Ladies, are you tired of struggling to write with pens that are simply too large for your small and delicate hands? Have you found yourself upset at the lack of pink and glitter in stationary? You’re in luck! Bic is here to fill this gap with its line of Bic Cristal For Her Ballpoint Pens!
Designed just for her, the pen “features a thin barrel designed to fit a women’s hand” and “has a diamond engraved barrel for an elegant and unique feminine style.”
Many reviews on Amazon.com hint that Bic was a little clueless on this one. Here are two of the most popular reviews:
So why would Bic make a gender-defined pen that would obviously be the subject to satire? According to a reply on a blog about Bic’s gendered marketing, Bic found out that a sizeable number of their consumers were women. Bic also hired consultants who determined that one of the most important things to pen users is smooth writing. These factors, along with a lack of courage to challenge questionable decisions, gave rise to the development of these ill-fated pens.
Perhaps Bic thought they could successfully introduce a product that would attract attention. After all, female-target pens? However, the product is mostly likely still in the “introduction” stage of the PLC. These pens are priced significantly higher than regular ballpoint pens. Also, a person who uses these pens would portray an image of conforming to (or ridiculing) gender norms. These points make it likely for demand to be low.
Regardless, I doubt that Bic’s “For Her” pens will heavily affect the companies bottom line. Most people buy pens on impulse, with few conducting some online research. However, it is unfortunate that these pens, along with many other products, are labelled “For Her.” For every girl who is drawn to these unique-looking pens, a boy will be repelled. Is including this statement the best business decision?
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