Products Targeted to Women Generally Tick Me Off
There’s a new candy bar being introduced, and it’s targeted to women. Here are some of the descriptions:
Try it in public.
A chocolate bar that shimmers. Definitely eat it with the lights on.
Finally a chocolate you don’t feel so guilty about eating.
Under 85 calories per finger. That’s a sexy little figure. Just like yours.
It’s wrapped in pink. It glitters (they actually add mica to the candy). It has sexual innuendos. Apparently women are always on a diet, like pink and think chocolate is like sex. Or something.
I like pink and bling as much as the next gal, but I get a little tired of companies slapping pink labels on things and saying they’re for women. If I’m going to have chocolate, I’ll have some gourmet dark chocolate, not some glittery, pink-wrapped candy bars. Will companies ever realize that not all women like or want the same thing and that the quality of the product is the most important thing?
Tags: feminism
Why so angry, no cousins asked you out as a kid in KY
Girlfriend, Oh no he d’int! (snap..snap…snap)
That’s OK, men have to endure candy marked as sports energy food.
marketed
Do the products targeted to men generally tick you off too? There are plenty of products marketed to the stereotypes of men. This is a non-issue and nothing to complain about.
DV…Yawn…zzzzzzzzz
Yeah, like assuming that women will vote for McCain just because he has a woman on the ticket.
Yes, products targeted to stereotypes tick me off. I think of it as “least common denominator” marketing.
LOL, LG.
McCain definitely showed he didn’t really understand women if he thought XX chromosomes = electoral gold!
Women buy differently than men. You may not like it, but that is a fact. Whether or not this product is successful remains to be seen, but my guess is that it will be.
My problem with this is it plays up the fact that all you broads want to have “flings”.
Cheaters! 🙂
I think perpetuating stereotypes hurts everyone. Is it just me or has gender stereotyping gotten more rigid in the last 10 years or so? When my niece was born, it took me a long time to find clothes for her that weren’t pink. In fact, when my niece was a few months old, my brother and I were out with her and some older woman admonished my brother for dressing her in a bright blue onesie. It’s like people get mad when they can’t tell the sex of a baby with one glance. I’m not sure why it’s all that important.
I’m tired of being marketed products colored pink that say they’re for women. They should actually make the products better – and not rely on colors and glitter to attract people.
A1,
It will succeed if it’s a better product. But they are adding an unnecessary non-food ingredient (mica) to it.
“They should actually make the products better – and not rely on colors and glitter to attract people.”
You obviously did not study marketing in college. Nobody ever went broke by relying on the American public’s propensity for being distracted by shiny objects.
Maybe they could make a candy bar for guys called “Floozy.”
LOL, anon. The tagline should be “don’t let your wife catch you with it.”
Get serious. The way to hoodwink guys would be a “male enhancement candy bar.”
The way to hoodwink guys would be a “male enhancement candy bar.”
What do you think “Power Bar” is?
I don’t care how long a boner lasts…you still need a place to put it
If you’d stop typing, you’d have a place to put it.
This thread is getting uncomfortable.
It is a Twix.
On the topic (because I skipped past the comments, afraid to look now), my wife insists on buying purple or pink razors, despite the fact that the ugly blue ones have the same blades.
It exists because the marketing works.
In other words, blame your fellow womenfolk for giving into the stereotypes, or else the marketing to them wouldn’t exist.
What actually upsets me more is marketing to racial stereotypes. Why did KFC go to Oprah to market their new chicken? There weren’t crowds of middle aged white women rioting around their minivans when they ran out from high demand.
So marketing to women with a pink wrapper is as easy as selling cigarettes to kids with a cartoon camel?
Brian,
I think it is a cycle. Marketing pink works because they’ve taught us “pink is for women.” For the record, I often buy the men’s razors, depending on what’s cheaper. If they really want to make a razor for women, perhaps they could take into account that the razor is being used in a different way then men’s razors. I’m just sick of companies taking an old product, dying it pink and saying it’s for women.
Yes, Fling is Twix with glitter in it. It’s probably more expensive, too because to the glitter and fancy packaging.
UI: What’s mica cost these days?
Yes, Fling is Twix with glitter in it. It’s probably more expensive, too because to the glitter and fancy packaging.
And it is likely to be third-rate chocolate anyway. That is what makes me mad — if you are marketing a chick thing then at least make it Not Junk.
How about that “Secret” anti-perspirant–made for a man, but gentle enough for a woman…or is it made for a woman, but strong enough for a man?
I dunno–on sale? Bought it–here boys.
You’ve come a long way, baby.
I’m wondering if the women who are commenting negatively about pink marketing, ever had a half-priced drink at a Ladies Night?
: nemski ducking :
nemski,
I don’t go to “Ladies Nights” because it’s generally a ploy to lure men in, hoping there’s a bunch of women there.
Yes Joanne,
Anti-perspirant is anti-perspirant. They have the same ingredients, only different fragrances.
Geezer,
It depends on the mica. It can be quite expensive. I assume food-grade mica might be on the pricey side, but I don’t know.
I don’t mind being targeted by manufacturers as long as they don’t insult my intelligence. The Fling candy bar is one such example. I guess the message is guilty (fling) pleasure (chocolate), but the real stupidity is the diet (85 calories per finger) angle – which is supposed to remove the guilt… and probably removes the pleasure (taste).
All that’s left is a pink wrapper.
So, pandora, if the Fling candy bar is targeted to dumb women, you’d be fine with it? 😉
Food-grade mica? LOL! “I developed a non-nutritive cereal varnish…”
Now’s the time to duck nemski–Ladies Night is economical!!!
Sorry, nemski, I thought I was clear… Fling is targeted to women who believe there’s such a thing as a diet candy bar. Add whatever adjective you wish. 😉
Pandora and UI–Does this mean we can no longer be a “Breck” girl if we want?
Just don’t be this woman, Joanne! 😉
I hear Johnson & Johnson is coming out with designer mouse mattresses. No that’s offensive.
Yup Pandora, Suzee Chapstick leveled the marketing field after those days, and we could eat Manwich, and Hungry Man TV dinners. Ain’t things been great?!!
Darn it, pandora, now you’ve got that song in my head!
“I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan…”
Sorry, guys! But whenever I think of bad advertising toward women, Mrs. Enjoli pops into my head.
Whenever that commercial came on, my Mom use to say, “What in the hell does Mr. Enjoli do?”
Food-grade mica? LOL! “I developed a non-nutritive cereal varnish…”
You mean high fructose corn syrup?
I liked this post, the first time I heard it on NPR. Can you at least give some credit? This is pretty much verbatim from an interview I heard on WHYY this week.
Don’t know how you get “verbatim” out of this.
I didn’t hear it on NPR.