BlogHer - Part 2: Whose laundry Is It Anyway? - Comments

It is worth doing a little

Kelly_Cutler — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:10:13 -0500

It is worth doing a little research into the appliance that you are
purchasing to find out how it has been performing for other users. For
example, if you purchase a Whirlpool appliance with authentic Whirlpool parts and it has a good reputation for reliability then a service agreement might not be an expense that is worth your while.

Lesbian Laundry Issues

Denise — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 08:33:27 -0500

Washers and folders, sigh. It's a problem in my lesbian relationship. My partner prefers to do neither of these and it is annoying.

Maybe whirlpool knows dykes are simply a lost cause when it comes to laundry? We prefer laundry mountains rather than folding?

~Denise

Lesbians do laundry, too

drudolph — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 23:55:29 -0500

Hmm. Whirlpool asks people to "email your first and last name, email address, gender, phone number and whether you believe you are a 'washer' or a 'folder,' to the appropriate address below."

Shouldn't they also ask sexual orientation? Or don't they believe lesbians and gay men do laundry? Oh, that's right. We dykes don't wash our flannel shirts. They look more rugged that way. And gay men send everything out to be dry cleaned.

Granted, Whirlpool rated a perfect 100 in HRC's Corporate Equality Index of LGBT-friendliness last year, so the assumption of heterosexuality seems an oversight. Or maybe their findings that "washers" tend to seek out "folders" (and vice versa) didn't wash (!) for the LGBT community.

Regardless of sexual orientation, though, this seems like a silly marketing idea.

Mombian: Sustenance for Lesbian Moms
http://www.mombian.com

Thanks

Marianne Richmond — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 23:40:13 -0500

Glad you found them useful.
Marianne

Marianne Richmond
resonancepartnership

Good Series.

vtgirl — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 12:31:20 -0500

I've loved these posts. I don't know much about social networks -- so it is great to check out your wonderful collection of links. Thanks.

VT Girl
www.bathingsuitplaces.com

Part 2: Whose laundry Is It Anyway?

Marianne Richmond — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 12:02:47 -0500

In another laundry related social network,Â Whirlpool has announced an off-line social networking event they are calling Spin Cycle. Of course there is an online feature. The Spin Cycle theme is based upon the premise stated on PROMO that "One never knows the connections that can be made when singles get together to do the laundry." You know the one about "finding your match at the Laundromat."

As an aside, I have found it difficult these days to find a laundromat at all, even for real laundry,Â necessitated by back-from-camp disgusting sleeping bags too large (and too disgusting) for at home washers and dryers. They seemed to have gone the way of the proverbial DoDo bird. But nonetheless....

Finding Your Perfect Match author Dr. Pepper Schwartz is the host of the events. There are laundry games. One is actually called, Find Your Sole Mate. And if you don't find your sole mate, from what I understand you can still win Whirlpool Fabric Freshners and a copy of Dr. Schwartz' book.

Â Finding your perfect match, in love and laundry? They tell us that "there is a perfect someone and a perfect Whirlpool washer & dryer for you" and that if you are wondering why the "Whirlpool brand and Perfectmatch.com have teamed up, well, it is "to help you find that perfect match in both love and laundry." Of course.

Now, Whirlpool conducted a survey that had 350,000 responses and asked people if they were "folders" or "washers." The theory being that a "folder" would be most compatible in a relationship with a "washer." Now, being divorced myself, I admit possible bias on issues of compatibility, but the "folder" and "washer" theory does seem to leave out a rather large segment, "neither." Or, "tosser."

Â Andrea Learned writing about the Whirlpool event on Marketing Profs Daily Fix says that Whirlpool found that "half of Americans consider themselves "washers," most of whom are looking for a "folder" to complement their lives." Well, it does say "consider themselves." Also, as Andrea points out, Whirlpool paid for the "laundry focused" survey and as we all know, research answers must be viewed in the context of the question. At the end of her post, Andrea wondered if matchmaking and appliances were a bit of a disconnect. I would say we could start with disconnect, and then move on from there. Maybe, no-connect.

And the target?Â It would seem to be single people since it is about finding your perfect match. On their web site they say, "home-owning bachelorette or the head of a blended family." The head of a blended family? I thought blended family meant what resulted when two formerly married people with children from previous marriages, got married. Well, the promotion is called Spin Cycle.

To participate, "Guests will be required to register for a free basic Perfectmatch.com membership." So, to review:Â Register with an online dating service, go to an event and play some networking games; sing karaoke duets and "tinker" with the Whirlpool Duet Washer and Dryer; and faster than you can say, "Is this for real?" people will make emotional connections?Â

Well, some people think so. Audrey Reed-Granger, director of marketing at Whirlpool says, "As part of that connection, Whirlpool is expecting people to find their perfect match in love and in laundry in that one evening,"

And there you have it. One upon a time in marketing,Â there were two kinds of people, folders and washers......and they lived happily every after with their perfect matches knowing that now that Whirlpool owns Maytag, theÂ Maytag repairman would not be so darn lonely.

Tags: Whirlpool, Maytag, Spin Cycle, social media, social networks,Perfectmatch.com, Pepper Schwartz, Audrey Reed-Granger, Marianne Richmond, Andrea Learned