Shrinking It and Pinking It

Today’s visit to CVS revealed men’s disposable razors selling for 80 cents each, while women’s razors sold for $1.15 apiece.

Gillette made both products, with little significant difference between them beyond the color and price.

THAT’S JUST WRONG!

This common sales strategy is called “Shrink it and pink it.” Take an everyday product, make it smaller, color it Barbie-pink, and convince women it’s made just for them.

And because it’s “special”, this item costs more.

Without breaking a sweat you’ll find drills, hammers, fire extinguishers, and deodorant in this category. Also bicycles, toolboxes, earbuds, game consoles, keypads, and cloth tape.

And did I mention the Hello Kitty handgun with pink bullets?

Targeting 51% of the population with something specifically for them seems like a sound marketing strategy, and I’ll concede the argument IF you’re manufacturing something that’s truly JUST for women.

But if your item is equally valuable regardless of gender, then a “Shrink it and pink it” strategy will just annoy prospective customers. Especially given the #MeToo movement.

Others have been irritated by this scheme. When Bic introduced pink and purple pens "for her", Ellen DeGeneres snarked; “Can you believe this? We’ve been using man pens all these years!”

Let’s be honest. If an item is the same when blue or pink, the cost should be the same for each customer.

Advertising trailblazer David Ogilvy once observed "The customer is not a moron. She's your wife." It’s something to consider anytime you think making something smaller and pinker will be enough to lure that sale.

Furthermore, women are oftentimes a family’s primary decision-maker when it comes to most everyday shopping, and can be the deal-breaker for major purchases.

So can you really afford to upset them?

Better to follow the NFL’s lead, switching from pink sparkly football jerseys to jerseys with proper team colors that are merely in women’s sizes. Given that women are 44% of the NFL fan base, that’s a smart move.

And to appeal to customers interested in more feminine products, the NFL also expanded its clothing line to include denim skirts, hair clips, jewelry, nail polishes in team colors, and fancy high-end handbags.

Since this shift in strategy, there’s been a huge increase in female shoppers for NFL products. Because, like men, women want shopping choices and options.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

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#askmrmarketing.