Hey Garmin, You Need to Rewatch “What Women Want”

A Shift in Philosophy?

When Garmin announced the Forerunner 70 and 170, I watched the reviews and the Garmin promo videos on YouTube. I’m actually not a runner, and if I needed to replace my Venu 3 right now, I would prefer the Fenix for its features and style (though the price would, most probably, stop me).
Watching these promos, I noticed a strange thing.

The slogan Garmin uses is: “Let them know you are a runner.”

Not “be a runner,” but let them know. So, it doesn’t matter whether you actually run or not – it’s all about showing off! This is not a great point of view at all.

The Opposite of “No Games, Just Sports”

This is the complete opposite of the idea shown in that classic commercial from the movie What Women Want.

Do you remember this one?

“You don’t stand in front of a mirror before a run and wonder what the road will think of your outfit. You don’t have to listen to its jokes and pretend they’re funny in order to run on it. It would not be easier to run if you dressed sexier. The road doesn’t notice if you’re not wearing lipstick; it does not care how old you are. You do not feel uncomfortable because you make more money than the road. And you can call on the road whenever you feel like it, whether it has been a day or even a couple of hours since your last date. The only thing the road cares about is that you pay it a visit once in a while. Nike: no games, just sports.”

“The only thing the road cares about is that you pay it a visit once in a while. No games, just sports.” Compare that to: “Let them know you are a runner.”

Dear Garmin, please rewatch this movie and stop making watches for people who just want to show off. Go back to making watches for the people who actually do the work.