Using Gender Stereotypes to Market Razors

Since the emergence of advertising in American culture one thing that has remained constant is the visible truth that men and women are portrayed differently. In consideration to the evolution of man kind gender roles have evolved immensely throughout time, although advertisements have not kept up with this process of evolution. Companies to this day use their tactics and skills to reach out to specific genders such as pretty fonts with a stylish message, while advertisements towards men portray the character as strong and intimidating. The typical viewer can easily spot the difference in the portrayal of genders. Men are portrayed this way because the viewers look up to these characters, they want to be

* Advertising expenditures increased significantly for newer and smaller players to grab the market share whereas established players did not increase it significantly.

Examining the consumer behavior for nondisposable razors, we can observe that consumers are focusing on the premium segment. Also, they are becoming more sophisticated and expecting new technologies to smooth the shaving process. Focusing on that, Paramount should invest in the premium products category. Even though that would create cannibalism for the “pro-products” which is already loosing market.

Steve Craig, in his article Men’s Men and Women’s Women especially define how different sexes in advertisement can influence a particular audience towards a product; one stereotypical method he describes is “Men’s Women” (Craig).One such ad using sex appeal, and a basic structure of “Men’s Women” to bring in customer was made by BMW in 2008 to sell their used cars. BMW, which is a world-renowned company known for its performance heavy automobiles, targets a male audience by comparing a gorgeous woman to their cars.This ad by BMW, who no doubt make amazing cars, degrade women through its message, and it enforces Steve Craig’s “Men’s women” tactic, but this ad also goes a step further and displays the ever-present patriarchy in advertisement overtly.

I believe that gender codes in advertising do have an effect on how we interact with people as we picture how people are ‘supposed to look’ from advertising and compare them to the people we see in our day to day lives. When we see people who are acting different than the media dictates they should act then we silently judge them and maybe whisper about how they should be acting according to what we see on the media. It is especially explicit when we look at female athletes as they are powerful and strong in their sport but the media has them pose in accordance of the gender codes for women, so that people can see that they are truly feminine and not too masculine, since they play sports. As well for some sports how we dress to play the sports also follows gender codes where we should be wearing skimpy clothes that are revealing, this is explicit in volleyball where girls wear spandex that barely covers and a tight shirt to go along with it, and it is seen as weird if girls wear anything other than that to play. As well gender codes dictate what professions certain genders should have so when I see certain people in professions the opposite gender typically is in it could appear as weird to people since they only see males being plumbers, electricians, or mechanics, and females as nurses, maids, and stay at home moms.

Synopsis: Gillette has long been known for innovation in both product development and marketing strategy. In the highly competitive, but mature, razor and blade market, Gillette holds a commanding worldwide market share. The peak of its innovation occurred in 2006 with the introduction of the Fusion 5-bladed razor. Today, innovation in razors and blades is thwarted by a lack of new technology and increasing consumer reluctance to pay for the “latest and greatest” in shaving technology. Gillette must decide how to put the razor wars behind them and maintain or increase its share of the global razor market.

* Customers: Male consumer products have been trending upward in the last decade. The customer segments are broken up into three areas; social/emotional, involved razor users, and uninvolved or maintenance users. Social/emotional are responsible for 39% of Nondisposable razors, Involved is for 28%, and maintenance users account for 33%. In 2009 consumers razors and replacement cartridges at a higher rate than ever before.

Paramount Health and Beauty Company is in the process of launching a new technologically advanced nondisposable razor “Clean Edge”. With its improved design, Clean Edge provides superior performance by utilizing a vibrating technology to stimulate hair follicles and lift the hair from the skin, allowing for a more thorough shave. The company has decided to introduce it in the men’s market where it has a strong presence. The company is now focussing on positioning and naming of this new product. It also needs to decide on the promotional activities to be performed adhering to the budget constraints and also must decide on the distribution channels through which it can reach to the masses.

Harley Davidson recognizes that the needs of a male motorcyclist are quite different than the needs of a female motorcyclist. Women prefer motorcycles which look like the traditional motorcycle, but fit and feel better. Although Harley Davidson sells the same basic model motorcycle to men and women (with some slight variations in seat and comfort amenities) for generally the same reasons, how they position the product to the two separate markets is quite different. Behavioral patterns as it relates to purchasing, as well as some variations in physical needs and wants, warrant a separate approach for product positioning.

The Indonesian economy has constantly grown within the last 20 years. However, the shaving market is still underdeveloped compared with Western markets. Hence, Gillette should provide more information to spread widely concept of shaving. Moreover, it should introduce new products to facilitate the introduction of shaving products to non-shavers and increase the frequency of shaving in current shavers.

This essay will analyze the brand Dove from its evolution in 1957 to present day. To introduce Dove, it is apart of Unilever group of brands, they first started with their “Dove Beauty Bar” and have now expanded to a range of products including, facial cleansers, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner as well as body washes. Dove’s biggest competitors are, Nivea, Neutrogena, Olay, Garnier. Dove sells products for both men and women however it can be said that their advertising strategy is devoted mostly to women of all ages and ethnicities. The overall brand idea, is to make women feel good in their own bodies this is evident through the brand values which consist of self love, empowerment and beauty. Dove has created a positive brand image for itself through its products being, cleansing, feminine and welcoming, which are all characteristics which many woman look for in a product. It can be said that Dove is unique as it’s advertising strategy has positively developed since it was established in 1957. They seek set themselves apart from all competition through the use of campaigns which create a brand awareness. This essay will explore how advertising and brand communication have positively developed since the creation of Dove through the analysis of their “Real Beauty” campaign in chronological order from oldest to most recent. It will also explore how in their advertisements Dove challenges societal stereotypes in order to attract consumers to their product.

Gender Marketing is not about male versus female. It is about understanding your customer and his profile thoroughly. Marketers generally adopt the approach of neutral marketing to play safe; by and large both men and women feel that they have not been targeted by the marketers properly. The marketers should continuously strive for competitiveness and take benefits from the ever changing environment which can be facilitated by the realization of the concept of gender marketing. In this article I will discuss about the changing role of women today and how it has an impact in marketing of products like online selling, car purchase, garment purchase and food & drinks.

In gender advertisement, images are used to portray stereotypical gender roles. In this advert I would briefly describe its and then I would do the analysis. The advertisement is for Huggies diapers a company that sell baby supplies. The purpose of the advert is to establish the role of a particular gender against the other. The advert shows a father and his child. The attention of the advert is to challenge the gender stereotypes because it shows a man who is taking care of the child. The context of the advert is to show that the father is responsible for taking care of the child which is strange because mother is usually take care of children. Most of the ads associated with childcare prefers women so it is not common to see a man taking care of a child. The whole point of the is that the company us trying to say that father is also responsible for taking care for the child not only mother.

Gillette is one of the well-known razor brand targeted at men. The razor has received popularity and accepted by men who entrust their faces and skin to Gillette. The technological innovation and commitment for quality and continues improvement geared towards the unique needs of men, which helps them to feel and look their best after each use.

Gillette is successful because the focus on the one thing they know and that is men. They understand what men need for their grooming needs, and their products are sold all over the world (P Kotler, 2017). Gillette’s popularity has worked because of several factors, including high-quality innovation, consumer research, and mass communications. With their research, and the fact they have kept improving their product, Gillette has made many breakthrough product innovations, which should allow their success to keep increasing. In 1971, there was the Trac II, the first twin-blade shaving system, then the Atra in 1977 there was a razor with a pivoting head, and then in 1989 they developed the Sensor the first razor with spring-mounted twin blades dubbed (P Kotler, 2017). In 1998, Gillette introduced the Mach3 it was the first triple-blade system, surpassed only by the 2006 launch of the six-blade Fusion, promoted as “the best shave on the planet.” (P Kotler, 2017) It is possible that Gillette can become as successful with Women as Men due to the fact Procter & Gamble acquired Gillette in 2005 and Procter & Gamble are experts at marketing to women, due to the fact most of their lines such as dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, and hygiene products are aim for their woman clients.