BeingGirl

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BeingGirl
Web address beinggirl.com
Slogan For Girls, By Girls[1]
Commercial? Yes
Type of site
 Inbound marketing, Self care
Registration Optional
Owner Procter & Gamble
Launched July 2000; 24 years ago (2000-07)[2]
Current status Online

BeingGirl is a "kid-friendly"[3] web site targeted at adolescent girls[4][5] created in 2000 by consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G).[6]

It provides information and advice. It is also a marketing tool.

History

The site was created in 2000,[7] with P&G including content provided by experts.[8] Its development was led by the company's Tampax brand[9][10] and feminine care group.[11] Forums were later added, in order to build interest. This enables girls to discuss things with each other, facilitating more subtle and effective marketing by the company.[8] Company representatives "play an active role" in this user-generated content.[12]

As of 2006, the website was available in 25 countries.[13] Its content editor in 2005 was author Marcia Byalick.[14]

Features

The site provides information and expert advice on topical self care issues such as menstruation, eating disorders, acne and dating,[15] by taking a "big-sister approach".[16] Features such as self-discovery quizzes are also included.[17] It also advertises some of the company's products[7][16] and has offered free samples from Always and Tampax.[18] The information is provided using "cool teenage-girl vocabulary".[13]

In addition to offering advice, the site gathers information from questions asked anonymously by visitors. This is used for inbound internet marketing of its products, being judged by co-author of social technologies book Groundswell, Josh Bernoff, as being four times as cost-effective as advertising.[19][9] The site facilitates data collection and market testing.[20][21] Sociologist Adam Arvidsson, writing in 2006, analysed the site's premise as being that "engagement in community-like interaction will generate emotional and experiential ties" in consumers. They will consequently relate positively to the brand, which will raise the brand's equity.[17]

Marketing agreements

The authors and publishers of 2006 novel Cathy's Book agreed with P&G to include references to the CoverGirl makeup line in exchange for promoting the book on BeingGirl.[4][22][23] No monetary payment was involved.[24] The references were deleted in the novel's paperback edition.[22] Also in 2006, Sony BMG partnered with P&G to feature its artists on the site.[25] David G. Knox, a teenage market specialist in P&G's beauty division said that they approached Sony in order for teens to associate their brands with stars such as singer-songwriter Teddy Geiger.[25]

Reception

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It's a safe place where they can go for information about changes they are experiencing but are too embarrassed to discuss.

Velvet Gogol Bennett, P&G's North America feminine care external relations manager (January 2011)[26]

The Taiwan site attracted 6000 registered members in the three months since launch in 2002.[27] As of 2010, it was receiving in excess of 2 million hits worldwide per month.[28] Its "successful engagement of teen girls" has been largely attributed to the company "stay[ing] in the background".[29] Its Indian site was launched in 2006, which Nikhil Pahwa on the contentsutra blog observed to "lack the freedom of a social networking space", such as Hindustan Unilever's Sunsilk Gang of Girls.[30] Writing in 2006, Sheth and Sisodia noted that the open discussion (in real life) by teenage girls of feminine hygiene products may be difficult in some countries.[13]

In 2011, the charity Mothers' Union criticised the site for being "clearly a marketing tool" and Rebecca Morgan of the London Feminist Network linked references to hair removal and erotic underwear with the sexualisation of childhood.[31] Research fellow at the University of York, Dr Merran Toerien, criticised the site's attitude in advertising to such a young age group.[31]

Some reviewers evaluated the health content as being "useful and well presented", although concern was expressed about the number of product mentions.[9] Some of the weight-loss tips were seen by some as "enabling eating-disorder behavior".[9]

A P&G spokeswoman said that the site's "broader personal wellbeing educational scheme was strongly supported by schools".[31]

References

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  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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