A few months ago I wrote about a "Designed For Mom" Playtex sippy cup. The short version is that these sippy cup are so easy to use, apparently, that mothers would love using them. So why weren't they also Designed for Dads? Well, obviously, it's because we all know fathers don't buy sippy cups. And they definitely don't feed their babies.
For me (and for my wife), that meant a personal pledge never to buy anything by Playtex. They don't need me--I don't need them. But it was also a turning point. I started noticing things.
Like this display in Babies'R'Us. Because it's one thing to have a Mom section with nursing pads, but it's another thing to have all the baby carriers in a pink "Just For Mom" section.
I have to assume mothers would also be offended by the idea that a section devoted to them must be pink...
I emailed them, and got an automatic reply. A "Thank you for your comment." Well, you're welcome. And not having to ever visit a Babies'R'Us again is very liberating, I have to say.
Unlike Playtex and Babies'R'US, Pampers did reply to a father's complaint. Brian from RebelDad was the parent in charge of sending coupons to Pampers, yet they kept sending him back "Happy Mother's Day" letters. Finally, after repeated complaints, they replied, by sending him a coupon book, complete with a picture of a happy family playing together. And when I say Family, of course I mean a mother and two girls. The father was hiding in the background, obviously because he didn't have anything to add. After all, they were all behaving well, so a father's discipline wasn't needed. And fathers don't change diapers, after all.
Again, this is just a personal pledge. I've never tried convincing anyone to do anything--just not in my nature. But if you read this and you agree to make your own pledge not to buy Playtex, not to buy from Babies'R'Us (or from Toys'R'Us), not to order flowers from 1-800-Flowers (I wrote about them on this post), and not to use Pampers (in case the full body diaper rash from their new design wasn't convincing enough), then--
I don't know. Boycotts work when companies know you're boycotting them, so what's the point of personal pledges? I'm not sure. For me, knowing I'm doing the right thing is at least a good start.
55 comments:
Wow. Can't believe they kept sending him Happy Mother's Day cards.
I know exactly how you feel. As a stay-at-home dad you start to notice all the baby gear is designed for one person mom. Not dad. Mom.
BTW, is that dad on the cover of the coupon book sleeping?
You stay at home Dad's are a fiesty bunch. I don't get offended by this stuff. I don't care what corporate America thinks of me. As long as my family is happy with my efforts that is enough. I have to tell you that in my mind those baby carriers are for women. You wouldn't catch me dead wearing one of those. Having said all that I wish you the best of luck with your campaign. The world needs people that will challenge our perceptions.
You know.. When I had a girl and wanted a pink carrier/stroller/you name it.. There was nothing.
You Americans have all the luck.
Distracted Daddy, I think Dad just likes to rest after a long day at work, and watch (from a safe distance) the people he provides for act happy and of course, eternally grateful. Getting to close to them will make him too familiar, and so, not respected enough.
Otter, the funny thing is that most of those carriers actually have fathers carrying babies. And yet they're Just For Mom... I do try to pick my fights, though. I don't mind cynical marketing, but as a company you will have to acknowledge me or I won't buy from you. They can have their freedom of speech, as long as I have my freedom to choose an alternative.
Lindsay, I'm not REALLY American, though. But I can't believe you couldn't find pink strollers! This is Canada, not Communist-era Hungary! (no offense to Hungarians.)
Hmmm. I need to send my husband this way to see what he thinks. He was a stay at home dad for 9 months after our 2nd son was born. He was also a fan of babywearing, though there weren't a lot of choices that would fit him.
I'm all for boycotting companies for any reason, whether it's a personal pledge or a campaign. I personally choose not to support Nestle for its unethical marketing of formula. I also choose not to shop at Wal-Mart because they're alarmingly heartless and greedy. I'm not religious about it, but I will not actively seek out an experience with either company.
I'm really baffled by the examples you pointed out. I think it's irritating marketing promoting stereotypes, but is there an ethical line drawn? I don't feel compelled to boycott any of these companies (we use pampers diapers, but I'm not married to the other two) for those reasons. I fully support your right to avoid these companies. This was a very thought provoking post!
Thank you for this great post. I'm disgusted with the gender stereotypes our society (and corporations in particular) perpetuate, from the over-gendering of children's clothes and toys to the types of stereotypes with regards to parenting that you pointed out.
It's irritating close to the point of being disgusted with their marketing strategies. It simply shows they don't care. If they do, they would have noticed that the person they've been sending "Happy Mother's Day" cards for a long time is actually a "Dad".
Teresa, very true. Poor customer service and ignorance is definitely a good reason to boycott a company.
Lynda, you're right. Your examples are different (although in the case of Pampers, their arrogant portrayal of worried parents as conspiracy theorists should be enough for a lifetime boycott). But as a stay at home father who's never been entirely comfortable with his new role, I have enough to struggle with--I don't need to feel belittled by a company. They can do what they do, and I'm sure many fathers think this is no big deal, but as long as there are alternatives, I will use the ones I'm more comfortable with.
And about your second comment, I actually tried to give them a chance. I waited for a month for Toys'R'Us to reply (as I did with Playtex and 1-800-Flowers), but after receiving only a "Thank you for your comment," I realized they simply didn't care.
Annie, thanks! Now that we have a newborn girl, our house has become much pinker. I vowed to avoid gendering as much as I could, and to throw her in the air just as high as I do with my 2yo boy when he was her age, but some of it is pretty subconscious. It's amazing how a single flower on her onesie makes me treat her more gently...
Teresa, or maybe they're like 1-800-Flowers. Maybe they think that if you're a stay at home father, then you're actually a mom.
That is really interesting that they cater mostly to moms! Kinda sad, but go you, for asking why there aren't more dads out there being publicized and catered to in advertising especially!!
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It's the same old story boys get the shaft from birth. As a mom of a 10yr old daughter and 17 month old son, I want to scream every time I have to go clothes shopping for my son. There could be racks and racks of clothes for girls and then one little corner designated for boys clothes!
And why are girls jeans so much more expensive than boys jeans? I started to buy my daughter boys jeans when she was about 3, but of course now that she's old enough there's no more saving money that way! LOL
What will probably surprise you is that a lot of women (ahem, me.) will resist these companies because often their "experts" are men: There is another thing at issue here and women ought to pay attention. It's the old "here dearie, you poor little thing, you can't worry about too much because you might mess your hair. Let me tell you what to do." It's demeaning to the men caring for their children and it's demeaning to the women by belittling the really tough work of being a stay at home PARENT. I don't know if I'm explaining this properly but these companies are declaring only women can do this work as well as demeaning this work and saying you can't do it so we'll make it easy for you. Argh. There is a new Maple Leaf processed meat commercial where "our experts" are carving meat for a demure mother at home. The image conveyed is that only an expert (an authoritative role) can be filled by a man and the non-expert is a woman. If I ate processed meat, it would no longer be Maple Leaf. Gender normativity is old, dated and insulting.
Chocolate Mom: The reason why there are more girls clothes than boys?Because little girls are silly little fluffs who care about pretty things and boys don't ... BS. My little guy loves his stompy rain boots but he also loves his airplane sweater and most of his clothes. Perhaps not as much as his sister but to assume he only cares about mud, toads and bugs is to underestimate his character and lump both children into an either/or situation.
As parents I think we need to recognize that the rhetoric that surrounds our genders is dated and old and the best thing we can do is to teach our children different. One of my proudest moments as a Mom (there's a lot)? My little girl (4) looked at her gingerbread cookie and exclaimed, "Mommy! It's a gingerbread person!" Bliss. If that person was a cookie, in my daughter's world that cookie could do anything. That's what we'er doing as parents. I support your boycotts.
Eeep. I went overboard on the comment. Sorry!
I am certainly on board with these as well. Great to spread the word on these boycots too.
I am not buying Pampers anymore either, all though my son is just about out and just uses Huggies overnights at this point.
Iamonewithmuchope, thanks! And personally, I'm okay with not being a target audience. I'm proud to watch TV shows and see nothing I'd want in the ads. I just don't like how companies cynically ignore fatherhood.
Chocolate Mom aka Blupoetres, each extra flower sewn onto the pocket is another Lincoln.
Ms. WhitePlates, a few days ago, actually, my 2yo boy was playing with some water toys with his cousins, and as soon as a sprinkler got him wet, he ran away to the garage to push the stroller around. There were a lot of jokes. Fair enough. But I also knew that my job was to make sure he didn't get upset about being afraid of water. I can spend my life knowing my boy prefers pushing strollers than getting wet, but I can't spend my life knowing I wasn't there when he needed me. (And thanks for the comment.)
James, my boy is ready. I know he's ready. He knows he's ready. And yet he will do his thing as soon as we leave the bathroom (after an hour there, with me telling him stories about dinosaurs that go in the toilet and get Mickey Mouse cookies as a reward). I kind of want to just stop trying, but I'm REALLY ready to stop buying diapers. (And thanks!)
I have to respectfully disagree with your views about these companies. They are simply targeting their products towards their main buyers, which are women. Women are the ones most often taking care of the kids, changing their diapers, wearing the slings, pushing the strollers and staying at home doing all the purchasing. We live in a country which has a free market where anyone can start a company and push their products, and they are always in battle to stay afloat, with the next company. That competition fuels the fire which pushes these companies to concentrate their marketing funds towards their main customers, which in these cases happen to be women. I am a stay at home dad, and even I realize that. Sure it would be nice to see more men on the covers of their magazines and product designs and advertisements, but I understand why there isn’t, and I get it, I’m okay with it. Leave the bitching to Rebel Dad and the other male modern feminists.
Jay, I'm not sure I understand. You're telling me this is no big deal, and that in a free market, competition dictates you do what you can to sell. OK. I'm not calling for anyone to throw molotov cocktails into Pampers headquarters, only to buy diapers from a brand that--in a free market--acknowledges me as a potential buyer. Free market works for the consumer as well, you know. Some might say it's the POINT of a free market.
All I said to these companies was, "You don't need me--I don't need you."
If Baby Bjorn chose to put pictures of mothers carrying babies on their products, I would have been fine with that. But when Babies'R'Us puts those carriers in a "Just For Mom" section, I'll buy those carriers elsewhere. The irony here is that most Just For Mom carriers actually have pictures of fathers, not mothers.
So yea, I will buy Dreft detergent. I don't care about it showing a mother holding a baby, as long as it doesn't say "Dreft is designed for mothers." I understand your point, but none of the examples I gave in the post is about smart marketing. Pampers is just lazy and ignorant in assuming only mothers buy diapers and in ignoring repeated emails. Playtex gains nothing by saying a cup is designed for mom just because it's dishwasher safe, and I would imagine Babies'R'Us only lose money by hiding baby carriers in a Just For Mom section.
So really, what you're saying doesn't contradict anything I wrote. Apart from describing Rebel Dad's uphill struggle as Bitching. That's kind of fucked up. Oh, and Feminism isn't a dirty word, you know.
It must be the moms, then, who keep leaving used diapers - Pampers? - in the Babies'R'Us parking lot near my house :(
Last time I checked, Dad was still on the couch, being blurry. So the answer has to be YES.
Its irritating but true...I want to send this to my friend...
Good post man and thanks for bringing this to my attention. I knew about the Pampers thing, but was just at Babies R' Us yesterday (sigh). Add Kohl's to your list for continuing to stock those thongs for little girls.
Whatever your views are on this stuff, I think we, as a society, need to realize that we have power as a consumer and can and need to put our money into companies which are socially responsible. BP, for example, shouldn't have anyone stopping at their gas stations right now. If we can get worked up about a baseball ump screwing a pitcher over a no-hitter, we can do the same which these much more important issues.
Chris, a few days ago I was running out of gas, and I stopped at the first gas station: BP. Only when I got out of the car I realized what I was doing. I put my credit card in the machine, feeling horrible about myself. Then I started with the excuses (It's not like Shell isn't raping Africa, after all). But luckily, the machine couldn't read my card. Sometimes you need luck to do the right thing (or a shaky hand).
Wow... I knew moms had the market for kids, but this is incredible. Thanks for pointing it out.
I commend you for your stance on this type of corporate marketing. I wear a carrier and it feels good to have my son up against me, granted my back hates me for it. I have nothing against Pampers (my wife is hooked on gifts for growing), but the Babies 'R' Us "Just for Mom" sign is a bit disappointing. Not sure if it's enough to deter us though.
In this day and age of equality, this is sad. I guess the majority of buyers are moms and that's the marketing angle that hits the 80-90% of the market. I think the real issue is the lack of thought from Pampers when a dad wrote in...too much of a "cookie cutter" approach adopted by large corporates pretending to "love the customer". So, no more pampers for me!
I don't think I've ever boycotted anything in my life until I became a SAHD. We recently joined RebelDad's Pampers boycott, and I'm sorely tempted to join in boycotting Playtex and Babies'R'Us too.
It's not like any of us SAHDs don't realize we're genuinely a minority in these things, and that these companies are just used to marketing right/only to moms... even when sometimes being unnecessarily specific and condescending in their targeting of them.
I find it interesting when I hear people defend it due to the majority of caregivers being women though, as if that justifies actually ignoring the minority. Just imagine the uproar if a product was marketed as being "Designed for white people" with a happy white family in the foreground using the product while a blurry black guy in the background looks on or sleeps on the couch. ;)
Caleb, thanks. I can take a lot of Mom marketing, but I just thought these few examples were going too far.
Heerow, I used my carrier once, then gave it away. My back hurt, I had sweat running down my back, and my baby wasn't feeling it either. Now that I have a newborn and a toddler it makes more sense, but I still would rather not use it. As long as my 2yo is happy pushing the supermarket cart, and as long as he listens when I tell him to stop running, I'm okay.
Steve, cool. I would have been able to let go of the blurry father sitting on the couch thing, if it didn't come after 4 years of "Happy Mother's Day" letters. It's just stupid, you know? Makes it seem like there was a decision that "Fathers are going to get upset? So, we'll lose two customers?" (And when it comes to the well-meaning 1-800-Flowers, a company that calls me Mr. Mom is dead to me.)
Chris, that's a good one. Pampers? Are you listening? And like I said above, I don't mind a laundry detergent with a picture of a loving mother and baby, just like I don't mind a picture of a father playing soccer with a child if someone is trying to sell a soccer ball. Just don't imply mothers never play any sports with their kids, you know? Don't put the ball in the Just For Dads section. (It's enough that stores think the only thing fathers want is a frickin' grill.)
I didn't realize that Babies R Us would have "just for mom" for slings. At LEAST the boxes those slings come in have a few men on them.
I think the pampers one is the worse though. What about single fathers? Men do not get enough recognition and even if its all marketing and all about sales doesn't mean that you have to buy from them - I think its great you are boycotting!
Thanks for this post! Although I'm far from having kids, things like this in advertising coupled with incompetent sitcom dads really frustrate me. Bottom line is to treat everyone with respect.
Great post. I've been in PR for 15+ years and a blogger for 3 years and when I called a colleague out for her narnow-minded approach to her recent industry article on reaching the "mommy blogger" her response was that the "daddy blogging" was essentially statstically insignificant, so balanced outreach efforts were unnecessary. I was livid.
What if we took that approach when we marketed other products? Most people who shop at Target are white, so let's only reach out to white people? Her ignorance is just as ludicrous and immensely irritating.
Baby Cot, thanks! Being a single mother must be a great challenge, but the fact that single fathers are never acknowledged can't be easy for them either.
Ian, the other day I started talking to a father in a shopping mall kids' area. Every time he mentioned anything to do with his daughter, it looked like he was making a big effort to come out as too-cool-to-care, like being involved in his child's life was making him less masculine. Sitcom dads in general were incompetent in many ways, but at least it looked like they were eager to be a part of their kids' lives (otherwise, there's no story, you know?).
Fear and Parenting, you know, I don't need to see a father on every item (although slowly moving in that direction could go a long way in helping fathers who are less comfortable with parenthood). But in these case, well, I can't even see the marketing angle here. Would it be so difficult for Pampers to send a Mother's Day card AND a Father's Day card? I can take cynical marketing, but the ignorant disregard of fatherhood bothers me.
Ah well they're just being conventional. It's typical that the moms take care of the babies but it doesn't mean the dad doesn't. This is a stereotype that should be changed, along with a hundred other stereotypes about the father as a parent.
Whether it's the mom or the dad it doesn't matter. What these companies show is that they don't really give much care about their customers. All they are after is money and how to get that fast! That is evident on the complaints that are not being answered correctly.
BloggerFather, we are listening! What an awesome discussion. I was a SAHD until just recently, and I must say you make some great points. My girls are 6 and 12 BTW. I’m not going to argue that we dads do seem to get short shrift some times, but I don’t think it really bothered me that much, and I’m pretty cynical. My biggest issue, I suppose, was the lack of family restrooms in public places, especially having two girls. Of course this is also equally irritating for moms out with their sons. And I just remembered, as I’m typing this, being at a local park a few weeks ago with the 6 year-old. She insists on going by herself (don’t blame her) when there’s no FR. Fine, I just stand outside, no big. Well, I noticed a guy coming out of the bathroom, and told her, “oh, wait sweetie, that’s men’s!” Dude said “no, I was changing my son, and there’s no changing table in the men’s restroom” What? I mean how is that possible, and in a public park? It’s not like he needed a whole new restroom (like I did actually). Just tack up a changing table in the men’s room, how hard is that? As for Pampers and fathers I have good news. First of all, check out our Facebook page for some recently added Dad content (hooray!). Also, this Father’s Day week we are hosting a big “Daddy play date” in New York City, as well as an event at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. And there’s more in the works. Now of course you’ll understand, hopefully, if I take exception with the line “all over body rash” and the notion of, as you put it, Pampers “arrogant portrayal of worried parents as conspiracy theorists.” Believe me we take all comments and concerns, good and bad, very seriously. We have even had our own Research & Development experts talk personally with parents whose babies experienced a rash while wearing one of our diapers. Pampers team members have even accompanied some of the parents to the doctor to learn more about what is going on. Again, we are listening. Indeed, my fellow SAHDs, you have an advocate now, a sort of mole if you will. Perhaps between you SAHDs on the outside, and me on the inside we can get a little more visibility.
Thanks, Patrick. I know what you mean about no changing tables in male bathrooms. Luckily, every time I had this problem (like at BWI Airport), my wife was with me, so I didn't have to get into a female bathroom.
As much as I enjoy special events for Father's Day, it doesn't really answer RebelDad's problem. No one says Pampers hates fathers, just that the company has been lazy and offensive by sending a father "Happy Mother's Day" cards after he complained repeatedly, then sending him a coupon book with a blurry distant father.
(And then I go to your Facebook page to find a special "Celebrating Moms" tab, but no "Celebrating Dads" tab... What am I going to do with you?)
Now, about the rash. I've noticed recently that when people on twitter mention problems with the new Pampers design, someone from Pampers replies with a request to discuss the issue via a toll-free number. This wasn't the attitude Pampers had shown at the beginning. When my boy tried the new DryMax Pampers design for the first time and got, in fact, a rash all over his belly and chest, I tweeted about it. No one answered with a toll-free number. In fact, the only response Pampers had at the time was a short article on its website, telling parents basically, "It's not us, it's you." The whole DryMax problem was portrayed as non-issue raised by a bunch of trouble-making mommy-bloggers. It's being taken seriously now, but that wasn't the case at the beginning. I personally think it took Pampers too long to take this seriously. The fact that DryMax is still out there shows the company still doesn't get how bad things are.
As a working mom with my husband staying home....
I find it very interesting how SAHD are getting a lot of attention because of the economy. Almost all, if not all of these articles/news stories focus on Dads who are out of work or have been laid off. What about talking to some SAHD who have made the choice to stay at home rather then been forced. The articles and stories out there in the news gives a false picture. Not every dad on the playground or at play groups is there because of a layoff. The general population thinks...oh that poor dad...FORCED to stay at home with his kids.....
mbb, I see a lot of that too. It's like fathers need an excuse. I guess to some extent, in more progressive areas mothers also find themselves having to come up with the "I didn't have a choice" excuse. In those place, fathers are probably more free to stay at home because it makes sense as a family decision.
I'm totally not going to buy Pampers anymore!!!!!! Wait...I don't buy Pampers.
No, really though, I am totally all for personal pledges whether they work or not. They call it voting with your wallet, right?
You know what I STILL won't buy from 15 years ago when my gal was a baby? Lysol. I found out that the free samples they sent me to spray her newborn baby changing table with had some sort of dangerous registered pesticide in it, which, I believe was later removed. They're encouraging me to spray a registered pesticide on a surface where I'm going to lay my naked little newborn? I have not bought Lysol in 15 years. I found myself incompetently trying to defend my position to The-Guy this weekend but I can't even remember what exactly was in the stuff that I was so against. So I imagine I just sounded headstrong.
BloggerFather, I don’t know if you’ve seen it yet, but I commented on RebelDad’s (hilarious) entry. As people here on you blog, and on RebelDad’s blog have said, the majority of diaper purchases are made by women, can we agree on that (as my friend likes to say)? That being said, yes, it does seem like we dads are dropped below the radar, or even mis-marketed to at times.
I work directly with mostly women, and occasionally when they talk about “moms,” I have to chime in, politely, with an “and dads,” even though their significant others are very active in the parenting duties. When I head to lunch, I do walk past loads of dads (and granddads). The other day, in fact, one had his two-year old boy in. The LO was climbing on the desk and laughing. Quite cute, not to be all girly ;-)
The “Thanks to Dad” tab is up on FB! Also, we did a survey (http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2010/18/c6343.html) of dads that you may have heard about.
And I agree with mbb. Indeed, I sort of had the SAHD role thrust upon me, but even before I got laid-off, my wife and I worked exact opposite schedules, so one, if not both us, were always with them. I worked weird hours, so I was with the girls a lot A SAHD I know down the street made a decision with his wife (years ago) that she had the better job going, so he’d be the at-home parent. Like mbb said though, you never heard about these dads.
I can’t really speak to how Pampers was responding previously to Dry Max concerns, as I’ve only been here a short time. (BTW, how do you guys adjust to going back to work? I’m having trouble adjusting to the new schedule!) Anyway, you are correct we have set up a special toll free number (1-877-256-3265 M-F 9-6 ET) to talk to parents about Dry Max. Even though we are responding online directly, and via email, the phone is really the best way to get feedback, and having spoken to some of the R&D folks, it’s been very helpful. As you know, the CPSC and Health Canada are looking into the rash complaints heard in conjunction with our Dry Max diapers. We have been cooperating with the investigations and are taking all comments and concerns very seriously. Oh, and sorry I referred to you as FatherBlogger, instead of BloggerFather on Rebel Dad’s blog. The former kind of conjures up a whole different image!
Distracted Daddy, I think Dad just likes to rest after a long day at work, and watch (from a safe distance) the people he provides for act happy and of course, eternally grateful. Getting to close to them will make him too familiar, and so, not respected enough. learn quran
I think the ads are being a teeny weeny bit biased to dads when it comes to parenting. They tend to brand women as the "target" market to their product. It sounds so medieval because men and women are equal right? Dads can well take care of their children as much as mothers can. Just as mothers can do so much with their career as Dads can.
Wow, that's annoying to say the least. The world should be thankful that us dads are finally helping around the chores that were used to be reserved for wives. Man, they should live in the present and not in the past. That means they should change the way they market their products. Oh and for goodness' sake, change their canned responses.
Now a days, fathers also start sharing the burden of mother's.
That is just sick, we should start a business there we only sells baby stuffs from a dads view instead of a moms view.
If this was a woman talking about how sports marketing is targeted towards men, most people would dismiss it as silly feminism.
How about discussing real issues, such as paternity leave?
Chris, first of all, that's not the point. I don't have a problem buying a laundry detergent with a mother hugging a baby. The things I mentioned here were different and--to me--more offensive and dumb, because they actually had no added marketing value. I didn't call for a boycott to end all boycotts; just expressed my opinion. And you know, I never said this was the most important topic when it came to fatherhood. Just one of many. And I never said people were not allowed to start their own blogs and write whatever they wanted.
I was a stay at home dad for 4 years with my daughters. Saw lots of stuff like this, but it didn't bother me at all. I found being a fish out of water is kind of cool - not sure why this bothers you. You may want to look into that.
If you are serious about this issue I would recomend writing to the company and complaining.
It may be a case of unintentional oversight rather than sexism.
Anonymous, I don't need to go try too hard to look into that. Stuff like that bothers me because I'm insecure. I wasn't brought up in a family and in a society that encouraged men to stay home with their children, and no matter how supportive my friends (online and the-opposite-of-online) are, there's always a part of me that just can't believe I'm doing this, and that makes the unfortunate connection between wage and worth, and between wage, worth, and masculinity.
Still, it's not so much about how valid my thoughts are about this issue, but about me having the choice to make myself more comfortable with my decision to stay home.
Crimson, I did contact all companies. Well, not Pampers, but Rebel Dad did. You can see the comments above, and find the strange response from the Pampers rep. Playtex doesn't have an email contact form on their site, so I wrote them a letter. A real one, with an envelope and a stamp! They mailed me back a coupon. No reaction to my question about the "Designed for Mom," though. Just a coupon. 1-800-Flowers and Toys'R'Us never bothered responding.
Hehe... i don't know what you're complaining about. You should feel lucky that the gangs of bloodthirsty product and brand managers at these companies don't yet have dads in their cross-hairs :)
I'm trying to be funny... but really a lot of marketing to moms takes the same line as other products marketed to women - they paint a picture of the perfect mother you aren't and play on your deepest insecurities to get you to buy stuff. Actually maybe this is a good thing - dad is the stealth voice of the family budget quietly putting back on the shelf :)
Good on ya, stay at home dads!!
Lauran, I know I know... Marketing is all about turning the individual into a niche, right? I meet a lot of fathers I have a lot in common with, and I meet others who cannot be any more different than me. For some reason, these other ones have been chosen by the powers invested in the marketing gods to represent fatherhood.
This is a stupid post! The reason that these companies do this is because the majority of people who buy sippy cups are moms, the majority of people who buy diapers are moms, etc. They aren't saying there can't be stay-at-home dads but why would they advertise to such a small market. It has nothing to do with them thinking a mom SHOULD be the one to buy these things/be the stay-at-home mom, it just is because that is usually the case.
You say this is a stupid post. Good for you. You have the choice to read another blog. I say a company's marketing is offensive, and I have the choice to buy stuff from another company. Again and again, I don't think Playtex is run by Nazis, just that I'm choosing to buy from a different company.
I think it depends where you are from, regarding if dads feed there babys or not. Obviously we cant breast feed them bet we can feed them with baby bottle.
I know this is an old comment section but I just came across it and I couldn't agree more. Well done.
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