thumbing through the AFJ Farrier Supply a Services 2014 directory I noted that Victory Racing Plate has gone the route of using an attractive young female model to sell/promote their nails. Several years ago Anvil Brand had a young lady in a halter top and farrier apron promoting their products, I ve noticed that the top changes color in some ads, guessing photo shopped. I m sure there are other ads besides these two also. I know that sex sells, and that some would say that by and large our industry of farrier supply consumers ,us the farriers/horseshoers/iron hangers are" male chauvanist pigs" at heart, but I wonder if we are swayed to buy a product because of the female model or because it is a good suitable product at a price that we can work with. For want of a nail.................. Ray
They don't cause me to buy the product, but they are effective in making me look at an ad I might otherwise ignore. Some people might be offended by that type of ad, but I think that those people are the type that are looking for things to offended by, and need to get a life. Regards
For years I have used my looks and sold to the highest bidder. I have found women ignoring my obvious brain and just judging me on looks and toned body. It has been a cross to bare but hey Im a strong character.
Ray, As you may know, I'm also an engineer. Years ago at our national convention, there were a lot of industrial booths manned by sexy ladies in sexy outfits. I loved talking to the ladies, seldom remembered the product. This year (as in several past years), there was only one of those and it belonged to a foreign company (PEMEX) where maybe sex still sells, but not on this side of the border in spite of engineering (like farriery) being a predominately male occupation.
Brian, The kilt idea ,to me , just won t work, Chris s ability to lick his eyebrows and the short distance between the eastern shore of the USA and the British Isles, on the map anyway, made me put my big boy pants on! David, we all have our problems Jack and Rick, Considering what has been said, basically that it gets folk to look, but not buy, and considering the other side that some folk are bothered by it, I just wonder why it gets used? If you take the situation of a nail, if it s on the market ,is good quality, a good price, in this marketplace, should nt that sell your nail? I see the Victory ad and wonder,I know that there is a lot of reading in and double meaning, The lead is, "I got nailed by Victory",along with the attractive young woman, that I know of, getting nailed could be,I got screwed by victory, and now one can construe getting screwed for themselves via the double/multible entrende. Ray
We are here talking about the ad and we know the ad was for victory. The ad had the desired effect which is exposure and publicity.
I've been a victim of sexual discrimination. A Cowboy I shod for bought a horse from a Farrieress and had her back a week later to replace a shoe the horse threw. When I came out to shoe all the horses he told me; "Bill, I think you're a better Farrier, but I sure like watching her work a lot more than watching you". I was devastated. There has been complaining about sex in advertising since the sixty's that I remember. If it didn't work, we wouldn't see it. I only buy what I want after long consideration and failure to find a better deal.
Ray, Jump on the band wagon! You standing with no shirt on, a pair of custom leather pads in one hand, a big glob of hoof packing in the other. Sales will skyrocket.
