WWWTP? – Creepiness at Phenomenex
It’s time for another edition of WWWTP?, which in this case, could just as easily stand for “What’s Wrong with these People?”
This image was kindly forwarded to ChemBark by a concerned reader and patron of Phenomenex. The company ships their products in these sexually suggestive cardboard boxes. The innuendo would make sense and qualify as mildly clever double entendre if the company dealt with genomics, but Phenomenex sells chromatography supplies. I guess someone thought they had a good idea and decided to roll with it:
Inside the box, a colorful brochure contained less disguised innuendo: the words “unzip me” and what appears to be anthropomorphic female genitalia with legs and a cane. Closer inspection of the Phenomenex Web site reveals that these characters are based on an astonishingly yonic logo for Kinetex (R), the company’s core-shell adsorbent materials for chromatography. Hmmm.
I feel it necessary to warn any of you who might be (i) charged with purchasing HPLC supplies and (ii) perverted, that I hear the customer service at Phenomenex is awful.
January 23rd, 2012 at 5:37 AM
I feel a sudden urge to buy an HPLC column.
January 23rd, 2012 at 5:42 AM
Looks more like an eyeball to me, or a cut-away golfball.
January 23rd, 2012 at 5:52 AM
Even Georgia O’Keeffe would say the logo is too suggestive.
January 23rd, 2012 at 6:12 AM
History will vindicate these guys as trailblazers in chemical porn.
January 23rd, 2012 at 9:54 AM
One presumes this was a true pioneer:
“What would you do if you were a male scientist whose newest discovery caused you to transform into a woman every time you became sexually aroused?”
http://www.amazon.com/Sexual-Chemistry-Unrated-Jeff-Xander/dp/B00004TX0X
January 23rd, 2012 at 3:40 PM
Yes, that was us. We thought it was a fun thing and we hoped our customers would too.
I would like to make clear that no genitalia were exploited in the making of this ad (sorry to disappoint). These are the core-shell particles that comprise our HPLC/UHPLC column line – no innuendo intended there. In any case, we’re glad to hear the reactions and we’ll keep them in mind in the future.
I’d like to speak on the “awful customer service” comment, though. We pride ourselves on our service. If anyone feels differently, we’d definitely like to hear about it and make it right. Let us know @Phenomenex or email us at info@phenomenex.com.”
January 24th, 2012 at 12:22 PM
Their next ad campaign: “Sniff The Glove!”
January 25th, 2012 at 5:52 AM
The ad was inspired by a Rolling Stones album cover – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky_Fingers
January 25th, 2012 at 6:09 AM
I may be the weirdest one here: but what I find most offensive is the color palette of the brochure… I do not see the genitalia inspiration anywhere. I think a zipper on a box is zero offensive when compared to talking to a colleague who never looks at you in the eye but one feet below.
January 26th, 2012 at 10:15 AM
Phenomenex_Karen: Is there a company out there that will say they “don’t pride themselves on excellent customer service?” Priding yourselves and actually doing it are two different things.
Raquel: You only have one foot?
January 26th, 2012 at 4:56 PM
@CR @ Chembark: I think it would be the best to leave the chromatographers to comment on the quality of Phenomenex customer service, since they are the users (or targeted audiences) of Phenomenex products.
As a chromatogragher myself, I would testify that Phenomenex is a popular brand for chromatography consumables, and the core-shell technology based HPLC columns are very, very popular. If you look closely, you will see similar columns based on the same techonology from other vendors, e.g. Agilent, Sigma-Aldrich(Supleco), Thermofisher, and AMT. You will see similar pictures used to describe the core-shell particles used in their columns.
Though I am not sure why Phenomenex used pink for their new Aeris core-shell columns, I do not see any genitalia inspiration.
I am using Phenomenex products and products from other vendors, and the service I got from Phenomenex so far has been excellent. I do not work for Phenomenex and I do not work in sales.
January 26th, 2012 at 5:31 PM
@Zombie: I will not dispute that Phenomenex products are popular, and I am happy that you have had a positive experience with them. That said, a good friend of mine recently relayed an agonizing tale of dealing with the company that would make me think twice about using this vendor among the alternatives. He can post the details if he wants, but I have 0.00% doubt in the authenticity of the story.
Finally, I do not think it is unreasonable to state that the peach-on-the-outside, pink-on-the-inside thing standing beside the zipper labeled “Unzip me” smacks of sexual innuendo. Many less yonic things have been labeled as representations of female genitalia.
And, BTW, I am not offended by it at all. I’m just pointing out that it is interesting and weird.
January 27th, 2012 at 4:57 AM
CR: I have both feet. What I don’t have is a “peach-on-the-outside, pink-on-the-inside thing” attached permanently between my legs. May that be the difference?
January 27th, 2012 at 10:04 AM
@Zombie–
Do you know what I do? Glad that you have had a good experience with Phenomenex. Not everyone has – and my point was this: Name me a company that claims their customer service is terrible. Even Comcast will state publicly their customer service is good.
@Raquel–
Well, if not permanently attached…how about temporarily?
“…the eye but one feet below.”
January 30th, 2012 at 11:07 AM
To Phenomenex_Karen: Please lose the “wanna”. It does not make you look hip and cool. It makes you look ignorant.
January 30th, 2012 at 1:37 PM
The two balls on the cover could be equally a masculine innuendo. The farther the innuendo is from reality the more imagination one must use to see it and to have one that could be seeing as masculine or feminine could indicate there is more imagination at work then innuendoes.
You could have started this blog about how Nike is creepy because of their logo being a masculine innuendo backed by their slogan “just do it”… or even McDonalds with their logo and saying “I’m lovin it”.
I find it funny that you titled this “creepiness” and also make mention of them having bad customer support. You wouldn’t be working for one of their competitors by chance? Would you call Nike or McDonalds creepy because how they market?
My personal dealings (11 years) with Phenomenex have been mixed, but on the whole they are better then anyone else selling HPLC columns. Their customer service team is sometimes inexperienced, but I usually find they try to do their best. If they were serious about priding themselves in customer service they would improve technical training of their team. As for the marketing, I hope they keep it up! No innuendo intended.
January 30th, 2012 at 2:08 PM
@CR: Granted. And I am here saying we do intend to back it up. If you have a particular issue you’d like to discuss, feel free to contact info@phenomenex.com and we will make it right.
@RB Woodweird: Duly noted. That is why I am here, to listen to reactions to the piece and improve in the future.
January 30th, 2012 at 3:24 PM
a Reißverschluß ? you do not mean it so
January 30th, 2012 at 3:48 PM
>> You wouldn’t be working for one of their competitors by chance?
@Van Deemter: No, I’m not working for one of their competitors. I take in zero revenue from this site and I do no consulting work. I don’t think I’ve ever been paid a dime in wages from any company whatsoever.
I fervently stand by my opinions expressed in this thread, and as with all my thoughts articulated on this site—positive or negative—I’ve signed my name to them. Furthermore, the materials are posted here for anyone to judge for themselves; readers need not take my word for anything. Finally, I have also provided a public forum for everyone who takes exception to these views to contest my opinions. They may even do so anonymously, as you have chosen to do. I think, by and large, this system is quite fair.
To address your concerns about suggestive ad campaigns from other companies, neither McDonald’s nor Nike has anything to do with chemistry, so why would I blog about them? Anyway, on the spectrum of innuendo, Phenomenex lies much farther out than Nike or McD’s, in my opinion.
January 30th, 2012 at 7:42 PM
@Paul: Do not get me wrong – I completely respect your opinion. I was just sharing my opinion that in today’s society sexual innuendoes are everywhere and while you can associate many words with companies that choose to use them in their marketing, creepy would not be one of my choices. I would have gone with something more like “the hypersexuality in Phenomenex marketing”… actually as I write these words I think that would have resulted in google giving you a fairly different audience to the forum. Maybe it would have resulted in a whole generation of teenage boys taking up Chemistry… but now we will never know. In the mean time, keep up the great posts, I love the forum – the “An Unfortunate Name” post was also classic!
February 2nd, 2012 at 4:18 PM
@ van deemter: very funny! Good conversation.
@ Paul: get a grip bro. Even if ur not workin for the competition then perhaps you could be doing your job better by hating less. Just sayin…
February 3rd, 2012 at 8:05 AM
February 15th, 2012 at 9:02 AM
I’ve been helped by Phenomenex many times and I think their service is great!
November 1st, 2012 at 11:45 AM
Americans,really are you’re life this boring that u have to look for commercial that does not fit in your regime,but when half of you are obese nobody question a mc donalds commercial.what is up with this?
November 1st, 2012 at 11:56 AM
Ummm…again,
