17 Oct 2007...20:31

Sexist Products

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Here’s a trend: Niche marketing. I’ve spoken about it before; about how marketers are more and more targeting women who make up more than 80% of consumer purchasers in the US.

pinknuvi.jpgNow BuzzFeed has captured this as “sexist products”. Home Depot is piloting a new store called “Her Depot,” a store for women with “cleaner” aesthetics. Now women can buy tools comfortably! Feministing.com calls is the “most condescending sister store of all time.” Garmin is releasing the Pink Nüvi GPS for the ladies.

These products are nothing new. It’s smart marketing indeed. Products are targeted to all sorts of people: children, men, women, elderly, boomers… It’s not sexist.

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Filed under Money, Other, Trends

1 Comment

  • Kate
    17 Oct 2007 at 23:38

    After all that time you spent attempting to convince me that it makes perfect sense that women only make 75% of what men make in the same positions, I’m not surprised in the least that this is your opinion. (Because, oh yes, women don’t make as much money because they take two-month maternity leave and spend the rest of their lives making up the time — oh, and also because they like to have unchallenging jobs. I mean, how many men are librarians, right? How could I forget what you told me?)

    I know for a fact that if a certain product were marketed toward men by covering it with pictures of naked women, you would be incredibly offended. You know you would be.

    I think that more men would buy a product covered with pictures of naked women than women would buy a product that was pink and purple and pretty. And I am saying this as a girl who loves pink and purple. It’s the principle. We’re not scared of products that are big, angry, gray or dark!

    You, Andy, would not want products to be sexed up in order for you to like them — and I would never, ever buy a product or shop at a store that is dumbed down to be more female-friendly.

    As for “Her Depot,” I think that this is unnecessary because numerous studies have proven that within nuclear, heterosexual couple-headed families, it’s almost always the woman who does the primary shopping at Home Depot. If you watch the commercials, you’ll noticed that they are all geared toward women.

    I guarantee you that each and every one of these products will BOMB.

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