Chocolate is — sex?
So implies Mars, the maker of Snickers, in marketing their candy bar, Fling Chocolate Fingers.
The, er, “fingers” come wrapped in sparkly pink packaging and are touted as a “lite” candy bar women can eat without men knowing. Yes, ladies, nibbling on chocolate is a dirty little secret! God forbid we do it in public — although we could if we dared.
As Mother Jones reports, “The PR packages that went out to media outlets contained sheer T-shirts that read ‘Try It In Public,’ equating the act of women consuming sweets in front of other people with being as taboo as committing sex acts in front of them.”
Other lines include stuff like “Naughty but not that naughty” and “Pleasure yourself.” Really? I mean, really?
This effort to appeal to women blows me away. As marketing guru Michele Miller said so perfectly, “No matter how good the candy bar tastes, the taste of the Fling campaign may end up getting the middle finger from female consumers.”
Thanks for the trackback, Lynn. Yes, just when I think that the “marketing to women” topic may be getting old, a company pulls something like this. I think our work may never be finished!
Michele, thanks for commenting and also for your book, The Soccer Mom Myth. It’s on my bookshelf right now – I’ve learned much from it.
I agree with you. While the idea of “marketing to women” is sometimes debated, campaigns like this just go to prove the value of truly connecting with female consumers. Hot pink, sparkles and lame sexual lines don’t cut it.
I shudder to think of the time, money and energy invested in this absurd marketing plan. It seems pretty clear no women were actively involved in the launch of this monstrosity.
I think nothing irks me more than marketing campaigns directed at women, launched under the assumption that women have the minds of men. Seriously. This is disgusting. (And I’ve now read several articles that have covered this product with the same thoughts! Bet Mars is living with regret.) Thanks Lynn for working to remind the world how educated, well-rounded, and perceptive women really are!