do men get pandered too, while women are patronized?

[Vault101]

Now then before I go Im not critizicing men or women, and I think a huge mistake people seem to make in the whole gender debate is it turns into stupid back and forth

("oh women have to deal with this..."oh but men have to deal with this..") its pointless and doesnt get us anywhere, lets say it right now, both genders have stuff to deal with

anyway that wasnt my point

http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-most-pointlessly-women-specific-products/

thats just one example of crap that I find annoying, now Im not the most feminine person around (but the pink guns..they were kind of cool) I hate pink and what it represents with a burning hatred

anyway after reading this article I also watched this thing on TV, probably the future of retail where basically the computer in the store knows your gender and stuff like that and adjusts ads specifically

which made me think, if I go into an electronics store,I could be bombarded with advertising for pink laptops and other stupid stuff, because Im female. Just an interesting thourght really, and yeah that would kind of piss me off

but anyway back to the point, when somthing is made to target men, you know its all tits fire and cars, which I bet some would probably find a little distasteful...or mabye not I have no Idea

main point so as the titles says, and as I think somone said in the comments section, would you say thease kind of things are condecending to women? do you guys feel that same somtimes?

 

[Canid117]

Pink laptops? I guess it depends on if the computer can guess your age.

 

[The_Yeti]

They'd be condescending if we didn't live in a capitalist society.

I.e. They wouldn't make, market and stock them if they didn't sell. It's not patronising to women if women as a whole buy them.

Besides, exactly the same approach is taken with 'manly' products. There are ways of appealing to a man through advertising (no, not tits) and those approaches work. List technical specs for instance; men frequently over-buy for their needs, we don't just want a drill, we want the most powerful goddamn drill in the store!

Can't buy a Flathead Screwdriver either, gotta get the one that doubles as a mini jackhammer - to teach Lego cities a lesson during breaks.

 

[Jonluw]

There are differences between the sexes. People who are trying to sell something will adjust the product to fit the target demographic. It works. *shrug*

men frequently over-buy for their needs, we don't just want a drill, we want the most powerful goddamn drill in the store!

If it isn't attached to a giant mech, I don't want it.

 

[DefunctTheory]

List technical specs for instance; men frequently over-buy for their needs, we don't just want a drill, we want the most powerful goddamn drill in the store!

This is the truth. I'm a single, male SATCOM technician that lives in a quadplex. Yet, every time I go to a hardware store, or the pawn shop (HDMI cables never got so cheap), or any othe store that sells tools, I can't help but stare longingly at the saws. Specifically, this kind of saw.

What in the hell will I ever use a concrete saw on? I'll never know. But I want one so bad!

 

[electric_warrior]

How is assuming we all like cars, fire and guns not condescending, whereas assuming all women like pink is?

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

The pink guns look like toys. But both men are woman have insane things expected of them.

 

[HalfTangible]

PEOPLE. THE OP SPECIFICALLY SAYS TO AVOID 'WELL GIRLS HAVE TO DEAL WITH' AND 'WELL GUYS HAVE TO DEAL WITH' AS IT JUST GOES BACK AND FORTH. PLEASE RESPECT THAT.

OT: I'm certain there's no female on the planet that wants to buy, say, d*** enlargement products

Toilet humor aside... Depends on how the ad specifically changes. Just because a girl doesn't want to buy a dress, for instance, doesn't mean a different girl doesn't, or even that the product will sell well to guys. There are also products specifically designed for different genders that the other sex will probably not buy.

The changed ads don't neccesarily have to be the difference between a massive chainsaw and a pink chainsaw, or Space Marines versus Sisters of Battle - but the difference could be a dress versus a suit, or a condom versus birth control pills.

I honestly think that it would be more useful, however, to find a way to track a customer's most purchased/recently purchased items and advertise based on that. For instance, I recently bought Assault on Black reach and a Blood Angels codex for Warhammer 40k. If i walked into a store and an ad asked, "Interested in warhammer 40k? Check out our gaming aisle for some our best deals on space marines, orks and all other things Games Workshop!" I'd be inclined to at least look.

 

[DefunctTheory]

What in the hell will I ever use a concrete saw on? I'll never know. But I want one so bad!

I remember when my old store was selling ride-on lawnmowers at a huge discount, I very nearly bought one just for the hell of it despite having no lawn and a perfectly functional car. Almost the same story when the chainsaws were on sale, hell if I know what I'd do with one but I wanted it so badly.

Though I did once buy a sixty quid Dremel for no reason, I didn't even know what they did but the big numbers made me do it.

I got myself a Dremel recently, for no other reason to have a Dremel.

What have I used this nice piece of hardware for?

1. Cutting pennies.
2. Cutting random locks.
3. Sharpening pencils.

 

[scorptatious]

The bit with the diet pill within the Go Girl drink made me laugh.

 

[Evil Top Hat]

There is a huge amount of sexism still in the media today, and I don't we'll get away from that for a while.

Obviously I can't remember the study and have no evidence to support my claims, so this isn't exactly reliable info, but I remember hearing once that when girls under 4 years old were asked what their favorite colour was, the majority responded yellow, very few said pink. After the age of 5-6 most of the girls said pink.

The reason it changes is because the media shows products associated with girls and make so frequently that they are subliminally told to like pink. It's actually kind of scary in a way, the amount of power advertising holds over us.

 

[scorptatious]

How is assuming we all like cars, fire and guns not condescending, whereas assuming all women like pink is?

That's just one of society's many double standards.

 

[SuperNova221]

I don't see how it's any different than shampoo that's branded "FOR MEN" in big bold letters on the front with a picture of a racing driver just so we don't feel emasculated at all while washing our hair and similar products that feel like they need to reassure us that it is in fact a manly product.

Adverts that try to appeal to men with sexual images or suggestions seems similarly patronising to me.

 

[Jason Danger Keyes]

OT: I'm certain there's no female on the planet that wants to buy, say, d*** enlargement products

She could be buying them if she finds her boyfriend lacking.

 

[SilentCom]

Those products are a little condescending to women and are made specifically to target the female market. Sort of like how video games incorporate scantily clad women to target the male market. Also condescending.