There have
always been products that are labelled ‘man-sized’, but the whole ‘man’ element
in product marketing seems to have grown. A strange concept in an ever more
politically correct world.
‘Man-sized’
tissues have been around for as long as I can remember and I’ve never really
questioned whether they should just have been termed ‘large’ instead. But just
because a product is a little larger than average does this warrant it being
called ‘man-sized’, especially in these days of equality?
We don’t
even have policemen these days – we have police officers. Firemen have been
replaced by firefighters and many other terms have been adapted to include the
word ‘person’ instead of ‘man’. Should this trend extend to products too?
In the 70s,
Yorkie jumped on the bandwagon (or haulage truck), showing a lorry driver
tucking into one of their chunky chocolate bars on their TV ads. In their more
recent adverts they took the ‘not for girls’ approach, which was quite fun and
tongue-in-cheek, rather than a serious ‘man’ campaign. Most recently Yorkie
have introduced ‘Man Size Buttons’ but I do find this a bit odd.
Whilst
snacking on a pack of McCoys crisps I noticed that they were being referred to
as ‘Man Crisps’ and that’s when I decided this whole man thing was going a bit
far. What do the manufacturers hope to achieve by awarding a product the title
‘man’?
It doesn’t
make me want to buy a product more, if anything slightly less. I thought
perhaps I was missing the point so I decided to ask a few men if the products
were more appealing to them when the term ‘man’ was applied. The response I
received was a resounding, “No!”
OK, so
maybe I didn’t hold a huge national survey, so my results may not have been
entirely accurate, but the opinion was that people bought products because of
their taste, rather than their image. The men I talked to buy a chocolate bar
regardless of the packaging or name – they don’t feel that there’s anything ‘unmanly’
about chocolate in the first place! The same approach applies to crisps.
I notice
that the people who come up with these names and slogans never award a product
the title ‘girl’ or ‘woman’, should we feel hard done by? Well no, I would feel
more patronised if a product was emblazoned with such labelling.
Of course,
I’m not counting products in all of this that are made expressly for either men
or women, such as deodorants, shaving cream or perfume.
Maybe it’s
time to think of some new names and slogans to replace this whole ‘man’ thing.
Any suggestions?
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has been reading and commenting on my blog. There have been some lovely and interesting responses.
Big kid that I am, I enjoy the gentle boat rides that wind around enchanting little scenes or ‘caverns’, and I really love a ride that involves a bit of competition, such as Tomb Blaster at Chessington. I get really competitive, frantically shooting the targets along our route, aiming (and often succeeding) to get the highest score in our family.
Thorpe Park used to be great fun before it became home to many of the more ‘dare-devil’ rides as it is today. It was much more my thing to sit on a train that took me on a journey to an island where pirates chucked buckets of water at us (hands up all those that remember this!), as opposed to being blasted by a Tidal Wave.
Peaches Peach Schnapps from Iceland, a budget version of Archers, which tastes just as good and costs just £5.50 a bottle. Delicious with lemonade and ice for a long, cool drink.
Whilst
snacking on a pack of McCoys crisps I noticed that they were being referred to
as ‘Man Crisps’ and that’s when I decided this whole man thing was going a bit
far. What do the manufacturers hope to achieve by awarding a product the title
‘man’?
Anyway I
digress. Milestone birthdays. They’re the ones that the card shops stock a
multitude of banners, badges, balloons and mugs for. People hold huge parties
to celebrate these special days – well some do, but not me.
When I was
a child some of my favourite things to do were to dress up in my little nurses’
uniform and administer to my dolls, play schools and write stories. Since then
I’ve trained and worked as a Staff Nurse, changed careers and supported GCSE
and ‘A’ Level visually impaired students in schools (learning Braille in the
process) and am now writing in various forms. In addition to writing my blog, I
write for several companies, composing slogans and copy for their websites and
brochures and am also penning a few short stories and a book. Childhood dreams
are being accomplished then!
Be safe
in the sun. Fortunately
it would appear we are all becoming much more conscious of the damage that the sun
can cause to our skin, and are covering up more with high factor sun lotions
and light clothing. My current favourite sun care product is Boots Soltan
Moisturising Suncare Spray Factor 30, which gives 5 star UVA protection. This is simple to apply,
easily absorbed, water-resistant and also contains an insect repellent. Another
good rule with the sun is to avoid direct exposure between 11am and 3pm. When
we go to the beach on a hot day, we tend to go early, have breakfast there and
leave by lunchtime, this way we avoid the crowds as well as the sun at its
hottest. We also love evening strolls along the beach.