Gender Marketing

In Pat Kirkham and Alex Wellers article, Cosmetics - A Clinque Case Study they touch on the advertisement tactics of gender marketing. In this article Kirkham and Wellers discuss the ways in which companies, and in this case, CLINQUE, use gender marketing to target their intended audience. They use tactics such as color choice – products directed towards woman generally use softer colors and overall are more aesthetically pleasing. Kirkman and Wellers write, “The products look as beautiful and feminine as the beauty and femininity they promise the beholder/purchaser” (269). In this quote they are saying that by using the beautiful and feminine looking products will bring those traits just by using the products. As woman want to buy products that are “pretty” and “soft” men pretty much want the exact opposite. Maybe because of the stereotype that says that men shouldn’t be buying cosmetic products, they are more prone to buying products that are “manly” and ones, which don’t sound too much like their using “make up” or cosmetics.

It is interesting in this CLINQUE advertisement the portrayal of the “everyday” person wearing CLINQUE perfume/cologne, male and females. Not only does this advertisement portray that the everyday person wears this product but also that you will be “happy” if you wear it, considering the name of the product is Happy. Both females and males are in the ad portraying that the product is directed toward both audiences, being happy perfume and happy cologne.

In conclusion it is very interesting reading about the tactics companies, and especially toiletries companies use to target males and females. Kirkman and Wellers make a valid point/observation, “The woman reader can equate the beauty, sexuality, or pleasure she will achieve with the aesthetics and attributes of the product; with the sexuality of the (beautifully photographed) full, red lipstick and with the softness of the baby-pink blusher (271). It is amazing how woman think that buying beautiful products will make them beautiful. While woman buy products to make them “beautiful” men buy products to make them “manly” which is why companies use masculine colors for their products.