3iying is back!

The girls of 3iying are back and better/stronger/faster than ever. With almost 200 "flips" on Youtube, they're certainly making a huge splash. AdAge has an article featuring the nascent agency, and they're making waves in the blogosphere as well.

I had the opportunity to meet Heidi Dangelmaier in August as well as some of the awesome women behind 3iying. They've got strong ideas and incredible drive-- there's no doubt that Heidi's assembled a great team of young minds. The question is, will the ad world listen to them? After all, we're talking about an industry that talks all the time about change and challenging the status quo, but we rarely see much of either (instead it's more of the same).

As Alisha (below) notes, we're soooo not into that!




One potential issue with the "flips?" You have one woman acting as the voice of an entire gender. Whether or not that's the chosen intent, it certainly comes across that way. While Alisha's opinion is hard to argue with (who would want to be leered at?), it's a little trickier to make a :30 universal judgment on other ads, especially PSA's. Maria's thoughts on this anti-rape ad represent just one voice. I can see where she's coming from, but it still conveys valuable information for teens/young women. It'll be important to avoid coming off as shrill... Not to mention, are there any positive ads out there? According to all of the "flips," not a one works.

Time will tell if all of the media attention and YouTube "flips" land any clients for the 3iying team. They're adept at pointing out the problems when marketing to women and girls, but until they show they've got the solutions as well, it may be a difficult sell.

Tonka Toys: Boys Built Different?

If the Rose Petal Cottage I blogged about had a counterpart, I'll argue that it's the Tonka toys that Hasbro makes. Specifically "built for boys," I'd hate to tell little Ann or Kate that they can't take a turn too.

Trucks, cottages, and other toys that re-imagine an adult's world on a childhood scale are great. Giving kids the message that they're "built" for one thing or another... not so great. Again, Broadsheet said it best, if you want to check out their post.

I remember seeing this commercial on TV and wondering WTF... with a tagline like "Built for Boyhood," it felt vaguely reminiscent of earlier times- say... the 1960's. Before that pesky Women's Lib movement. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, I wonder what other toy commercials and websites will catch my eye this season!

Hmm.

I just stumbled upon an older post/article on MarketingProfs by Eric Kintz explaining that post frequency no longer matters as much when trying to maintain a "serious" blog with a community or following. Reading it over, it makes me wonder how NaBloPoMo will affect reader loyalty, visit length or other stats for Toxic Shock. I'll have to compare at the end of the month.

Human Sex Trafficking: "I am Elena"

Emma Thompson plays two very different roles with one shared secret in this PSA for the Helen Bamber Foundation. It's incredibly powerful stuff (I don't recommend watching before breakfast.) but what else would you expect from an Oscar winning performer? It was physically uncomfortable to watch, and really brings the point home: "Woman enslaved by sex-trafficking lose more than just their names."

Besides being shown on the Foundation's website, I hope that it's getting screen time on television somewhere as well. A lot of great PSAs are on the web, but how many people really see them (besides ad geeks passing links back and forth)?


via Adrants

Stepford Training starting young?

Salon's Broadsheet recently called attention to a new playhouse put out by Hasbro, the Rose Petal Cottage. It's cute, it's easy to assemble, and like many first homes, it comes with a stove (what, no fridge?).

However, when you go to their site, you only see girls playing with the house set. Additionally, their zeal for doing laundry and baking muffins is a little disconcerting. To echo Broadsheet's comments, why couldn't there be some less domestic activities?

One way the site *does* bring play into this modern world is the electronic wish list. Children (presumably w/ parental help?) can make and email a wish list of appliances to relatives or friends, checking off which items they already have. It'll be a few decades before these kids have a bridal registry, but I guess you can't start learning the virtues of consumerism too soon.

NaBloPoMo

So, it's November. In an effort to get back to writing regularly, I'm participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), the aim of which is to write at least one blog post a day. A lofty goal, I know, but a worth while one! So- keep checking for better links, more updates, and new content.

For instance: Slate has started a new blog, the "XX Factor," where "Slate women blog about politics, etc." I've been reading semi-regularly, and so far it's pretty good. I've particularly liked some of their posts and news items regarding Hillary's run and some of the gender-based questions it's raised (How are women voters judging her? Is she a polarizing candidate because of who she is, her gender, or both? Can we please stop analyzing her suits, her laugh, and her cleavage? The male candidates, Edwards' haircut aside, aren't subjected to nearly the same amount of superficial criticism.)

One question that came up in XX's reader reactions and comments: Does the net need another feminist or woman oriented blog? By creating a woman-only discussion space, does it foster a more intimate discussion among women writers or is continuing the stereotype that women are different: a sort of self-imposed segregation? Hmm.

Girls for Gender Equity

I'm pretty sure I've written about this before, but one of the things I absolutely abhor in NYC is street harassment. This story from NPR details a group of teens who decided to fight back w/ their own poster campaign and documentary, forming the group Girls for Gender Equity. Hopefully I can get a copy of the film, I'd love to see it (it's available on their website to purchase).