Pharrell Releases Qream Liqueur For Women, Thinks Men Will Drink It

by Libby Kane
Published July 18, 2011 in Food, New Ideas

Entertainer Pharrell has released a new “vodka-based cream liqueur” which is low-calorie, nearly lactose-free, and has about the same alcohol content as wine. Taking into account this characteristic reduction, it’s no surprise that it’s specifically for the ladies. Or, as Pharrell puts it in his interview with Rap-Up, it’s a drink “that everybody could enjoy, but women [know it is] for them.” And one more thing: It’s called Qream.

While flavored liqueur is in itself a touch feminine, the girliest thing about Qream (pronounced “cream”) is that the two flavors, strawberry and peach, come in pale bottles reminiscent of the fake perfume in our childhood Pretty Pretty Princess game. With packaging like that, we would like to ask Pharrell the following question: If this wasn’t your creation, would you drink it in public?

Following the success of Bethenny Frankel’s Skinny Girl, it’s no surprise that a beverage targeting women would take the less-is-more approach. But it strikes us as more of a beverage that everybody could enjoy rather than one that everyone will.  Seeing as ordering the liqueur would require yelling “Qream, please,” across both a bar and a thumping bass while indicating what looks like Princess Jasmine’s favorite scent, Pharrell’s best move might be to incorporate it into signature drinks—preferably those easy to pronounce and without the scurrilous name associations.

Not to hate on either Pharrell or his newest product, but if we’re going to try a new adult beverage, we’re going with Copenhagen over Qream.

Tags: For Women

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Carlsberg Copenhagen: This Beer Matches My Outfit

by Libby Kane
Published May 19, 2011 in Food, New Ideas

With the light color palette and clean lines of their newest beer, Copenhagen, Carlsberg looks to entice the quarter of all beer drinkers who are female. While the idea is a good one (why let a quarter of your market fall by the wayside?), this is an actual quote from the company’s innovation director:

“There may be situations where they are standing in a bar and want their drinks to match their style. In this case, they may well reject a beer if the design does not appeal to them.”

Yes, it must be that common “this alcohol doesn’t match my outfit” dilemma that turns many women away from beer. Not the ads portraying them as keg-providing robots. To give Carlsberg credit, though (and Fast Company makes the good point that the company is based in Denmark, one of the world’s most gender-equal countries), the packaging is beautiful—and not pink!

The “androgynous” drink, according to Adweek, won’t make an appearance Stateside—and let’s just point out that beer, not having a sex, gender, or any human biology really, would have a hard time looking androgynous—so it won’t be the new must-have accessory for American women.

Being unable to test it ourselves, we’ll have to address our European counterparts for the answer to the deciding question: How does it taste?

Tags: For Women, marketing with women in mind

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At Least It Isn’t Pink

by Jen Drexler
Published May 5, 2011 in Tech

So this week word leaked that Verizon is testing an Android smartphone intended for women. How did it leak? Well someone revealed they are doing focus groups with women in their 20-30s around the country to vet the phone. Note to marketers: Think twice about the perfunctory release respondents sign at your focus groups. Might want to tighten up security

Here is what we know:
It will be green in color b/c green is soothing
It will have a rubber back so it is easier to grip
It will have apps (well, it is a smartphone, right?)
The wallpaper will be calming
Has some cool accessories like a wireless charging dock that has speakers (a la an iHome unplugged)
Car speaker and matching bluetooth headset

Here is what I don’t understand:
Why is this for women versus for people? Wouldn’t men also like a soothing phone with a no slip grip?

The only feature which is more distinctly female is the cool light up charm that attaches to the phone with a strap. It lights up when there is a call or a new message. Now this is really smart for women. If you are wondering why … look over at the table of women having dinner together on a Thursday night. I bet that their phones are on the table in case the babysitter or their teenager needs to call. Because women don’t keep their phones in their pockets like men we don’t hear or feel our phones ring. So we put them out on the table so we can see if someone has called or texted. This visual cue would alleviate the anxiety about missing an important call. I’m guessing a really intuitive engineer figured this one out.

So what do you think? Do women need phones made just for them?

Tags: Android, For Women, Verizon

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