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By Peggy Tartaro, In the past year or so, nearly every issue of Women & Guns has contained at least one product that sports pink. From guns to binoculars and from t-shirts to range bags, firearms and related product manufacturers are in the pink.
The answers, like so much of fashion, are in the eye of the beholder. The online sites HunterSurvey.com and AnglerSurvey.com polled nearly 3700 sportsmen and women in late summer 2009, asking a series of questions on color in outdoor products, including guns, fishing rods and reels, binoculars and coolers. So what was the top color choice of both men and women hunters and target shooters in the survey? Camouflage (62% men, 60% women). This was followed by dark colors-black, green and brown. Least favorite colors of those surveyed were brights-white, yellow and multicolor. Both 20% of men and women did not care about color when purchasing supplies. Men and women fisherfolk responded similarly. The approximately 2800 surveyed preferred black (52% men, 38% women), disliked orange and yellow and 30% overall did not factor color into purchasing decisions. But what about the color du jour, pink? Interestingly, men in the survey thought pink was more likely to boost sales among women if the purchase was unrelated to breast cancer awareness. Fifty-three percent of male hunters thought that was so and 50% of male anglers agreed. Only 41% of women hunters and 40% of women anglers agreed when asked if women are likely to purchase outdoor equipment in pink unrelated to breast cancer charities. Of those surveyed, more women than men felt selling pink equipment was a condescending marketing strategy (47-42% among hunters; 50-46% among anglers.)
These results seem to me to reflect on the practicality of
buyers in the firearms market. The product itself is the most
important consideration, and colors come a distant second. Other companies took notice of the women's market, which had always existed, although the general media, lead by a chorus line of women columnists, seemed to think it was some sort of carny con in which the firearms industry and its marketers compelled women to buy their products through the use of shiny ads. In those days, Sonny Jones, W&G's creator and I, spent a lot of time on the phone with reporters explaining just how complicated and serious firearms ownership decisions were. Some of the products designated for "women" that began appearing in the late '80s and early '90s succeeded (like the LadySmith and the expanding holster purse lines of many start-ups and established holster makers) and others failed. The ones that failed, almost universally, failed because very little thought went into the user of the product, regardless of packaging.
Our questions were slightly different, the pool of respondents somewhat smaller and the numbers somewhat less scientific than the other two polls-the results however, were not that dissimilar. (See full results below.) Seventy-five percent of respondents said that "in general" they liked the idea of firearms companies offering products in pink "just as a color option." Asked if when purchasing a product and all other factors-fit, cost, reliability-being equal if they would purchase pink products unrelated to breast cancer charities, 79% said no and 20% said yes. When the question was changed to equal products in pink that did benefit breast cancer charities, 59% would still not buy pink, but double the number-40%-would. A whopping 81% agreed that "In general, do you like the idea of the firearms industry recognizing their women customers with a product designed to generate donations to breast cancer charities." And, in the last six months prior to the survey, 10% of those polled had purchased a firearms or related product that was pink. Of that group, 37% purchased a pink product that cost more than $100 and 62% purchased a pink product that cost less than $100. The proliferation of pink brings up two separate other topics for discussion. One is the age-old question of whether or not pink is "too girly" and therefore somehow condescending to women. The other is the subject of breast cancer awareness. In the later category, pink really has become ubiquitous. You can buy just about anything, from crackers to power tools, in a special edition pink, sporting the pink ribbon which has come to symbolize breast cancer awareness and breast cancer charities. I asked Sheila Link, our most senior Contributing Editor, and a former president of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, who has "been there, done that," in just about every aspect of firearms, about the increase in pink firearms products. "An all-out war on breast cancer has been declared, with pink banners identifying the troops. The firearm industry is responding to the call. Manufacturers are producing an assortment of equipment, wearing 'Pink I.D.'-pink armoring on binoculars, for example, pink ammo bags and pink pistol grips. And all are tagged so a percentage of the sale goes to breast cancer research," she wrote me in an email.
By the way, Sheila is absolutely correct about Americans' charitable proclivities. We are generally considered to be the most charitable individuals in the world, donating personally at much higher rates than others around the globe. While researching this story I stumbled on a blog in which a woman took exception to being asked to buy a pink bracelet at a coffee shop she frequented. Her surprising reason for refusing was that she was a survivor of ovarian cancer, and felt attention (and donations) to this disease were given short shrift and that breast cancer had become the "only" women's charity. There are of course, many, many charities that benefit women, from literacy programs, to clothing drives, to shelters and to other diseases that affect women, including ovarian cancer. But the blogger was right in asserting that pink-and breast cancer-have dominated. Over the years, we have reported on charity shooting events that benefit everything from local women's shelters and food pantries to diseases that affect both men and women, such as diabetes. Given Americans charitable instincts, it seems likely that these causes will continue to receive the assistance of sportsmen and women. As to whether the color pink is somehow dismissive of women, again, the eye of the beholder is the judge. Personally, I've always liked pinks and reds, and always worn them. I'm blessed with two enchanting great nieces who both look perfect in pink-but Hailey looks mighty cute in her Detriot Red Wings jersey and Kierstan looks just as cute in her Buffalo Sabres togs. If pink were the only option available, then the feminist in me might rise to protest. On the other hand, one of our survey respondents may have hit on the perfect rationale for pink. She wrote in her comments that she liked pink shooting gear because then her husband and sons would never be moved to borrow it! Survey results from Womenandguns.com: In the past six months have you been more aware of firearms
and related products offered in the color pink? When purchasing a firearm or related product, all other factors
being equal or nearly equal (size, fit, reliability, cost, etc.)
would you be more likely to buy it if it was offered in pink? When purchasing a firearm or related product, all other factors
being equal of nearly equal (size, fit, reliability, cost, etc.)
would you be more likely to buy it if it was offered in pink
and it was explicitly noted that a donation would result to breast
cancer charities? In general, do you like the idea of the firearms industry
offering pink products just as a color option? In general, do you like the idea of the firearms industry
recognizing their women customers with a product designed to
generate donations to breast cancer charities? In the last six months have you purchased a firearm or related
product in pink? If yes, was the dollar amount of the product more or less
than $100 Are you considering buying a firearm or related product offered
in pink in the next 6 months After reading the following statement, please let us know
if you agree or disagree: After reading the following statement, please let us know
if you agree or disagree: After reading the following statement, please let us know
if you agree or disagree: From the comments at Womenandguns.com: I personally love the fact that some companies offer guns
in pink. My sig saur (sic) mosquito is in pink and I can honestly
tell you that I decided to buy that as opposed to a Walther P22
because of the color. I don't remember the site that quoted this
but I love the quote: I know that some women believe it's almost degrading but I
feel it's a customizing thing. You can have your gun duracoated
in almost any color. I prefer pink. Someone else can prefer blue
or green or even black. It's a personal choice to me. I am not a pink person, but if it gets more women/girls interested
in shooting then I'm all for it. I wouldn't get a gun because
it was pink or had pink grips. However, if the grips were offered
with a modest pink ribbon with a donation to Susan Komen, I'd
swap grips. While I want to cure breast cancer, I have a problem with the Susan Komen foundation. I am pro-life, and they support Planned Parenthood. So, I refuse to buy anything when I know some of the proceeds go to that particular foundation. I don't really like pink (khaki is my favorite, but I like
lavender, purple, red, yellow, some shades of green or blue too)
but sometimes I'll select something in pink just because I know
my sons won't touch it with a "10-foot pole." I'm the
sole female (hubby, 2 sons) but I'm a tomboy type, which means
I don't care for the frilly stuff much. However, if I don't want
to share something, pink will keep the guys away. (Although my
hubby likes pink better than I do, so it might not work on him
as well.) But just because I really dislike pink, if other women
want to own guns, etc. in that color, that's okay with me. I'm all for stainless, but I don't wear earthtones (they make
me look deathly ill), so I'll take the wooden grips in those
attractive, colored laminates they make rifle stocks from. |
Is all
this pink persuading people to purchase? And is all this pink
condescending or conscientious?
However,
when pink products are directly tied to breast cancer awareness,
the numbers change significantly. Regardless of gender, 72% of
hunters and 74% of anglers agreed that selling pink equipment
to promote breast cancer awareness would promote sales.
Inspired
by the other survey, we decided to put the question of pink to
our readership and posted an online poll at womeandguns.com in
early November 2009.
"Americans
are famously charitable, generous in digging into our wallets
to help someone in trouble or contribute to a fund to accomplish
a worthy goal. All that's needed to ignite the generosity is
awareness that help is sought and that monies will be sent where
they will be used effectively. Pink is the signal for awareness
to join the fight against breast cancer. Everyone, women especially,
should be wearing or carrying a pink banner," Sheila concluded.
