Don’t Think Blue: Gender Assumptions Work Both Ways
Because I have so often written about/presented on the ideas in my book Don’t Think Pink, I’ve found that the easiest way to illustrate the book’s key concept, transparent marketing, for (often and mainly) male audiences tends to be this: I cite “vice versa” examples, as in how a brand might “think blue” in trying to reach men. That way male marketers, in particular, can better see themselves in the shoes of their female customers.
Well… just such an example recently hit my in-box by way of an emailed press release proudly announcing DealsForGuys, a new web site designed to help men find deals on all sorts of products.
So as not to make the assumptions I might otherwise about why this wouldn’t work for most men, I emailed and Twittered a few members of my men’s advisory panel. One who responded immediately was Kevin Burke, of Lucid Marketing fame, who put it very simply:
name got my interest.
immediate negative reaction to the web site.
site in need of a professional designer.
scoreboard-nav methphor is lame.
instructions on how to use the site shouldn’t be necessary on the home page.
offers no relevance to my life.
couldn’t wait to leave.
A few of the other comments I received from my network:
ick with the sports stuff
why do I need deals b/c I’m a guy?
design complaints, usability complaints
look under grooming – first item is a women’s razor
General ways in which this site “thinks blue:”
- Assumptions (with a capital A) about what will draw the attention of “guys” (primary blue, sports, unsophisticated design).
- Not adding any value or doing what it’s name proclaims (special deals only they could bring you), but instead merely listing what any other site could also list.
- Not making it clear at all why this is really “for guys” alone. There is nothing particularly gender-specific or relevant about its content or presentation.
- Assumptions about whether men felt a real need for such a site at all. There may be a lot of men who are perfectly happy finding their own deals (in fact, that’s the fun of the hunt!)
***
While this is not a huge brand example, the lessons from this attempt to reach men are still worth learning. If just the tone of the comments (not even the specific points) I got back in my quick survey are any indication, there is significant irritation that a brand would presume to know so much about men and how they buy.
And, guess what? This is JUST the way women feel when you make assumptions about them with your marketing efforts or web sites. They may not necessarily be steaming mad, but women will be annoyed at your waste of their time, and so will be much less inclined to buy from you or tell any of their friends.
Why waste the effort? Talk to the men or women you are trying to reach instead, get past the gender assumptions – and you won’t end up sending out press releases about sites that can be so easily picked apart.
So, … don’t let blue thinking or its twin sister, pink thinking, happen to you! Keep these poor “guys” in mind.
