It’s official now, the new niche to carve targeting the masculine gender lines, products is… to sexually charge the product! No more effervescent brainstorming on a future catch-eye design, no more competing emulation around a memorable tag line, after Ford, unknown Cachaca, Gillette as other non creative brands decided to take the easy road to recognition or maybe the safer way against an increasing competition during a declining economical conjuncture.
Whatever their reason it’s inadmissible! I can only be an offended woman!
Now no more appealing to our imagination, no more challenging our intellect, the new marketing tool to flatter the sales department is as the oldest job of the world, sex. Is it news? Sex and food may say marketers, and they won’t be wrong, will always sell, isn’t it the issue?
Moreover, isn’t it a subtle marketing maneuver to gain a maximum viewers browsing on their “swimsuit” interactive video? In a networking booming communication context, isn’t it the ideal, the more adequate weapon to launch their campaign with?
With a soft voice, the associate director of Starcom Mediawest, Jason Temming argues that “the challenge was how to make the mashup compelling” and Stacey Vollman, general manager at SI.com to tone down the controversy by ingeniously stating “SI.com also monitored language profanity wouldn’t get uploaded along the video…”. By giving them the power to rate the video, they “innocently” invite the manipulated (the viewer) to complete the reading of Gillette’s message that is… What is it by the way?
In my confusion, my head still on my shoulders (unfortunately for the originators of the campaign), my question is : where is the challenge in addressing to a young male population by erecting its phallic fantasies, by rising their juvenile over reactive hormones?
The only rational and plausible solution to my dilemna is expressed through generous figures, 100,000 viewer-ratings, 5,900 videos born from the “swimsuit” video, a 60% higher rate on Facebook, an average 19 minutes spent front of the video….. Isnt’it what’s it’s all about? What companies generate in matter of traffic on the net? Quality or not? To be present and visible at whatever cost? Opportunistic sell outs!
Since Gillette aimed the 47 million men interested in the issue by manipulating their libidos, I advise the corporation to forget the opposite side of the spectrum the female population! No more pink Gillette in our cabinets! That’s the beginning of a new era of manipulation-emancipation!
