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| Badass Girls - what's not to love? |
I appreciate a good commercial. I do. As a former marketer I admire how GoldieBlox has so successfully tapped into the desire for parents of girls (and, I think for grown women) to see toy manufacturers create products other than dolls or princess crap.
But before everyone runs away with efforts to get the Girls commercial aired during the Superbowl, I wonder how many people have actually tried the GoldieBlox products? Because it pains me to tell you that we have -- and guys: neither my six-year-old nor I thought they were that great. It was cranks, spools, and some things that spin, all tied together with a somewhat confusing narrative that wasn't terribly compelling. Nor was the building process that engaging. My daughter gave it a half hour a couple times, then she was done.
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| World of meh. |
We should be careful (or at least aware) of when our frustrations and aspirations are being co-opted for the aim of selling a product. Not that I'm saying GoldieBlox has some evil agenda. But they are not in the business of creating girl-power content. They are in the business of selling toys. Girl-power content is just a means to that end.
It's like the great capitalist trifecta when the product, message, and need all sync up to something socially positive. But in this case I feel like the need and message are galloping off into the sunset, while the product sort of limps along behind.
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| Rainbow Loom genius at work! |
When it comes to providing play opportunities that engage my daughter's interest and help spur her cognitive development, I'll be putting my family's dollars into Rainbow Loom and Legos, and turning down the volume on today's catchy viral commercial.
