Male?Female?Does Gender Really matter

Male? Female? Does gender really matter?
The concept of masculinity and femininity is changing at a scorching pace as the lady is becoming bolder and the gentleman is gearing-up to look beautiful. All around us we witnessing a blurring of the traditional ideals of the 2 genders, characterized by a transgression into each others domain.
Enter the New Man: He loves designer wear, is seen just as often near a catwalk as competing in sport, confesses adulation for Shakira, decorates his house and even changes nappies. He’s spending his time differently - not only occupying more of it in front of the mirror but also shopping at boutique stores, drinking at bars rather than pubs, enjoying a dance at a discotheque and going to beauty salons. Infact, new terms have been coined to describe these people – metrosexual, ubersexual, etc.
For decades, ‘Mills & Boons’ perpetuated the traditional ideals of masculinity and portrayed men as active, adventurous, powerful, sexually aggressive and uninvolved in human relationships. For years macho men were straitjacketed of traditional expectations of the dark, strong, silent types and were forced to keep their emotions under wraps for the fear of being ostracized from their conventional domain.
It is only now that the image of the Sensitive new man has emerged with a sanction to showcase his gentle and caring side, and is officially allowed to invest emotionally in relationships.
Why are we witnessing this mindset change? What are the drivers to this behavior? There are a few theories floating around on the subject. One of them concerns women – more specifically, the changing role of women in society. With the changing reality of women’s social position, women today have successfully stormed bastions of male power.
As the presence of women has increased in men's social and working lives - as their rights have been belatedly recognized - men have changed the way they act. As women have pushed for equal rights, the success of that push has been the single most significant contributor to the emergence of the ‘New Man’.
The economic motivation because of her enhanced purchasing power has fueled the emergence, albeit grudgingly, of the ‘New Woman’.
The 'New Woman' - independent, confident and assertive, finding satisfaction in the world of work and recreation, seeking excitement, adventure and fulfillment. A distinct change from her earlier image of a passive, submissive, and marginal, performer of a limited number of secondary and uninteresting tasks confined to their emotion and their domesticity.
What implications do these trends have for marketers, products and brands? With gender being the most common form of segmenting and targeting used by marketers in general and advertisers in particular, the blurring of boundaries is posing its own set of challenges.
John Gray’s best selling book ‘Men are from Mars and Women from Venus’ reminds us that the fundamental gender differences in attitudes and behaviors are biologically inherent. For example, at the risk of generalizing, while women prefer lighter shades like pink and curvy lines, men prefer darker shades such as black and straight lines. While men get turned on by machines and gadgets, for women it is about looking and feeling good.
For categories predominantly used by one of the sexes, the gender choice when it comes to product development and communication is relatively simpler. It is a matter of keeping abreast with the latest trends in the dominant gender. The strategy is driven by insights emerging from a deeper understanding of the gender.
For example, Raymond’s has kept itself relevant even today by continuously evolving its portrayal of the Man. Chevrolet Optra’s famous ‘Karva Chauth’ ad owes its success to the understanding of the gentle, caring side of man. Gillette’s communication of the ‘soft, smooth skin’ benefit, up until now understood as a woman’s need, is also stemming from this evolving trend.
Advertising for women has also moved from objectifying women’s bodies to portray a more progressive image of women. These images now show women at work, adopting a male role, working as an equal alongside or even in frontline. Categories like fairness creams, refrigerators, washing machines, to name a few, have successfully depicted facets of the evolving ‘New Woman’.
But when you are a marketer of a brand being consumed equally by both the sexes, it could become a challenge answering some of the typical marketing questions. Or when the product is gaining acceptance at a fast pace amongst the other sex. Whom do you cater to - Men or women or both?
A lot of marketers are facing this dilemma today with a lot of products traditionally in the domain of one of the sexes, have gained substantial acceptance amongst the opposite sex as well. Entry level cars, mobile phones, jeans, health care products, sunglasses, insurance products and cosmetic brands, to name a few categories, are catering equally to males and females. Would gender then be a viable basis for segmentation?
While most personal care products have created differentiation at the product stage through variants and line extensions (for example, Clinic All Clear Dandruff shampoo, Emami fairness cream, Nivea and Polo have variants for men and women), the challenge still remains in ensuring a brand ethos which is all encompassing and not influenced by gender.
However, categories like cars, mobile phones, insurance, etc. do not divide consumers into demographic groups when creating a product, atleast not in the traditional sense. Every product is supposed to perform a role in the lives of the consumers. The role comes from the need(s) that the product is expected to satisfy. Hence, it makes a sense to segregate consumers on the basis of needs. Every human being, male or female, is first an individual having his/her own special needs. Take for example cars. A lot of people would assume it to be a male device. With increasing number of working women, it is as much a transport need for her as it is for men. Walk in to any parking lot or hot spot today and you would see an equal number of females driving cars. The need that the car is satisfying is that of a progressive lifestyle of the individual, be it a man or a woman.
One can observe a similar story with mobile phones. The need that the mobile phone is satisfying, in this case, is that of a big screen with a lot of features like music which makes it a unisex product.
The important thing to remember is that in today’s competitive, ever changing environment, business must keenly aware of the emerging trends to create successful products that meet and exceed consumer needs and expectations. It is essential to stay close to the consumer to learn what is influencing them.