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Gendered marketing of gadgets
Apr. 30th, 2009 03:45 pmJosh Frühlinger writes the very funny and clever The Comics Curmudgeon blog, which often pokes fun at gender-stereotyping and male-chauvinism. I think he's actually more feminist than I am, considering his loathing of and contempt for the comic strip Cathy, with its premise of Men are from Mars, Women are Hysterical and Irrational which, I admit, often gets a chuckle out of me.
He's written a very interesting article about gendered marketing of gadgets, especially netbooks, and how it works to a certain extent, but can also offend and put off potential customers.
When I needed a portable computer, I chose to buy a netbook rather than a laptop. I was aware that netbooks are girly, but I think they're girly in the functionality-over-small-penis-compensator way, not in the form-over-function way marketing people seem to assume. My netbook is ultra portable, cheap, uses little electricity, and has a normal sized keyboard. It does not have extra unneeded RAM or a powerful graphics card, or whatever else men get shamed into paying for though they don't need it.
When it comes to form over function, I think both men and women appreciate beautiful design. A cell-phone which you always have lying on the table next to you, or keep in an outside pocket is just as likely to be blinged out as a wrist watch is. I used to work in a store where we sold lots of tacky plastic stick-on jewels and rhine-stone danglies for phones, and both boys and girls wanted to customize theirs, but there was hardly any "decorations" aimed at boys. Adult men of course, just buy a new phone in the latest chrome detailing look, but the school boys can't afford that. (What do they do, anyway, just stick to having the latest sock and ring tone for it, or do they paint them with speed markers?)
One of my female co-workers bought a phone in pink chrome that almost looked like a make-up compact to go with her pink purse, but regretted it when it was impractical to use. One of my male co-workers bought a pretty white laptop with softly curving edges, even though he was studying computer science and it didn't actually have the technical specs he needed in order to do his homework on it, but he just couldn't stand the idea of having some ugly, clunky, black computer. Most people, both men and women, of my acquaintance put function over form, but do value form. Men are often willing to pay extra for function they don't need, and both men and women are willing to pay extra for form.
I didn't pay extra for my netbook's color, but I did settle for a demo model in black, rather than buy the hot pink they had in stock, because I don't want a fugly computer when I have a choice.
This has been another gender-stereotyping post from yours truly. Please feel free to correct me, I'd love to know that I am wrong about how men think.
He's written a very interesting article about gendered marketing of gadgets, especially netbooks, and how it works to a certain extent, but can also offend and put off potential customers.
When I needed a portable computer, I chose to buy a netbook rather than a laptop. I was aware that netbooks are girly, but I think they're girly in the functionality-over-small-penis-compensator way, not in the form-over-function way marketing people seem to assume. My netbook is ultra portable, cheap, uses little electricity, and has a normal sized keyboard. It does not have extra unneeded RAM or a powerful graphics card, or whatever else men get shamed into paying for though they don't need it.
When it comes to form over function, I think both men and women appreciate beautiful design. A cell-phone which you always have lying on the table next to you, or keep in an outside pocket is just as likely to be blinged out as a wrist watch is. I used to work in a store where we sold lots of tacky plastic stick-on jewels and rhine-stone danglies for phones, and both boys and girls wanted to customize theirs, but there was hardly any "decorations" aimed at boys. Adult men of course, just buy a new phone in the latest chrome detailing look, but the school boys can't afford that. (What do they do, anyway, just stick to having the latest sock and ring tone for it, or do they paint them with speed markers?)
One of my female co-workers bought a phone in pink chrome that almost looked like a make-up compact to go with her pink purse, but regretted it when it was impractical to use. One of my male co-workers bought a pretty white laptop with softly curving edges, even though he was studying computer science and it didn't actually have the technical specs he needed in order to do his homework on it, but he just couldn't stand the idea of having some ugly, clunky, black computer. Most people, both men and women, of my acquaintance put function over form, but do value form. Men are often willing to pay extra for function they don't need, and both men and women are willing to pay extra for form.
I didn't pay extra for my netbook's color, but I did settle for a demo model in black, rather than buy the hot pink they had in stock, because I don't want a fugly computer when I have a choice.
This has been another gender-stereotyping post from yours truly. Please feel free to correct me, I'd love to know that I am wrong about how men think.