With new products such as the pink, skin protecting Honda Fit “She’s” model, and the new Bic “For Her” pen highlighted in Susan Krashinsky’s article Surge in gender-targeted products creates marketing headaches for companies, we can see how these companies view women, and separate men’s and women’s products. The article highlights the various products companies are aiming at women, and their ineffective ways of advertising them. When trying to direct products towards the women consumer category, companies seem to focus on making things pink, and pretty, assuming that that is what attracts women.
In our social culture today, these tactics are not only ineffective, but also off-putting. Though this form of advertising could attract some people, in our society today, at least where these products are marketed, are filled with successful women who desire more than pink accessories.
Women are a very large consumer group, which is important to target. With the higher status of women in our society today, and the thinning divides of gender roles, companies should shift their marketing strategies to play on the success and value of women rather than assuming they have a desire to look pretty with a pink pen. Seeing these companies’ views of women through their forms of advertisement is off-putting and would not attract me to buying their products.