Filed under: Babies, Comment, Corporate Evil, Cunning, Daddyhood, Pretentious Rubbish
Maybe pram advertising has been horrendous for decades.
Maybe I only started noticing it because I recently became a father.
[As you can see here and here]
But whatever the reason … the way they market their products makes me ill.
I’m not saying it’s not effective because, let’s face it, lots and lots of people buy it … but what really fucks me off is that they never talk about the baby, just the contrived lifestyle and status cues it represents.
The latest example of their fucked-up thinking is this …
Yes, it’s supposedly a pram for parents who run.
Except it isn’t is it … because if it was, they’d do more than just create a tricycle, they’d fit it with things a parent who runs would value.
Like a tripometer.
Or a drinks holder.
Or an alliance with someone like NIKE.
Or technology that connects to your smartphone to give you valuable data.
Or something that keeps your kid amused – and safe – while you take them out on the busy streets and roads because life is all about you, isn’t it. You selfish dick.
But they don’t because this pram isn’t really for parents who run, it’s for people who want to convey a lifestyle image that doesn’t include being seen as a good, caring, parent.
I cannot tell you how much I utterly hate how this category conducts itself.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s others who are equally as bad, but there’s something about this industry than feels even dirtier than banks … and that is saying something.
But what gets me is how they seem to think people should have multiple prams to satisfy different needs in their day.
The pram you push when you want to exercise.
The pram you push when you need to ‘off-road’.
The pram you push when you need to attend that fashionable party.
WHO THE FUCK ARE THESE PEOPLE!???
Seriously, if I ever met someone who actually bought multiple prams for lifestyle requirements, I think I’d report them to the authorities … though to be fair, that’s much nicer than what I’d do if I ever met a marketing director at a pram company.
24 Comments
They’re strollers, not prams.
Comment by Billy Whizz January 28, 2016 @ 6:25 amwho the fuck do you think you are? doddsy?
Comment by andy@cynic January 28, 2016 @ 7:05 amI’m surprised you guys use the word stroller if only for the fact “pram” would be easier to spell.
Comment by Rob January 28, 2016 @ 8:00 amAnd you’re nowhere near the cutting edge of stroller marketing https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/smartbe-intelligent-stroller#/
Comment by John January 28, 2016 @ 6:28 amEat your heart out, Jonny Ive!
Comment by Ian Gee January 28, 2016 @ 6:41 amWhen I see the most expensive one has been sold, I’ll know who bought it.
Comment by DH January 28, 2016 @ 6:51 amIt sounds like a reconfigured Sinclair C5. Even I wouldn’t buy that. Well, I wouldn’t buy it nowadays.
Comment by Rob January 28, 2016 @ 8:01 amHang around baby places much Doddsy?
Comment by Billy Whizz January 28, 2016 @ 6:53 amthought the court order stopped you doing that doddsy.
Comment by andy@cynic January 28, 2016 @ 7:05 amNope. Too busy staying in touch with the tech zeitgeist and attending positivity seminars.
Comment by John January 28, 2016 @ 7:06 amno wonder campbell likes you.
Comment by andy@cynic January 28, 2016 @ 7:08 amI like marketing directors of pram companies. They piss you off and make your posts enjoyable to read. Thank you Otis for making this all happen. And Jill.
Comment by DH January 28, 2016 @ 6:52 amthis is made for a runner who has a baby, not for a parent who wants to run.
Comment by ed lee January 28, 2016 @ 6:55 amI get no one wants to read his posts but that is what Rob said in the first place.
Comment by DH January 28, 2016 @ 6:58 amanother wannabe doddsy. campbell wrote “parents who run” not “parents who want to run” which means runners with babies not fucking parents who want to get rid of their post pregnancy bulge.
Comment by andy@cynic January 28, 2016 @ 7:07 amThe product may be designed for runners with babies but that does not mean they are the core audience purchasing it. Few drivers of 4×4 vehicles enjoy off-roading or even adventure, it is the association that attracts them more than the actual activity.
Comment by George January 28, 2016 @ 7:21 amPrams were designed to transport kids around. The way they are marketed is like they’re pieces of jewelry or designer fashion. It’s been a very successful strategy for them, but it’s also why I don’t believe they’ve been developed to truly appeal to the runner. Especially when you see how little features they’ve added that would truly appeal and benefit them.
Comment by Rob January 28, 2016 @ 8:09 amI believe the correct term for what is making you so angry, is “marketing”.
Comment by George January 28, 2016 @ 7:22 amGold.
Comment by DH January 28, 2016 @ 7:33 amPoacher turned keeper.
Comment by Rob January 28, 2016 @ 8:10 amYou better believe it.
Comment by George January 28, 2016 @ 8:13 amOh I do. Definitely.
Comment by Rob January 28, 2016 @ 8:29 am[…] written a bunch about my hatred of pushchair companies – hell, I wrote one just last week – but those bastards keep pushing […]
Pingback by Bugaboo Declare War On Me … | The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!] February 4, 2016 @ 6:16 amI actually know the head of marketing for one of the leading pram companies – how about I introduce you to see if you’re man enough to make good on your threat?
I think you’ll find she’s not the devil you make out. I also suspect she’ll kick your ass if it came to blows.
could be great fun. I’m game. Are you?
Comment by Bernard February 5, 2016 @ 5:01 am