Despite the fact that I have never published a solicited review on this site, I still receive emails from companies or people wishing to send me samples of their stuff. They think you guys value what I say. They think you would spend your hard-earned cash on the recommendations of a moron. Ha!
I also receive emails from ecommerce sites. Since I've worked for two separate ecommerce companies and have done programming projects for several others, this is something I actually believe I'm qualified to review. But I still don't.
A few months ago, I received an email from an ecommerce site. They had a great premise: for x dollars a year, you receive toys every few months that are geared specifically to your child's developmental stage. It was a very slick and professional site.
The only problem with the site? I have a penis.
The site was H-E-A-V-I-L-Y geared towards Moms. And that pisses me off. It's not 1953 anymore. I know I'm not the only father out there taking an active role in his children's lives. So why do many parenting magazines, web sites, and companies act like mothers are the only ones that take care of their children? That moms are the only ones that make purchasing decisions for their children?
That moms are the only ones that matter?
Blah, blah, blah. I know I've beaten this horse into a bloody pulp in the past, but it still pisses me off. Bottom line: If you ask a father's opinion on your site, make sure you have a site that actual makes DADs feel welcome.
So I replied to his email. I told him I liked the premise behind the site. I told him the site had a great design. But I told him I didn't care much for his mom-centric tagline (which has since been changed) or his large army of toy testers which was comprised entirely of mothers. He told me he saw where I was coming from but 90% of his company's orders were from women.
I never took any marketing classes in college, but even my tiny monkey brain could see that if you market exclusively to one group, you shouldn't be surprised when they make up most of your customer base. And if you market exclusively to mothers, don't be surprised when dads like me don't show up at your door.
These memories were dredged up by something I read on Strollerderby, an excellent site that seems to realize there are two parts to this whole parenting gig.
Song of the day: Friend Or Foe by Adam And The Ants
To Those Of You Looking To Jump In The Sack With Me
