In a recent comment, Billy Carmichael said,
And you could be forgiven for thinking that a lot of stuff marketed to women is really for men given how much they use women's bodies to sell this stuff. That said, they use women's bodies in a very different way than, just to pick a random example, Coors does.
Feminists used to argue that photos that show only parts of women thereby objectify women. Perhaps, but they also make it that much easier for a woman to project herself onto the image presented. Maybe her legs aren't quite that but they're good legs or they could be. She wouldn't project herself into the Coors image nor would she want to. The Strut image says cofidence to me.
Now you may think that is not the way women should see themselves but I bet you the people behind Strut and similar products have lots of research establishing that "fun, youthful, and fashionable females like very much to see themselves that way.
And the Strut woman is politically committed too:
That's not who you aspire to be, it's the woman you already believe you are and now you can buy proof by the bottle.
Strut wines have an "edgy" video too.
There are men in those ads but the main focus is clearly women. The men, tellingly, are all urban guys without much sex appeal.
Strut is one of several brands pushing this strategy. There is also Girlie Girl Wine:
And Girls' Night Out
The whole business of selling booze to women is fascinating. The ads are always lifestyle ads. Wine is sold to women in the same ways that beer is sold to men. The quality of the product is not a feature.
And, before we get too upset, remember that the ads probably work.
The magazine ads are the ones that fascinate me most. The ads aimed at women always seem to show three women together having fun. This is an ad for pre-mixed cocktails.
You don't find these ads in house magazines nor do you find them in Martha Stewart. These campaigns are aimed at single women and, oddly enough, they are mostly aimed at unmarried women who get together with other women.
The key thing to remember is that lifestyle ads usually don't sell the lifestyle. They play on fear. It seems like a very risky game. The trick is to present the thing the customer's is scared of being but spin it positively.
For example, beer ads are aimed at guys who spend most a lot of time with other guys in bars and who have deep doubts about their ability to interact with women. Look at this ad and see how it confronts the fear directly.
And by doing so it reassures the guy who buys the beer. He thinks he knows he isn't that guy. He has a sense of humour! The exact same game is being played with the wine ads for women. Cause to say "fun, youthful, and fashionable female wine drinker" is really just a positive spin on "single". The women these products are targeted at want reassurance that they aren't lonely singles sitting at home drinking pre-mixed cocktails and Pinot Gris with their best girlfriends. Here they are in a still I captured from that Strut video above.
"We don't need to prove anything to anybody." Of course not, who said you did?
Have you enjoyed the STRUT line of wines at the Wine Rack? The labels each feature a pair of very nice legs, a different pair for each wine. I am partial to "Savy Blanc". I encourage you to check it out. The wine is lovely too.This is the stuff he is talking about.
I was surprised to find that in the press release that the product was "crafted with an appeal to the fun, youthful, and fashionable female wine drinker". I could have sworn it was made for me.
And you could be forgiven for thinking that a lot of stuff marketed to women is really for men given how much they use women's bodies to sell this stuff. That said, they use women's bodies in a very different way than, just to pick a random example, Coors does.
Feminists used to argue that photos that show only parts of women thereby objectify women. Perhaps, but they also make it that much easier for a woman to project herself onto the image presented. Maybe her legs aren't quite that but they're good legs or they could be. She wouldn't project herself into the Coors image nor would she want to. The Strut image says cofidence to me.
Now you may think that is not the way women should see themselves but I bet you the people behind Strut and similar products have lots of research establishing that "fun, youthful, and fashionable females like very much to see themselves that way.
And the Strut woman is politically committed too:
That's not who you aspire to be, it's the woman you already believe you are and now you can buy proof by the bottle.
Strut wines have an "edgy" video too.
There are men in those ads but the main focus is clearly women. The men, tellingly, are all urban guys without much sex appeal.
Strut is one of several brands pushing this strategy. There is also Girlie Girl Wine:
And Girls' Night Out
The whole business of selling booze to women is fascinating. The ads are always lifestyle ads. Wine is sold to women in the same ways that beer is sold to men. The quality of the product is not a feature.
And, before we get too upset, remember that the ads probably work.
The magazine ads are the ones that fascinate me most. The ads aimed at women always seem to show three women together having fun. This is an ad for pre-mixed cocktails.
You don't find these ads in house magazines nor do you find them in Martha Stewart. These campaigns are aimed at single women and, oddly enough, they are mostly aimed at unmarried women who get together with other women.
The key thing to remember is that lifestyle ads usually don't sell the lifestyle. They play on fear. It seems like a very risky game. The trick is to present the thing the customer's is scared of being but spin it positively.
For example, beer ads are aimed at guys who spend most a lot of time with other guys in bars and who have deep doubts about their ability to interact with women. Look at this ad and see how it confronts the fear directly.
And by doing so it reassures the guy who buys the beer. He thinks he knows he isn't that guy. He has a sense of humour! The exact same game is being played with the wine ads for women. Cause to say "fun, youthful, and fashionable female wine drinker" is really just a positive spin on "single". The women these products are targeted at want reassurance that they aren't lonely singles sitting at home drinking pre-mixed cocktails and Pinot Gris with their best girlfriends. Here they are in a still I captured from that Strut video above.
"We don't need to prove anything to anybody." Of course not, who said you did?
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