Her Daily News

An industry and a past-time, long thought to be a boy’s club, has not begun to woo women. An article in the New York Times discussed how the motorcycle industry has started to embrace the female buyers market. One of the most interesting statistics is that women are the fastest growing area in the business. Companies, such as Harley Davidson, have even begun to modify their motorcycle designs to fit women’s needs. Another important aspect if their marketing campaign toward women is the accessories sold. Traditional black doesn’t cut it anymore. A wider selection of brighter and bolder colors are available. With the rising demand for bikes made for today’s ladies, it won’t be surprising if other industries stand up and take notice to how the motorcycle industry is embracing their female market.

women, motorcycles, marketing, industry, Harley Davidson

After laughing hysterically for about 10 minutes, drying my eyes and regaining my composure, I sat down to start writing about this topic. But, alas, I think the product description and accompanying photo say it all:

The tampon stun gun is the latest in portable and personal security systems. The beauty of this stun gun, aptly named The Pink Stinger, is its ingenious design and ability to be concealed nicely and unassumingly into any purse for ultimate stealth. The stun gun’s gentle glide zapplicator easily fits in the palm of your hand for incredible comfort and protection and ready for honorable discharge at a moments notice. In addition, its fresh floral scent helps eliminate the smell of fear, not just cover it up.

The Pink Stinger packs 50,000 volts of power at your finger tips. Because it is an advanced stun gun, you do have the option of stun capabilities with a simple click of a switch. In the Stun setting, you need only make contact with intended target via the 2 prods for an effective toxic shock rendering the victim disoriented, demoralized and embarrassed . When shooting in Zap mode, 2 extra absorbent cotton tampons with barbed probes and 14 ft. of wire are expelled and propelled by compressed nitrogen. Electric current then passes to the body, where the probes have attach to the clothing or bare skin, causing central nervous system disruption, possible urination and certain humiliation. Optimal target range for the taser is 7-10 feet with a maximum of 14 feet. Absorbency range of tampon is 6-9 grams. The included batteries and compressed nitrogen cartridge store neatly in the pink zapplicator casing for easy replacement.

I’m sure all of us women would feel a little safer with one of these in our purses…

Source:

Inventors Spot

women, tampons, protection, security, taser, stun gun

The industry of consumer electronics has experience a popularity explosion due to our technology driven society. Often this industry is geared toward men and their tastes. But a shift is happening in the way companies are designing and marketing their electronics. Many have started to realize the long overdue idea of catering to the tastes of female consumers. The New York Times published an article by Michael Marriott discussing how many companies realize that most consumer electronics are bought for home use. Items such as camera’s, computers and cell phones are now being designed and manufactured with the busy lives of women in mind.

An interesting pattern that I noticed throughout the article was the mention of “ease of use”. Now, part of me hopes that this aspect of the marketing and design is just focusing on easy to use products for customers in general, as opposed to “dumbing down” products like remotes and digital cameras for women. It does seem to me that often times in the technology industry, it is assumed that a woman won’t be able to understand the complicated use of a S.L.R. digital camera because she is somehow easily flustered. Nancy Durante, chief executive of Durante Design, who was quoted in the article, believes there is a different reason, “Women are busier than men. I don’t love technology enough to sit down and spend two hours with a manual like it’s some great puzzle. Men get great gratification out of that. I’d rather read a book,” she says.

So how these companies are making an effort to appeal to female consumers? Well most importantly, they have shied away from simply “creating a pink or pastel version of the same black or silvery item coveted by men.” They are making cameras smaller and more lightweight. Laptop carrying cases are more stylish. Many digital cameras have one-touch transferring to computers. Some notebook computers even come with the keys spaced further apart to accommodate the longer nails of female buyers. Another progressive marketing tool is to show the usability for both men and women. It is helpful to cater to both the sensibility of women and the male love of technology. With top electronics companies taking notice to female consumers, now’s a good time to be a gadget gal.

women, technology, business, marketing, electronics