Zappo: Sexist Marketing Ploy Or Brilliant Viral Humor?

Women need to shop where they receive respect. Women need to buy only the shoes they need. Many people are bare foot in this world so excessive shoe buying calls to mind selfish, greedy people like Imelda Marcos. Spiky heels and excessively pointed toes are good only as weapons if you think you are going to find yourself in a dangerous position. It is silly to not be able to run like hell if you are in that position. Mr. Hsieh is chuckling in his sleeve to think of the joke he has pulled over on all the silly women who buy his product. Oh, and we call him Tony because he is just one of the fellows.

Humor is a mirror and I see myself reflected back by it.

Whatever I read in Zappo's t-shirt and how I react is a reflection of me.  

If I pay attention I can see the humor and what it mirrors me.
I coud have a quick look and NOT see the price tag and miss the fun and get upset.

But that is with most things in life, if I am too quick with my opinion or judgment I miss the fun or the point.

Once you see the price tag you know that not many men can afford to meddle with wife's spending anyway, so let the ones who do pay heavily for it :)

I don't think it is mean spirited or insulting, at least that is not mirrored back to me.

However that is the risk you take with humor; being read in many different ways is its price tag.

Wilma Ham

www.wilmasblog.com ( http://www.wilmasblog.com/ )

MY husband is far more passionate about shoes than I am.  He's got a closet full of them, and he drags me through 400 shoe stores at a time before he finds the "perfect" pair.  And no... he's really, really not gay, he just loves cool shoes.  I bought him a pair of red Chuck Taylors for Christmas and you'd have thought I bought him an red MG.

I'm not personally offended, necessarily, but I do think that Tony is playing a dangerous game of sexist marketing.  I also have to wonder what kind of husband would pay $50,000 to stop his wife from spending $100?  Sounds to me like HE'S the one who needs his Zappo's account disabled.

The Feminist Breeder http://thefeministbreeder.typepad.com/

The Hobee's restaurant near me has a children's menu. Most items range from $3-$6, and they represent the usual kids' menu fare. But down at the bottom we have

"Liver & Onions. With Brussels sprouts, broccoli, eggplant and lots of beets: $29.95."

Sassymonkey above asks "remove the price and is it still funny?" I don't know. But with the kids' menu item there is a case of the humour being pointed to by the price. It might still be funny without the "29.95", but that price there is the signal that this is meant as a joke. It also perpetuates a stereotype about kids not liking to eat certain things. But with the price attached I think it IS funny, even if without the price it isn't (or is less so.)

So, maybe some would feel the same about the t-shirt. The pricetag is a vital part of what makes it funny, because it indicates that the offer is not serious at all (although I imagine Zappo's would have to honour it if someone actually made the request). So, perhaps there's a chance it's funny. Or rather, the fact that it's unfunny without the pricetag isn't as clear an indication that it's not funny ever as it seems to be.

http://backpackingdad.blogspot.com ( http://backpackingdad.blogspot.com/ )

I HATE when I get uppity about something that should just be funny. (I guess because I don't want to fall into that OTHER female stereotype of being over-sensitive.)

---
Kristy Sammis
BlogHer's Conference & Event Planner
e. kristy@blogher.com

I didn't think of those points at the time, but you're absolutely right.  Your customers should be in on the joke, not the brunt of it.

The subtext of the message becomes, "Sure women are our primary customers, but only because we [men] let them." 

That is the insulting part.

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/megan-smith )

Megan's Minute ( http://www.megansminute.com/ )
( http://twoliablog.com/video-runway/ )

I'd like to think we're all adult enough to see the obvious humor in this (a $50K T-shirt and a promise to disable your wife's Zappos account?). I thought it was hysterical. And I'm a feminist. And I love shoes. I also get stereotypes and why they're oftentimes effective marketing ploys. But apparently we in this country are still afflicted with over-think on stunts like this. We all need to lighten up and buy more cute shoes...

I'm the Bad Home Cook ( http://www.badhomecooking.com ), and I'm going to BlogHer '09 come hell or high water!

Julie Tilsner

I love that Tony replied. I generally love how Zappos totally gets social media.

And sure, I get that this just taps into old, lame stereotypes: men control the purse-strings (because women can't control their spending), and girls love their shoes.

*Note: I was actually way more offended by Tony's response about the electronics buying stuff. Women make a majority of those purchasing decisions, too. He may be right about current trends regarding who's more passionate about what, but I am confident those trends are changing.

Here's what I really don't like, though: from a marketing perspective, let's assume that a majority of Zappos shoppers are female. Why create a joke product MAKING FUN OF them? Why not make a funny or irreverent shirt SUPPORTING them? Why (potentially) piss off your base? THAT is what feels sexist to me.

The subtext of the message becomes, "Sure women are our primary customers, but only because we [men] let them."

It's biting the hand that feeds them.

Alternates that are irreverent (and sure, wrong) for entirely different reasons:

"I created a secret bank account just to shop at Zappos."

"My husband and I have three bank accounts. One for him, one for me, and one for Zappos."

"I told my husband that Zappos is the name of my gym."

Again, wrong -- but at least this way the women/customers are the ones in on the joke, not the butt of it.

---

Kristy Sammis

BlogHer's Conference & Event Planner

e. kristy@blogher.com

Not hysterical funny, but I chuckled.  I think in terms of the $50K price tag, it's obvious that it's absurd and a joke.  I think women  further the whole shoe shopping stereotype as well.  It's sort of odd that we feel that as long as we're the ones making the joke it's ok, but as soon as someone else does, we're bothered by it.  Zappos has accomplished exactly what it set out to do; get attention directed to its brand.  We're bringing it more attention right here. Isn't that what marketing is supposed to do?

I'm not offended in anyway.  Like anyone could control my wallet anyway. Ha!

Christine
It's My World.  Welcome To It.
Blog: http://www.colormepink.com
Jewelry Blog: http://www.starbrightjewels.com/blog

When I saw it I just felt bad for Zappos. It tries too hard to be funny and controversial, and fails. Such an old school caveman message about shoe shopping, girls and marriage, and such an obvious viral gimmick.

Plus, it really runs down their brand. Makes Zappos sound like an expensive habit (during a recession?) makes the company sound like it is run by young, inexperienced men with frat humor, and makes it sound like they are looking to expand their reach with straight male consumers over 60. Huh? Did they hire Jackie Gleason for PR? Or maybe they've been watching too much Mad Men.

I love your question, though, about whether humor can be be effective when it is insulting or even mean spirited. I think so, but you have to do it well. Zappos just didn't.

Deb
www.debontherocks.com ( http://www.debontherocks.com/ )blog
www.3smartgirlz.com ( http://www.3smartgirlz.com/ ) consulting

This reminds me of the shock I experienced this summer on a trip to the UK where I discovered the Yorkie candy bar. Emblazoned on every wrapper was, "It's not for girls!" I was confused, and surprised. That's just not the sort of campaign we'd have in North America, I thought.

Man, oh man... I don't know. I think that as someone who doesn't shop at Zappos, and likely wouldn't anyway, it doesn't really bother me - but I can see how it would others. I can also see how some would find it funny.

Personally, I can make fun of myself for fitting right into that stereotype of a woman who loves my shoes. Granted, I haven't gotten to buy a new pair of shoes in a LONG time - and when I do I have to do so very frugally (think >$100 per pair and anything over $50 had better be pretty farking NICE) but I still throrougly enjoy my shoe collection. And I allow my husband to crack jokes about it. 

So, in that light - as a woman who fits into the stereotype, has a sense of humor about it, AND allows my husband to make jokes about it.... I guess I'm not really offended. *And* the guy even says that they offer different options - husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc. 

I think I would be more offended if I saw someone actually spending that kind of money for the shirt than anything else. THAT would piss me off.

I think that's pretty darn funny. My husband would think that's hilarious. I like it when corporations don't take themselves too seriously. Sometimes people can get too worked up.

Like it.

suzi

I'm bein' o-pressed!

Seriously, though?  I laughed my freakin' butt off.  The price tag on the shirt doesn't even matter, it's just plain funny.  It shows that there are real people working at that Zappos instead of beauracratic drones ruled by a jumpy, over-sensitive HR department.

He likes to make jokes about me making him turkey pot pies. Or how he controls the money, when in reality our relationship is nothing like that. Which is why it's funny, because it's so very untrue.

So it's possible I am totally desensitized to this sort of humor. Of course I would never allow him to crack those sorts of jokes in front of our kids...he only does it with me. And really the punchline is how I am way too strong and independent, thus making it funnier.

Now, does that translate to mass advertising?

If my daughter were old enough to read the tshirt as I type this, would I be worried?

hmmmmm

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain ( http://queenofspainblog.com/ )

It's kind of like announcing you're writing a book about Jesus in present day and he happens to support abortion and gay marriage---something writer James Frey is doing ( http://gawker.com/5111796/in-james-freys-next-book... ).

It's guaranteed to cause controversy, and get publicity, and sell books...or in this case, shoes.  And whatever else Zappos sells.

I'm not but so insulted by it because I think it's nothing more than a big old marketing ploy to kick off the New Year. 

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/megan-smith )

My Personal Blog:  Megan's Minute ( http://www.megansminute.com/ )

( http://twoliablog.com/video-runway/ )

And my thing is this - remove the price and is it still funny? What if it cost $1000? Or $100? Or $10?

Personally, and it's just my opinion, but I wouldn't find it funny at $10. So why should I find it funny at $50K? It's not the money it costs, it's the message. And the message sucks.

Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca/ ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca/ ).

If anyone takes the notion of a $50k t-shirt seriously, they clearly have bigger emotional problems to worry about than "the oppression of feminism"--that's for sure.

Do you know what happens when a company you really really like does something that really really bugs you... you spend about 24 hours trying to figure out how to nicely tell them that they really really bugged you.

That's where I am with Zappos.

I really and truly like the company. I'm not a shoe buyer. I've probably never spent more than $50 on their site. I carry the free Zappos duffle bags I got at BlogHer 07 with me every time I travel and I am always HAPPY to say "look at Zappos" when someone is looking for shoes.

But. This marketing stunt, and that's what I believe it to be, bugs me and Tony's rationalization about their press release bugs me just as much.

I don't want you to stereotype me. I don't want you to stereotype anyone. Not even to be funny. You can be funny without stereotyping anyone.

That whole women love shoes, husbands need to control their wives thing... that wasn't cutting edge, that was old, old, old school.

Try again, Zappos. Pretty please. I don't want to have to bury my Zappos bags in the bottom of a box and stop recommending you to my friends and family members (who do buy shoes - a lot of shoes.)

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings ( http://www.flamingohouse.net/ )