This Bud's For You. No, Not You Her

There's no more masculine product than a Smith & Wesson revolver, right? Think again. After Smith & Wesson Corp. launched LadySmith, a line of guns specifically for women, in 1989, the Springfield (Mass.) gunmaker saw its sales to women jump from 5% of the company's total to nearly 18%.

Like Smith & Wesson, a growing number of traditionally male-oriented marketers are learning that women make surprisingly avid consumers of products once assumed to be boy toys. From hardware chains to carmakers to brewers to insurers, companies that once ignored women now recognize that they may be the key to raising market share. Toyota Motor Corp., for example, sold almost 60% of its cars to women during the first half of this year, up from 45% during the first half of 1986, and it expects that number to grow again next year. "Women have become extremely knowledgeable about the car business," says corporate marketing manager Ren Rooney. "They have some influence on 80% of our purchases."