Does Sex Sell (Pistachios), Redux
Raise your hands. Who finds the image of a dominatrix sexy? Who might aspire to Levi Johnston’s sex life? And, who in the world is most likely to care about “Greg Brady’s” reality show or his much too graphic displays and intimate discussions with his “super-hot” young wife (egads – he married her?). The answer would be: men (in general).
So… why has the pistachio industry used those situations or “celebrities” for a new advertising campaign? Apparently in hopes of overcoming the bad pistachio blood from a salmonella scare, Bruce Horovitz writes in USA Today about how the industry’s marketers think this approach is a sure bet.
While I know a fair number of men likely eat pistachios by the handfuls (if my dad and brother are any indication), I’m less sure men are the core grocery store decision-maker on that purchase.. That’s what makes it all the more odd that the “sexy” campaign is so obviously more geared toward men than women. What would the industry do if this effort ends up being, in fact, so very lame that women who’d otherwise choose pistachios might head to good old peanuts from now on?
I have blogged about this over the years. The way traditional industries get this marketing to women thing wrong seems to be a fairly common occurrence, especially with their first attempts at really focusing in on that demographic. Going the sexy route, often adds a whole other dimension of stupidity. The marketing for the wine brand, “Seduction” (in 2005) – which emphasized the “O” in their vineyard name, for one (go ahead, undress the bottle!) – would make for a great Sarah Haskins satire today!
Were there women involved in the pistachio industry’s development process who cleared the approach? With transparent marketing, instead, the idea would have been to be guided and inspired by women – who, I suspect, are the biggest pistachio buyers. But, even if that sort of consumer interaction wasn’t a possibility (or within budget), I’d think that any of the women on the pistachio marketing team might have voiced a bit of concern (as in: “now, wait a minute…”). Involving a few more women in this overall effort would likely have helped the team find a “sexy” way to sell pistachios that actually spoke to women.
So, I’m not saying that sex is always the wrong approach -but that, with women, there will have to be a lot more subtlety. A dominatrix, Levi Johnston and “Greg Brady’s” adventures are just not in that category.
