• Ad Age, Tuesday, March 3, 2009 10:45 AM

Another way to squeeze fresh sales from a brand is to change its gender orientation, reports Rupal Parekh. The onetime male-only skate and snowboard retailer Quicksilver, for example, called in creative boutique Boombang a few years ago to help boost its appeal to women. Its Roxy sub-brand featuring clothing and accessories for young women accounted for almost 35% of Quicksilver's revenue last year.

Drawing on the iconic Ace back-pocket comb, Boombang designed a line of personal-grooming tools specifically for men, including tweezers and clippers. And Frito-Lay last week launched an effort to make its salty snacks more female-friendly.

Gender-bending is not new, of course. But marketing experts note that today clients need to tread more carefully with their messaging, and spend more time plotting packaging and merchandising efforts as part of marketing programs. And Jill Avery, an assistant professor at Boston's Simmons School of Management, cautions against sacrificing long-term equity for short-term sales.

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