Sex, sweat, and beer

That seems to be the stuff that sells, well, stuff. Or, at least those seem to be the most successful and I must admit, entertaining, ads out there. However, these products seem to be targeted primarily towards men. So, what is the easiest and most effective way to target women? Shrink it and pink it, of course! Right?

For years, “shrink it and pink it” has been the go-to strategy for many companies when it comes to making typically masculine products such as cars, sports, and beer, more female-friendly. Just make it cute and small, and a pretty color. No, this is not some crazy feminist rant. This is a real problem many companies are facing that comes with the difficulty of letting go of this mentality.

(http://globalstrategygroup.com/2013/11/end-pink-shrink-gauging-success-nfls-new-ads-women/)

Then there is another issue that recently came up regarding selling to women…not even using women in ads to advertise products that are unisex.

A couple of days ago I read an article about a 12-year-old girl putting retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods in its place after writing a letter pointing out that the basketball catalog she received (she plays basketball) did not use any female models. The only female models were cheerleaders and a woman sitting in the stands…watching. Needless to say, the young girl was disappointed and even stated in her letter that perhaps her dad will take her to a different store next time she needs something.

Here is her letter:

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2014/10/14/a-12-year-old-basketball-player-complained-about-there-being-no-girls-in-her-sports-catalog-the-problem-was-even-worse/)

Dicks’s response: “we clearly messed up”. Is it possible this negative publicity could have been avoided by Dick’s? Most definitely. I personally think that all it takes is a little bit of research and a lot of listening.

According to The Washington Post article, a Nielsen study revealed that women make most household purchasing decisions. In fact, an Economist article says women tend to be more brand loyal. Furthermore, She-conomy.com says 91% of women feel misunderstood by advertisers (it’s the “shrink it and pink it” strategy again). So with that being said, why are companies not putting in the extra effort to figure out how to communicate with female consumers, a powerful and growing market?

I love football, I sweat at the gym, and I don’t know about you but I like my beer big and not pink.

Links to articles:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2014/10/14/a-12-year-old-basketball-player-complained-about-there-being-no-girls-in-her-sports-catalog-the-problem-was-even-worse/

http://www.economist.com/node/13278440

http://she-conomy.com/report/marketing-to-women-quick-facts

http://globalstrategygroup.com/2013/11/end-pink-shrink-gauging-success-nfls-new-ads-women/