Not long ago, it seemed that supermarkets were designed to speak to one audience, and one audience alone: Mothers. Nearly every product in every aisle was designed for Mom and her family. But today, it’s not all about Mom. Consumers are changing and so are brands. There are new generations, new behaviors, new attitudes, and ultimately new target audiences to consider
Successful brands are finding unique ways to reach and attract new consumers to their brand. That often means shifting a brand’s focus away from the traditional bread-and-butter audience, toward another audience that could generate a new revenue stream. This is more than thinking out-of-the-box; this is creating a new box altogether, and it is the way that industry leaders have managed to stay on top of the competition in an age when competition is fierce.
Rethinking gender stereotypes
One exciting example of this kind of retargeting is the proliferation of playthings and weaponry targeting young girls. Toy companies such as Hasbro, and Zing have retargeted their typically male audiences after the popularity in recent years of fighting-centric female heroines in movies such as The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Brave, and are now creating weaponry and action figures specifically for young girls.
While it is extremely welcome to see such a shifting of gender stereotypes, especially in a category known for gender socialization, these products—which include bows and arrows, shooters, and action figures—are still luring their audience with “girlie” colors like pink and purple, and patterns including hearts, stars, and animal prints. Nerf’s Rebelle line of weapons skillfully incorporates “belle” into its name; another company’s “action shooter” shoots marshmallows. While this may make feminist mothers cringe, the truth is, these toy companies are aware of a new female archetype that is emerging for today’s young girl, one who can be both tough and aggressive yet also feminine and demure. The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen perfectly embodies this dichotomy, and so do thousands of young women who worship her across the country.
