - Keynote (1 – 2 hours) - ½ day interactive workshop - 1 day interactive workshop

Online Training Programs: customized

Program Description:

The program includes the following highlights: 1. Identify gender differences and how they affect workplace effectiveness and success 2. Identify the unique “gender culture” of your corporation and work team 3. Provide women and men with the most accurate view possible of themselves, each other, and their working relationships 4. Develop personal and team strategies for dealing effectively with the other gender 5. Equip executive and managerial levels with key mentoring skills 6. How to prevent sexual harassment and decrease accusations of harassment

7. How to use the strengths of men and women to increase productivity and the bottom line for your business 8. How differing communication styles between women and men developed in childhood and how male vs. female communication can be improved through knowledge and understanding of the differences 9. Learn follow up paradigms for integrating gender reconciliation into the workplace in the long-term.

► Educational and Community Outreach Programs

This program is for corporations that are interested in outreach programs – either internally for parents within your own workforce or externally as a means of becoming more involved with the community. Your business can sponsor Michael on such parenting and education topics as:

 Raising your sons and daughters  Boys and girls learn differently  The minds of boys and girls – helping our sons and daughters to do their best in school and life  The wonder of boys and girls – understanding the nature of our sons and daughters  What could he be thinking?

The benefits of sponsoring these kinds of programs are many:

 Most employees are parents and when parents understand what makes their children tick, they feel more secure in themselves. This security leads to more comfort as a parent, person, spouse and employee. In turn, these employees serve as role models and care givers, while simultaneously acting as an ambassador for your corporate image.  Corporations that gain acumen in cutting edge knowledge of male/female brain differences are in a unique position to help cities, municipalities, schools, community organizations and other non- profits directly and philanthropically serve the needs of boys and girls.  Corporations that understand the differing needs of boys and girls can immensely affect the public health. Given that corporate health ultimately depends on community health, corporations that positively impact communities gain not only in their ultimate bottom line, but also in integrity and public image. TESTIMONIALS

"Provocative...Gurian's THE WONDER OF BOYS became the impetus for a growing boys' movement." - USA TODAY

"In THE WONDER OF GIRLS, Gurian probes the unique aspects of girls' emotional, social and physical development in a follow-up to his bestselling THE WONDER OF BOYS… Gurian's arguments (will ) stir controversy and inspire thought." - Publisher's Weekly, December 2001

(THE WONDER OF GIRLS) is explosive, bound to be controversial, a powder keg … Gurian raises interesting questions.” – USA Today

"Michael Gurian is becoming the boys' Dr. Spock." - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"In BOYS AND GIRLS LEARN DIFFERENTLY, Michael Gurian starts out by promising a 'practical blueprint' and that's what he delivers. If you're concerned why your children or students have such different learning styles and what you can do about it, you'll find valuable information and advice in this book." - Publisher's Weekly

“From the beginning of time, parents and sensitive teachers have observed differences in the behavior, learning style, and focused interests of girls and boys… Gurian and the contributing authors draw on emerging neuroscientific data to justify these perceptions… they suggest creative ways to modify the learning environment to encourage a broader spectrum of achievement in both gender groups.” – Edward Zigler, Ph.D., Sterling Professor of Psychology, department of Psychology, Yale University

“Like a guide through a secret forest, What Could He Be Thinking? leads the nonscientist through the complex world of brain science and relates it to some of the most frustrating sources of conflict between men and women …” – Reuters News Service ------

“Michael Gurian’s information is powerful and critical to business. In the same way that my work has saved corporations millions of dollars, Michael’s work can equally impact businesses that sell to boys and girls. There is no one else out there that understands boys and girls like Michael Gurian!”

- Barbara Annis, gender and diversity expert, author of “Same Words, Different Language” About Michael Gurian

Michael Gurian is a thought-leader, family therapist, and leading consultant on male/female brain differences. He is also the author of twenty books published in fifteen languages, including two New York Times bestsellers, seven national bestsellers, and one international bestseller. THE WONDER OF BOYS and THE WONDER OF GIRLS are now standard reading for anyone interested in understanding the inherent differences between boys and girls. Additionally, his training videos for parents and volunteers are used by Big Brother and Big Sister agencies throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The Gurian Institute, which he co-founded, conducts research internationally and has trained schools and communities in most of the United States, Canada, and internationally. Michael has been called “the people’s philosopher” for his ability to bring together people’s ordinary lives and scientific ideas.

Michael began his business career in the early 1990’s, as a gender diversity trainer in the corporate sector. He provided training at Boeing, Grobel and numerous government agencies. Simultaneously, Michael discovered that teachers were not being trained on gender differences and how boys and girls learn differently. Too many girls and boys were being underserved or, in worst cases, lost. Hence, Michael began to focus on child development, pioneering the use of gender training.

Since, Michael has been on the forefront of bringing neuro-biology and brain research into homes, workplaces, schools and public policy. A number of his ground-breaking books in child development, including THE WONDER OF BOYS, BOYS AND GIRLS LEARN DIFFERENTLY! and THE WONDER OF GIRLS, have sparked national debate.

Today he is prominent in the field of child development and education, while also offering the corporate community a unique and cutting edge approach which – already useful to millions of consumers – he has tailored to companies doing business with boys, girls and their families. His work has been widely recognized by the media including The Today Show, CNN, MSNBC and many others. Finally, he has been invited to speak at such prestigious institutions as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, and Stanford.

"I always enjoy listening to Michael Gurian - he has such an easy and humorous speaking style and such an important message!" - Lyndia Vold, Healthy Youth Conferences Media, Organizations, Articles and Awards

Media Recognition  New York Times  The Washington Post  Business Week  USA Today  Newsweek  Time  The Wall Street Journal  Parenting Magazine  Good Housekeeping  Redbook  The Today Show  Good Morning America  CNN  PBS  National Public Radio

Organizations  American Counseling Association  Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development  International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors

Articles  “Boys, Girls Learn in Different Ways: Parents, teachers hear how to reach each group”, by Janet Sugameli, The Detroit News, September 20, 2004  “Brain science reveals what men are really thinking”, Reuters & CNN, October 2003  “Author describes what makes girls tick”, by Janet Simons, Rocky Mountain News, January 24, 2002  “Author: When it comes to kids learning, gender matters”, by Nancy Churnin, The Dallas Morning News  “Raising Our Sons in the Age of Columbine”, by Karen S. Peterson, USA Today, September 20, 1999  “New Book Helps Parents & Others Nurture Adolescent Boys; Boys Movement Leader Says Youth Violence is Avoidable”, by Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press, October 11, 1998

Awards  Numerous book awards, including “Best Book of the Year” – Publisher’s Weekly Books

 The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, Mentors and Educators Can Do To Shape Boys Into Exceptional Men, 1996

 The Wonder of Girls: Understanding the Hidden Nature of Our Daughters, January 2002

 Boys and Girls Learn Differently: A Guide for Teachers and Parents, March 2003

 What Could He Be Thinking? How a Man’s Mind Really Works, September 2004

 The Boys and Girls Learn Differently Action Guide for Teachers, March 2003  The Good Son: Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young Men, September 1999  Plugged In: From Boys to Men - All About Adolescence and You, February 1999  Plugged In: Understanding Guys – A Guidebook for Teen Girls, February 1999  A Fine Young Man: What Parents, Mentors and Educators Can Do To Shape Adolescent Boys into Exceptional Men, June 1998  The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, Mentors and Educators Can Do To Shape Boys into Exceptional Men, 1996