Of Bears And Men
To add to Yvonne DiVita’s recent post on the Top 50 retailing sites mentioned in the December issue of Internet Retailer , I wanted to mention Vermont Teddy Bear . First, this one interests me because it is located just down the road. Second, since I first heard of the company, I have been fascinated by their ability to so successfully reach the men’s market.
When I first heard about their huge Valentine’s promo on Howard Stern’s radio show last year, I thought it was a bit odd. Then, I thought some more and realized that they were doing a great job of transparently marketing to their core end consumer for that particular “holiday,” and other "gifting" days. Many men are likely looking for a more creative present for their wives or girlfriends - one that reflects a bit more emotional meaning than the now somewhat cliched dozen roses or box of chocolate. Of course, a great place for Vermont Teddy Bear to connect with those men is where they are already “hanging out” - i.e. on the airwaves of Howard Stern’s show. While the homosexual male market is likely not listening to Howard, a lot of the other males in Vermont Teddy Bear’s core market are.
As the article in the Internet Retailer says, “the majority of the customers at Vermont Teddy Bear are men purchasing bears for women.” Interestingly, you couldn’t really tell that by the copy and images used on the site, which seem to be more geared toward women buying bears for children or friends.
So, it seems Vermont Teddy Bear is marketing transparently to men via radio, but gearing their online presence to a broader market. This use of one channel to transparently market to a specific group, while using other channels to market to your overall market, is a great way to focus in on one gender without alienating the other.
In any case, as their tagline puts it, Vermont Teddy Bear certainly gives everyone the chance to “send the creative alternative to flowers.”
December 15th, 2004 at 12:28 pm
They also spend more on radio — in particular sports radio — and most other niche retailers. They are constantly on sports radio in Boston.
December 15th, 2004 at 5:01 pm
They’ve taken the Roy Williams formula for radio, salience and frequency to new heights (actually referenced in an archival issue of Inc. magazine). They’ve done an excellent job.
By the way, Andrea — nice to know that we have yet another thing in commong (listening to Howard).