Not less than boys of this age would buy friends sets. I'm sure I would have bought plently of friends sets when I was a kid. I think basic, primary colors fits action themes like police/firemen, while pastel colors fits quite well shops, resorts, etc.
I'm not sure that Friends target that much girls, but if they are, I think it's for the best. I'd say children are half neutral, but "construction sets is for boys" is a thing for a lot of parents, so if it can helps making parents thinking twice, it's far more useful than anything else.
When children really care about boys/girls differences in marketing (for the same content, I mean), they're usually close to the age they're not buying City/Friends anymore...
Well, that's a personal view of the thing, but I believe their classification is quite well thought...
Well, I'm pretty sure that the submission and the final model use the SAME color (sand green, like the Haunted House, Green Grocer, etc.) but color is all over the place. In fact, I think the GG image is too green.