A+E Networks' Amy Baker on Building a "Fempire"

Lifetime has been around since 1984 and has been a leading cable brand during that time. But they recently realized that the network needed to be even more invested in the women's space to remain relevant to today's female consumers. &#160;To do this they embarked on an extensive cultural research study late last year which concentrated on all aspects of a woman's day. "We recruited more than 465 women and asked them over many weeks to log what they did, felt and watched," Amy told me. "The group was a highly diverse one and yet had many things in common. &#160;We wanted to understand everything about them."Charlene Weisler: What was the ultimate goal of the study and what were some conclusions?Amy Baker: Essentially, we wanted to understand the state of womanhood today. What we found was that there are&#160;a lot of things women love about being a woman, [including] motherhood, female friendships and the emotional intelligence associated with being a woman. &#160;Unfortunately there are still many things that women do not like. Too often, they feel under-valued.&#160; They suffer from inequality, especially in pay, which is a big conversation going on today.&#160; Women do not stand up for themselves as much as they want to for fear of being labeled difficult or, worse, "bitchy."&#160; Our research identified a universal response regardless of age, race or socioeconomic background that women rallied around: Strength.&#160; Women look to content for characters who convey strength.Charlene: What are the next steps for Lifetime with these key learnings?Amy: &#160;We aim to be the aggregator and curator of the new feminist voice in entertainment. We are building our brand around strong women.&#160; We are going to be unapologetic, fun and edgy, but never too earnest or preachy.&#160; And it is never girl against girl.&#160; We will always be inclusive. &#160;Of most importance, our voice will speak to all women with heart and humor.&#160;&#160;We needed a word to capture this fun attitude for our consumers and advertisers; we are calling this our Fempire!&#160; The Fempire serves as a rallying cry for being positive, bold and fierce. &#160;We'll continue our research efforts through the summer and beyond and plan to have even more insights about women to share in the fall.Charlene: Why do this now?Amy: While we were doing our study, we noticed a major cultural shift happening.&#160; Women started to dominate in almost every category of pop culture and project images of strength from Taylor Swift to Beyonc&#233; in music, Tina Fey and Amy Schumer in comedy and Katniss Everdeen from "The Hunger Games."&#160; And actresses like Jennifer Lawrence, who portrays Katniss Everdeen, are using their platform to advocate for equality for women.&#160; Interesting enough, there is a fourth wave of feminism going on now that is influenced by technology and empowerment.Charlene: How will the Lifetime brand transition to Fempire?Amy: This has been a transition over the last four years. We now have a name to it and have deeper insights. Our audience is already there in terms of how they see us.&#160; In fact, in recent focus groups they told us that their perception of us has changed.&#160; They no longer see us as the "damsel in distress" network of old.&#160; They actually see us as the network that empowers women and use&#160;us as a scratch for their emotional itches. They already see us as a Fempire &#8230; the place they turn to for strength.Charlene: Here is a question many of us face: How do you achieve work/life balance?Amy: I've always prioritized where I need to be.&#160; I never missed my kids' big events, but everything is a trade-off. I go to their small events where I think it will make a difference in their lives. I tell women with whom I work to take care of themselves which will make [them] stronger at work. Work and life balance is a marathon, not a sprint.Charlene: What advice can you give a young woman in college today about a career in media?Amy: In general, choose a career that you are passionate about. Don't worry about your first or even your second job. Just get experience and enjoy the journey. There is no book of instructions regarding a career path. College kids today may feel that they cannot afford to take any risks. They need that internship on their resume. But you need to take risks. Even if a job seems like a big detour, that is okay.The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet, Inc. management or associated bloggers. &#160;&#160;

A+E Networks' Amy Baker on Building a "Fempire"

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Charlene Weisler

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