Men's Journal ranks SpydeRench best multitool

[clipiteer]

Not sure what issue, but it was under the "must have" things or something like that.

[sal]

Thanx for the info. The tool was just featured in a couple of men's magazines recently as well.

sal

[Joyce Laituri]

Hi Clipiteer,

Thanks...we just discovered that at the Outdoor Retailer Show last weekend! Any ideas from you forumites how to get the 'womens market' interested in such things?
Joyce

Edited by - Joyce Laituri on 8/21/2001 9:04:46 AM

[Tightwad]

Joyce, How to get women interested ??? Have a look at what Leatherman did with the "Juice"
model that is about to come out on the market. A smaller "tool" such as this with implements
that women want in it would attract the ladies I'm sure. The SAK is close but it's still a GUY
tool. Nobody that I know of has really looked at a "tool" for ladies. Do they need screwdrivers?
Do they need fingernail working tool's? Do they need string cutters. Do they need a very fine
needle nose for delicate work?? I think you might get the idea. a guy tool customized for
ladies. I know my wifes purse would be lighter.

I saw the article mentioned above as well, and thought it was well presented in the context of the magazine and it's audience. The fact that it was not an ad, but presented as one of several 'cool new high-end gadgets' will help keep the idea of a knife(Spyderco) in the mental catalog of even the currently non-knife person.

I think that a similar approach for womens magazines would work as well. Like articles that are written by an author (woman)with a name and repected opinion (and not a general advertisment) that lines up several new handy little attractive looking items that women should consider having because etc. etc. . .
I notice that ads, unless fullpage are easily dismissed as 'that's not for me' ,skip. However articles with a personality and not biased to a particular company's products(like ads) that explain how this product/knife fits into your particular lifestyle and can make it better will stick in peoples minds better.
For the record, I work in an advertising/promotions agency, so I'm not knocking knife ads, just saying that ads work best for the demographic that already wants a knife and is looking. For non-knife men and women, a quarter page ad probably won't a) command enough attention and b) won't have enough space to describe how a knife could benefit and fit into a non-knife persons lifestyle. How many people will actually read a long, copy heavy ad? as opposed to a fun article?

I pretty much don't even read knife ads in magazines anymore. I already know what I want and usually know more about the product I want than the ad is telling me, just like a lot of people here(forums) probably do as well.

I'm not much into the mechanical tweeking of cars, so when a friend of mine shows me ads of the newest upgrade parts and high performance ad-ons etc. I have no clue how this will make my life better, I don't yet have the 'interest'. Selling high-end knives via ads, in Sports Compact magazine might not be that hard. The audience is already thirsting for high performance machines and the ad could use that angle of 'fast, precision, smooth performance, etc.', but could highend car parts be sold in Tactical knives or Blade magazine? it's a hard sell, I'd think. Point being, I see knives in womens magazines like car parts in Blade magazine. It needs to trickle up interest and relevance to the paricular group. Luckily, modern men and women overlap alot of common interest in gadget type items, such as cell phones, watches, eyewear, palm pilot type systems, etc. Knives just need to squeeze into that catagory at every opportunity in product line ups.
IMHO.

Ken

[The Stare]

I'm sure KenN knows far more about advertising than I ever will. Just have a couple points to raise.

IMO, the knife world is not making hay while the sun shines on custom makers like Audra Draper and Dellana.

The fact that a lady so beguiling as Audra is a Master Smith I believe could have some real mileage made from it. Of course, it might help if she made more knives intended specifically for women, instead of users, which she learned from Ed Fowler.

Dellana makes art knives at a high level. She too is fetching enough to make a good subject for a print or video feature article. I don't want to sound chauvenistic, but I believe that female makers with a noteworthy level of "feminine charms" would be easier to "sell" than a lady who resembled a sore elbow, however talented she might be.

Maybe that is antiquated thinking. If so, I apologize. I do think though that as knives in general seem to be downsizing a bit, that attracting potential female customers might be easier than it would be with a SIFU or Chinook.

It also seems to me realistic to go after the females who are already involved in outdoor sports/avocations, like runners, triathletes, climbers, etc. I know if my daughter suddenly decided to be a runner, I'd equip her with a small knife that could be of real value self-defense-wise.

WHile Spyderco already has a large # of smaller knives, I think that knives like the Kershaw Chive, and the little SOG knife that is clear plastic handled -- sorry, can't remember much -- are going to be quite popular, particularly with the kinder gender.

I believe I'd try to market something primarily for women, but still useful enuff men would also buy it.

Stare