This week saw the surprise announcement that Lynx were launching their first fragrance targeted at the female audience. But why would women buy into a brand that has to date, so boldly targeted men – and phenomenally successfully so?

The creative geniuses at Lynx must be commended, for they’ve delivered some of the most impactful and memorable campaigns of recent years – you would be hard pushed to find a person who hadn’t heard of the ‘Lynx Effect’. No one can argue that they don’t understand the male consumer (their use of scantily clad models herding towards Lynx-wearing men proves this) but as a twenty-something female shopper who spends an average of fifty pounds a month on beauty products, I’m not convinced that the launch of a sister product is right. Lynx as a brand is known for pushing the boundaries, but this may be one too far.

Lynx is a ‘lads’ brand, its whiff reminds me of my 17 year old brother’s bolt hole. If I think back to my adolescent years, my friends and I were continuously seeking some sort of common ground with the opposite sex, so perhaps this product will do well with the girls. But then again, as a brand that is so recognisably owned as being ‘male’, couldn’t bringing out a female counterpart actually damage its reputation?

So on that note, I’ll be sticking to my trusted Dove roll-on, after all it’s beauty for ‘Real Women’.

The Guardian: ‘Congrats to Uncle C’ – how his wife’s Facebook page exposed new MI6 head: This follows Milliband playing down the issue on the Andrew Marr show yesterday.

Media Guardian: Complaints to rise at the Advertising Standards Authority, despite number of adverts falling: Guy Parker, new CEO of the Advertising Standards Authority, believes complaints this year will top last year’s record figure. The regulator’s chief told MediaGuardian: “We’re heading for about 30,000 complaints, but about fewer ad campaigns than last year.” Last year 26,433 complaints were made to the ASA, about 15,556 ads.

Silicon: 50p broadband tax ‘will leave 20 pc of UK without fibre’:  David Campbell, BT Openreach’s MD of next-generation access, said that BT will deploy a mixture of fibre to the premises and fibre to the cabinet for next-generation access – with P or C being chosen depending on the economies of each exchange

FT.com: UK venture capital: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The UK government’s recent decision to invest £150m in a new venture fund is the latest attempt to help British start-ups navigate a death zone formed by a lack of mid- to late-stage funding. Its goal – to drum up £1bn of public and private funding for start-ups over 10 years – is laudable. But it is unlikely to make much difference.