Verizon advertising says Droid is for men, Pre is for women (video)

If you ask us, the Palm Pre Plus pretty much sells itself. So if we were working out a promo campaign for it, we'd just display the competitive pricing front and center and get the hell out of the product's way. But that just wouldn't do for Verizon. After all the machismo it attached to the Droid, the wireless provider is back with a set of ads for the Pre Plus targeted at the modern lady. We're not told why two slabs of plastic and silicon with comparable sliding keyboards and similar internals must be compartmentalized by gender, but we don't really care. The new ads are crazy enough in themselves, so just go see 'em after the break.

[ReelGirl Posted Feb 5th 2010 2:43AM]

@sonicyoof

Quoted from truth. The second I saw the Pixi's commercial in comparison to the original Droid TV spots, I was worried that some people would write it off as just "The Smartphone...For Girls!" This new "Smart enough for Mom" tagline just reinforces that fear.

I know plenty of girls that dig the Droid and think that the Pixi and Pre are actually too small/plastic-y. I liked the Pixi more than the Pre and the Droid, but I loved the Droid's ad campaign because it seemed to appeal more towards a widespread customer complaint/feeling ("Everything iDon't...") than to one specific consumer base (Guys/Girls). That, and the Pre Girl freaked me out.

But as far as this ad campaign goes, if anyone watched that first commercial and wasn't at least somewhat unnerved by that lady's hair/dead-eyed stare while showing off her sticky-notes, they have no soul.

[sonicyoof Posted Feb 5th 2010 3:53AM]

@ReelGirl

Agreed. And I misread your name at first, seeing "RebelGirl" instead of "ReelGirl." Haha. I though that was cool, but then figured it out. ReelGirl is cool, too, though!

[yyandrew Posted Feb 4th 2010 6:41PM]

this is definitely going to leave a scar on the mindshare of Palm products in general ..it really is a shame too - aside from the mirror, there's nothing feminine about the Pre Plus, it really is a beast of a machine

but the Pixi, well Palm came straight out saying that it's a great "1st smartphone". Though aside from the name and lower specs, don't think that the Pixi Plus should be advertised as a women's phone as well.

[Thinker Posted Feb 5th 2010 2:43AM]

@yyandrew,

Mothers are people; there are a lot of mothers who are professionals - engineers, chemists, bankers, lawyers, etc. Yet many of these women would identify with the advertisement. I bought a Palm Pre smart phone for my wife. This is the first Ad to show how easy the Palm Pre is to use - kudos to Verizon!

[Thor e Posted Feb 5th 2010 12:44AM]

Well maybe there is a Commercial coming for guys? The Palm Pre pretty much sells itself as they say. But still it should be more honorable than this. Palm Pre is the the best touch smart phone on the market. I'm sure it will do fine. People just have to try it to see.

[JayMonster Posted Feb 5th 2010 9:27AM]

Verizon "targeted" the Droid to men... it didn't mean women didn't buy it. They may "target" the Pre at women... but that doesn't mean it will only be purchased by women. They are however, targeting a certain mindset and niche... one that while not overtly "targeted" has become a solid niche for Blackberry.... the "Soccer Mom" or "Mommy Blogger" (or dare I say... Stepford Wife). There is a solid niche of these women, that *expect* to be catered to with a good device... they are not the "air-headed, tiara wearing princesses" that buy a device "targeted" at women by being pink (if anything they revolt against pink), but are looking for something that "understands" them.

Is this a smart tact to take? Well, only time (and whether or not Palm survives) will be able to tell us for sure. As for Palm's "reputation"... well... right now they don't honestly have one. Let us be honest, the Pre, whether it is because of the fact that they were exclusive to Sprint, has a keyboard that feels like you are typing on gummi bears, or something else, has NOT be lighting the world on fire. If it can grab the imagination of a niche, it just might be enough to keep Palm going long enough to get the WebOS into another (larger screen?) device.

[clemencedane Posted Feb 5th 2010 1:20PM]

I like the Droid a lot. Does that make me a man?

[clemencedane Posted Feb 5th 2010 2:33PM]

Definitely think the freaky Stepford spokeswoman for the Pre isn't targeted to anyone except maybe Necrophiles. I turned those ads off the second the come on.