I’m trying to explain a point about target marketing to a class, and need some examples of things that have completely different uses and might be sold in completely different types of stores or might have different audiences. For example:
[ul]
[li]Ping-pong balls (for young people who play ping-pong or frat dudes who play beer pong)[/li][li]Pedialyte (for infants with diarrhea or for college kids with hangovers)[/li][li]Handcuffs (for law enforcement or for kinky sex)[/li][/ul]
Except that these might be a bit controversial for me to show to students of high school age (it’s for a summer course). Any examples are good for my future use, but I am particularly interested in any that don’t have sexual or drug overtones. Any help?
Avon skin so soft started out as a skin lotion but then people found it would keep bugs away. Now they market it as a bug repellent as well as a skin lotion.
The same ingredient, diphenhydramine, is found in Tylenol PM/Simply Sleep type products and in Benadryl. There is often a significant price difference (greater than a dollar) between even the generic versions of what is the exact same dose.
KY Jelly: medical lubricant for catheters, suppositories, etc… or sex lube. This one is less “completely different uses” and more “different target consumers.”
Crazy Glue: I imagine the poster is referring to its use as a repair adhesive and as a surgical adhesive.
…every year around Halloween in my pharmacy, Flents ships a few displays of their eye patches, normally sold to hold eye bandages, in a themed display touting them as part of a pirate costume. Similarly, J&J and Beiersdorf will ship their medical gauze rolls in Halloween shippers for use in mummy costumes.
Monistat Soothing Care Anti-Chafing Powder Gel, sold for feminine hygiene use, is currently faddishly popular as makeup foundation. Similarly, Preparation H topical hemorrhoid ointments are popular for baggy eyes, dark circles, etc.
You also see them on truck antennas to control the noise they make when they hit the cab of the truck, and on the bottoms of walkers (so they can slide better?).
Oh, a couple more (sorry, but I’ve got the pharmacy on my mind right now):
Epsom salts: muscle soak/foot soak, laxative, and plant food.
Tums and Rolaids are sold both as antacids and calcium supplements.
Baking soda, which is probably the epitome of this kind of product: baking staple, deodorizer, antacid, cleansing powder, etc. Arm and Hammer’s marketing of baking soda, especially the campaign to get people to stick a box of it in the fridge, is a classic of this type of thing.
The Wartenberg wheel; neurological diagnostic tool, and sex toy.
I can’t recall what it is/was called, but I recall reading of some kind of hoof toughening treatment for horses that was picked up by women for use on long nails.
Boeshield T-9 was developed by Boeing for use on aircraft. I don’t know if it’s still used for that purpose, but it’s now available from marine supply stores for use on boats, and also sold at bike shops as chain lubricant. Of course these are all the same use (lubrication and protection of metals), but I think it’s an example of something marketed at several very different types of clients.
Drier sheets, in addition to freshening and softening your clothes, works a treat to dislodge stubborn, burnt on grease and such. Add water, add a drier sheet, heat a bit, leave to soak. It’ll wipe right off.
Bag Balm was formulated for treating dry, cracked udders on milking cows and is also good for soothing dry skin, healing cuts, etc. on all creatures with skin. Sold in both tack stores and drug stores.
Perhaps too common and too multi-purpose than what you meant: water. It’s used as a solvent, an essential part of one’s diet, a coolant, an energy transfer medium (as steam in engines and fluid in hydraulics), a ballast in a ship or a building, a cutting tool etc.
Bungee cords are used for jumps and for other purposes. I think it’s especially useful in camping.
Some guns can equally be used for plinking, hunting and self defense and are targeted at women who feel unsafe, rugged men who want to be away from women, guys who like guns.
Pressure cookers can cook and sterilise. I knew a guy who bought a pressure cooker to make sure mold didn’t infect his mushrooms. I’ve heard that needle/surgery tool sterilisation is nothing more than putting them in a specialised pressure cooker though I’m not sure about that.