Rose Petal Cottage

To make a toy more universal and less gender specific, there are several aspects that must be changed about the advertising approach. In the case of the commercial for the Rose Petal Cottage, the components that should be addressed for the advertising include: the actors, the colors, the scene, and the music.

Girls are the only ones shown for this commercial, therefore it limits the targeting audience. It also makes it seem like this toy is only exclusive for girls and guys would be made fun of if they wanted to play with this cottage. The activities that are portrayed by the girls such as the baking and other "homemaker-type" actions also exclude boys. The prominently pink color and girly scenes also make it girl specific. The music also playing in the background promote the feminine feel of the commercial.

In order to make this product more gender friendly towards a boy audience, the commercial could have included a group of kids (including boys) playing with the cottage instead of having just little girls running around it. More dominant colors such as blue, green, or black could also be utilized in the commercial to reduce the feminine feel. Besides playing house and doing the typical "homemaker" activities, hide and seek would have been a more efficient activity to illustrate the fun that can be associated with the toy cottage.