Dell for Wimmins

rainbow kirby

Morgase wrote: »

Have to say I hate healing; tried it momentarily on my druid but went back to feral dps which I enjoy far more!

I hated healing too, I played a paladin tank :pac:
It was a very common assumption that women always played healers - not necessarily true!

Morgase

midlandsmissus wrote: »

I looked at it and Ive no problem with it. Women want different things out of computers than men.

*cough* some women! *cough*

The_Conductor

midlandsmissus wrote: »

I looked at it and Ive no problem with it. Women want different things out of computers than men.

Its just not politically correct to have it 'in your face' as it were. Though of course you are right- which is why there is a market for 'Hello Kitty' laptops. Not that I can speak- seeing as I agreed to go to the Hello Kitty sculptures when they were on exhibition in Paris...... Ps- I also got one PM this morning asking me if I knew anywhere in Ireland that stocks the laptops......

midlandsmissus wrote: »

Its not like its saying 'Women! Even you stupid technophobes can now search for your favourite lipstick on your very own pink laptop!'

Perhaps not. If you have looked at any of these (there are several different ranges)- they tend to be technology obsolete pieces of over-hyped eye candy- designed to attract attention to the user of the laptop- rather than provide functionality to the user.

midlandsmissus wrote: »

It looks fairly inoffensive to me.

It would be inoffensive- if it was as powerful a laptop as those sold to everyone else. It isn't.

midlandsmissus wrote: »

Alot of things are targetted differently to men and women: chocolate for example.

Akin to the Hello Kitty laptop- chocolate is not just targetted differently to men and women- its wholly reformulated to appeal to the different genders. Chocolate targetted at men (think Yorkie bars) on average has 20-30% less sugar and 15% more solids than does chocolate targetted at women (think Dove/Galaxy chocolate) has a much higher sugar and fat content than the alternates.

Its not a case of targetting a product at a particular audience- its wholly reformulating it and selling it to a particular audience.

With respect of Dell's new website- they are selling products purely on aesthetics- nothing else (its actually very difficult to find product specs). It is selling an 'image', not a product......

JC 2K3

smccarrick wrote: »

It would be inoffensive- if it was as powerful a laptop as those sold to everyone else. It isn't.

In fairness, if all you're going to use a laptop for is browsing the web, IM and using MS Office, you won't need much more than a low-mid range P4 and about 512 MB RAM, which all modern laptops will have. I don't see how it's offensive that these laptops don't have the specs of machines aimed at hardcore gamers...

The_Conductor

JC 2K3 wrote: »

In fairness, if all you're going to use a laptop for is browsing the web, IM and using MS Office, you won't need much more than a low-mid range P4 and about 512 MB RAM, which all modern laptops will have. I don't see how it's offensive that these laptops don't have the specs of machines aimed at hardcore gamers...

Its not that it doesn't have the specs of machines aimed at hardcore gamers- it has the specs of a machine from 2-3 years ago, and is relying on fancy transfers and Swaroski crystals to shift obsolete stock- thats the offensive bit.....

Chucky the tree

liah wrote: »

Still think you'd be greatly surprised, and my number isn't far off the mark.

Anyway, I prefer DoD 1.3 personally. But you probably would pwn me, I haven't touched any videogames in about seven or eight months, and even then I haven't played competitively in awhile other than to ring in scrims. Computer, while more than capable, is having an overheating issue due to lack of compound so until I can be bothered to get that fixed, gaming is out of the question for me.

If your looking for a new computer you should try here.
Della I've been told they have some pretty nice colors.

JC 2K3

smccarrick wrote: »

Its not that it doesn't have the specs of machines aimed at hardcore gamers- it has the specs of a machine from 2-3 years ago, and is relying on fancy transfers and Swaroski crystals to shift obsolete stock- thats the offensive bit.....

Machines from 2-3 years ago are fine for pretty much anything people buying these machines would want to do.

I still am failing to see why it's offensive. It's not saying anything about all women. Besides, Dell are doing nothing that the fashion industry hasn't been doing for years....

The_Conductor

JC 2K3 wrote: »

Machines from 2-3 years ago are fine for pretty much anything people buying these machines would want to do.

I still am failing to see why it's offensive. It's not saying anything about all women. Besides, Dell are doing nothing that the fashion industry hasn't been doing for years....

Essentially its a case of putting a fancy wrapper on the cheapest piece of crap you can get out the door with a reasonable expectation that someone will like the packaging..... Dell are reknowned for this (which is why their Alienware brand costs 3-4 times more than their regular computers- they actually use reputable components.......)

Its an age old marketing ploy- how much can you get for the cheapest crap possible- and how do you package it to appeal to the mass markets.......

?

Vis-a-vis the fashion industry- though I am a guy- I do regularly visit several different chains with my wife and my father-in-law (a former designer). I am appalled by the vast bulk of the trite outputted by the industry. Exactly like Dell with their computers- for the most part its a case of how much can I get for the cheapest possible crap......

I'm not cynical- I just don't appreciate companies hoodwinking customers who don't know better.

SeekUp

JC 2K3 wrote: »

It's not even that women want different things out of computers to men, but rather that there's a market out there for fashionable laptops aimed at a certain type of woman.

The rest of the Dell website is aimed at people, not just men.

But by creating this site "just" geared toward women, isn't it in essence, suggesting that the other site is just for men?

IMO, they're a massive company; they're going to do whatever they think will make money. Am I personally offended? No. Although I do think they're actively reinforcing a gender stereotype, with which I don't particularly agree. (But a jillion other companies/products do that anyway, so . . . meh. I usually roll my eyes and get upset, and then gloss over it. Not sure the desensitization is a good thing or a bad thing.)

The_Conductor

SeekUp wrote: »

But by creating this site "just" geared toward women, isn't it in essence, suggesting that the other site is just for men?

IMO, they're a massive company; they're going to do whatever they think will make money. Am I personally offended? No. Although I do think they're actively reinforcing a gender stereotype, with which I don't particularly agree. (But a jillion other companies/products do that anyway, so . . . meh. I usually roll my eyes and get upset, and then gloss over it. Not sure the desensitization is a good thing or a bad thing.)

I don't think the existence of the 'Della' site in any way implies the regular site is aimed towards men (or any group in particular). It is specifically targetting what it sees as a subsection of the market with the Della brand- in the self same manner- the Alienware site it maintains targets gamers (the only people who I know with alienware laptops are women actually).

It doesn't follow that if it has a marketing campaign aimed at women that it needs a reciprocal campaign aimed at men.

Seifer

smccarrick wrote:

It is specifically targetting what it sees as a subsection of the market with the Della brand- in the self same manner- the Alienware site it maintains targets gamers (the only people who I know with alienware laptops are women actually).

I've been thinking about this Alienware thing. First of all, a proper gamer won't play on a laptop. Even when it comes to desktops, a hardcore pc gamer will self-build.
Secondly, Alienware is essentially marketing on looks. You're paying extra for those glowing eyes. So your three friends did buy their machines based on looks.
Alienware targets poser gamers that would rather show off their machine than show they can play. Like people walking around a golf course with Nike golf clubs they can't swing.

The_Conductor

Seifer wrote: »

I've been thinking about this Alienware thing. First of all, a proper gamer won't play on a laptop. Even when it comes to desktops, a hardcore pc gamer will self-build.
Secondly, Alienware is essentially marketing on looks. You're paying extra for those glowing eyes. So your three friends did buy their machines based on looks.
Alienware targets poser gamers that would rather show off their machine than show they can play. Like people walking around a golf course with Nike golf clubs they can't swing.

Very true. I would argue that the Alienware whores at very least got half decent hardware- unlike the rest of Dell's customers (having done my time as a TSR for Dell, I have very little time for the crap they shift). Dell are the Ryanair of computers- if it works- cool, you got something cheap and cheerful (relatively), if it doesn't- you've got a mess. Just how wrong can you go on a laptop- you'd be surprised......

I agree with you about real gamers and self build- its all about getting that extra ounce of power- the extra speed, the lowest latency, the lowest lag...... Most people do go the extra mile with their cases though- its not all thermal dynamics....

Re: the poncey golfers with the Nike gear- sod them. I'd much rather watch someone with their antique irons who knows what they're doing- or at least providing a bit of enjoyment for themselves and their partner, than look at the flashy gits in their new gear.

Elle Victorine

This kind of advertising across teh board gets my goat! Have any of you seen that add about the oven cleaner? It was so horrificly sexist towards men that I felt like throwing my shoe at the screen!


But what annoys me about sites in general is a load of gender stereotypes like if I want to buy a t-shirt for a programme that has predominantly male viewers, they either won't have anything for women or what they do have is rubbish! ANd they are always babydoll t-shirts that are just redundant to most figures I've seen them on.:mad:

And what gets me more about this dell thing is that maybe guys want to have a specific design on their laptop too. Is there an option to do other covers for them etc?

amacachi

Elle Victorine wrote: »

And what gets me more about this dell thing is that maybe guys want to have a specific design on their laptop too. Is there an option to do other covers for them etc?

As far as I know ya can get a design painted on any Dell laptop for a little over a hundred quid.

I don't see a massive problem with what Dell are doing. If they put a disclaimer on the site along the lines of "Are you the kind of woman who'll pay 4 times more for a beauty product that has the same ingredients as another but comes in a nicer package? If so, why not pay more for a laptop with a nicer package!".
As I already said there are designs featured site-wide. It's a pretty silly state of affairs, but it's a fairly smart move from Dell. Women who are techies know what they want in a computer, and those who want something pretty now have a section of the site to themselves.

Photojoe

Morgase wrote: »

My boyfriend just sent me this link to a section of the Dell website (to get a rise out of me I think!).

Dell for Wimmins

I'm having some difficulty trying to figure out if they are for real with having a separate section of the Dell site for women. Can they be serious about using phrases such as these when advertising their netbooks:

"Choose the color and size that suit you best – then tote your lightweight, adorable Mini along day and night so you can keep up with your email, IMs, videos and music."

The emphasis in the descriptions of the various models is all to do with the colours available and the styles - the specs of the model are just an aside.

Surely us women wouldn't be interested in the specs at all? No! Obviously the colour is far more important.

Ok rant over.

Don't doubt marketing. That is what women want. Same with cars and hundreds of other consumer goods. The average woman is vacuous and image concious unfortunately.

Photojoe

Elle Victorine wrote: »

This kind of advertising across teh board gets my goat! Have any of you seen that add about the oven cleaner? It was so horrificly sexist towards men that I felt like throwing my shoe at the screen!


But what annoys me about sites in general is a load of gender stereotypes like if I want to buy a t-shirt for a programme that has predominantly male viewers, they either won't have anything for women or what they do have is rubbish! ANd they are always babydoll t-shirts that are just redundant to most figures I've seen them on.:mad:

And what gets me more about this dell thing is that maybe guys want to have a specific design on their laptop too. Is there an option to do other covers for them etc?

I love being in the company of women who laugh at those ads. The joke is on them really as they are the ones who clean the oven and their only compensation is they get to laugh at some stupid guy on the tv.

dfx-

Simple solution: Dell and all other manufacturers should make all their computers in off-white/cream again, the most inoffensive, a-sexual, plain and least individual colour in the known universe. And so ticks all the right boxes. :cool: .....

amacachi

dfx- wrote: »

Simple solution: Dell and all other manufacturers should make all their computers in off-white/cream again, the most inoffensive, a-sexual, plain and least individual colour in the known universe. And so ticks all the right boxes. :cool: .....

I think Apple probably have that patented.

Macha

Thought ye might be interested they're discussing this over on contexts.org (love this site):

http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/05/12/dell-reaches-out-to-women-with-the-same-tired-stereotypes/#comments

The point that I would take out of the discussion is that it's so completely unnecessary. Apple manage to promote their sleek, stylish, portable hardware with different skins, etc without resorting to lazy gendered ideas like Dell. *yawn*

Wibbs

Photojoe take the weekend off from this forum, read the charter and acquaint yourself with the spirit of this forum, where comments like that are not appreciated.

Lia_lia

Haha, that's ridiculous. I'll keep my mac, thanks.

Dragan

liah wrote: »

It's offensive because it's gender specific. If it were saying that on the regular dell site instead of creating an entire whole new one, fine. But it's specifically created an entirely new subsite targeting women as if they're all bimbos.

That's what I've the problem with.

Oh dear Lord, we really are running away with ourselves these days.

It's ADVERTISING ffs.

Sleipnir

<snip>

Actually, that might not be taken in the spirit in which it was intended!


[RUNS AWAY]

Kinetic^

Nice move by Dell.............pause.............not! How could they make such a big mistake?! /facepalm

Macha

Dragan wrote: »

Oh dear Lord, we really are running away with ourselves these days.

It's ADVERTISING ffs.

Advertising can't be offensive?

Dragan

taconnol wrote: »

Advertising can't be offensive?

It's the same argument i put forth all the time when advertising comes up. It works. Plain and simple. There are FAR more women who will respond positively to this than negatively. It would have been a very carefully planned marketing move, based off trends and research from the last number of years.

Hundreds and hundreds of companies have done similar things during the boom, when more and more women were both working and have more and more disposable income at younger and younger ages.

I recently purchased a piece of musical tech called a Kaossilator, it comes in an equally bad yellow or pink colour.

Plenty of people of women out there who are about as tech savvy as Grizzly Ben and who like the colour pink. I honestly don't see the problem with marketing in this manner, nor do i see the issue with marketing to people who like pink and don't really give a **** about anything else.

It's a viable market, why do people think it's not and why get offended because there is someone else in the Consumosphere ( still TM'd by me Wibbs ) who likes different products that we do.

This is not dumbing down women, it's responding to the base level of interest that people have in a niche market. Thats it. These people exist and respond to this **** with a cash value, if anything we should be upset about that.

Piste

To be perfectly honest I clicked that link and said "oh wow those laptops look really cool I want one"



Anyone who thinks I'm vaccuous because of it can fúck right off. I like pretty things, I'm not ashamed of it.

JC 2K3

Dragan wrote: »

It's the same argument i put forth all the time when advertising comes up. It works. Plain and simple. There are FAR more women who will respond positively to this than negatively. It would have been a very carefully planned marketing move, based off trends and research from the last number of years.

...

This is not dumbing down women, it's responding to the base level of interest that people have in a niche market. Thats it. These people exist and respond to this **** with a cash value, if anything we should be upset about that.

QFT.

I think some people on here are looking at this site with a similar perspective to this:


Just because it's aimed at some women doesn't mean it's saying all women have no idea about computers and just want something that looks nice.

Macha

Dragan wrote: »

It's the same argument i put forth all the time when advertising comes up. It works. Plain and simple. There are FAR more women who will respond positively to this than negatively. It would have been a very carefully planned marketing move, based off trends and research from the last number of years.

We've had this discussion before but I'll say again, just because it works, doesn't mean it should be allowed. Using this logic, most regulations should be removed because they act as limits to free-market capitalism and from businesses maximising their profits.

Advertising of cigarettes, alcohol, fast food etc are curbed due to their negative impacts. If we accept that advertising can have negative impacts and should be limited in some cases, then it's just a matter of which cases to apply it to.

A lack of regulation in this area (as in most areas) leads to the negative impacts of the advertising (or any other commercial activity) to be externalised to the rest of society to deal with. I'm sure Dell don't have to deal with the negative impacts of stereotypes in advertising and so there is no reason for them to stop. And unless they are forced to, through regulation, they won't.

I don't personally see clamping down on advertising as the solution, but the education of children on how to read between the lines with these images. At the moment, I don't think that really happens and so many children carry on into adulthood accepting these messages at face value.

Dragan

taconnol wrote: »

I don't personally see clamping down on advertising as the solution, but the education of children on how to read between the lines with these images. At the moment, I don't think that really happens and so many children carry on into adulthood accepting these messages at face value.

I agree with everything you said, but i honestly fail to see the negative image in this advertising.

Should women not be allowed to be tech iliterate and like pink? Honestly, that is about the only thing i am getting from this thread as being the issue with the actual Dell site in question.