Quick, what do the Verizon Droid commercials have in common?
They’re dark, dirty, industrial. They look like a set from the latest action movie or first person shooter. Robots are common. And for the most part, they are completely unappealing to women. Ignoring half of the population segment makes sense when you’re trying to sell boxer shorts or neckties, but when it’s a mobile device, that’s just stupid.
There’s a Droid billboard near my house that says, “A Bare-knuckled Bucket of Does.” every time I drive by it, I think of female deer. And that alone turns me off to the phone.
It’s hard to believe this is intentional, but taking a look at their website makes it clear they see a division of the sexes. The Droid banner is dark, the text is bold. The red eye stares at you. Then in the next moment you’re seeing the banner for the Palm line; it’s light and airy, carefree swirls of violet surround the phones. The tag line “The 3G smartphones smart enough for mom.” Clicking on the banner pushes the message even further, “They’re nothing like your kids.” Their message is clear: ” Palms are for moms and girls, leave Android for the men. Oh Verizon, how wrong and misguided you are. To be fair, Verizon is not the only company that tries to push women to non-Android phones. Sprint is another offender; their Sprint Now Network commercials have men handling the Android devices, relegating the Blackberry and Palm to the women-folk. Their “Exclusive Sprint Apps” consist of NASCAR and NFL. Oh my, all this talk of Android is hurting my head, I should head to the mall for some shoe shopping.
My sis just got the Droid. The first thing she said was “Ooh pretty!” This is seriously one of those times that the marketing campaign is out of touch with the product and who it should be marketed toward. The phone is like a mini-computer. They’re really missing a lot of potential customers by focusing on dudes.
Pay attention marketing people: you don’t have to slather something in pink just to get women to buy it, and doing so may actually backfire on you. Accessories are great, but they aren’t the most important feature. It’s really not hard to get us to throw our money your way, you just need to dial down the testosterone and promote…you know, what the Droid DOES.
Still confused about that? Make Android friendlier. Ditch the eye of Sauron and push the Android mascot. Do a series of ads similar to Nexus Day 1 featuring a women and her friendly animated android, and how he helps her out during the course of her day. Promote the features iPhone doesn’t have, like widgets and customization, the Android Market where over 50% of apps are free, or the open access mentality.
But don’t take my word for it, I’m just a girl. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go show my husband how to upload photos from his Android.
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the last sentence was pretty bad-ass. also nice point i see where the poster is coming from
the last sentence was pretty bad-ass. also nice point i see where the poster is coming from
Wow! As a woman who uses Android(G1…hey, don’t judge I’m waiting for the new HTC line to come to TMobile) I totally agree with this article! I , persoanlly, don’t need the little floating doilies and flowers and swirlies to be interested in a phone. I go by specs in comparrison to other phone that had been released only months before. I’m 1 of maybe 3 gals on my Twitter list that are active in the whole Android Twitter community and its a little dissapointing! I’m not sexist but these ladies really need to start thinking with their heads instead of their asses (no that Palm Pre doesn’t make you look fat) and start to realizing the potential Android can bring to them. Customization in all the aspects a woman could ever want…if only they just did their homework! I agree with the little Android Character bringing in sales if they use him as a lure. He is really cute and probably really cuddly!
Wow! As a woman who uses Android(G1…hey, don’t judge I’m waiting for the new HTC line to come to TMobile) I totally agree with this article! I , persoanlly, don’t need the little floating doilies and flowers and swirlies to be interested in a phone. I go by specs in comparrison to other phone that had been released only months before. I’m 1 of maybe 3 gals on my Twitter list that are active in the whole Android Twitter community and its a little dissapointing! I’m not sexist but these ladies really need to start thinking with their heads instead of their asses (no that Palm Pre doesn’t make you look fat) and start to realizing the potential Android can bring to them. Customization in all the aspects a woman could ever want…if only they just did their homework! I agree with the little Android Character bringing in sales if they use him as a lure. He is really cute and probably really cuddly!
Awesome article. Love the last 2 lines, it it cracked me up! LOL
Awesome article. Love the last 2 lines, it it cracked me up! LOL
I am always on the look out for Android phones when I am out and about, When I see a girl with an Android phone 9 out of 10 times it is a MT3G. But to be fair I have yet to actually see someone carrying a Droid, only seen one Nexus as well.
I am always on the look out for Android phones when I am out and about, When I see a girl with an Android phone 9 out of 10 times it is a MT3G. But to be fair I have yet to actually see someone carrying a Droid, only seen one Nexus as well.
I wonder how many couples got the “Droid for him” and the “Eris for her”? Are they still offering that deal?
I wonder how many couples got the “Droid for him” and the “Eris for her”? Are they still offering that deal?
couldnt help but noticing this line “It’s really not hard to get us to throw our money your way,… ”
i agree only reason iphone sells so much is its marketing.
couldnt help but noticing this line “It’s really not hard to get us to throw our money your way,… ”
i agree only reason iphone sells so much is its marketing.
Ah, finally, word from the female perspective. I remember in XDA on the Dream Themes section a while back ago there were some themes that claimed to be for females. All it was was a regular hero theme, or some other with the color palette turned to Pink.
Seriously, most guys seem to be in that limited mindset that “If it’s a pastel/pink color, rounded, has hello kitty, etc, it must be for a girl” and don’t really consider that most girls can tell a bad pink as well as we can.
I’m a guy, but I grew up with three sisters, a mother, and had mostly female friends, and no, I’m not gay, I’m married, have children, and play football (real football, not American football, offensive midfielder).
I lived in a house that was far from what people would consider girly, and although there are a share of women that do have such a preference, but that’s quickly becoming a minority.
Another example of guys (and in this case advertisers) not listening to what women really want.
Ah, finally, word from the female perspective. I remember in XDA on the Dream Themes section a while back ago there were some themes that claimed to be for females. All it was was a regular hero theme, or some other with the color palette turned to Pink.
Seriously, most guys seem to be in that limited mindset that “If it’s a pastel/pink color, rounded, has hello kitty, etc, it must be for a girl” and don’t really consider that most girls can tell a bad pink as well as we can.
I’m a guy, but I grew up with three sisters, a mother, and had mostly female friends, and no, I’m not gay, I’m married, have children, and play football (real football, not American football, offensive midfielder).
I lived in a house that was far from what people would consider girly, and although there are a share of women that do have such a preference, but that’s quickly becoming a minority.
Another example of guys (and in this case advertisers) not listening to what women really want.
When I had my T-Mobile WING (Yes I had one) and I spent my life on XDA looking for new updates to Windows Mobile cos it sucked so bad. There where so many female oriented themes that had posted by husbands who’s wives had asked for something.
Where are all the same themes for the Android!
But that is just software. The hardware itself I think has been very male focused. The Google Nexus One is the closest to a sleek looking phone that women could like.
On a side note:
I’m very pleased that Jolie has joined the AndroidSPIN team and posted such an AWESOME first article.
Great job Jolie!
When I had my T-Mobile WING (Yes I had one) and I spent my life on XDA looking for new updates to Windows Mobile cos it sucked so bad. There where so many female oriented themes that had posted by husbands who’s wives had asked for something.
Where are all the same themes for the Android!
But that is just software. The hardware itself I think has been very male focused. The Google Nexus One is the closest to a sleek looking phone that women could like.
On a side note:
I’m very pleased that Jolie has joined the AndroidSPIN team and posted such an AWESOME first article.
Great job Jolie!
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