Pretty in Blue

Father’s day is coming up. Will you be purchasing a fragrance or skin care product for the special man in your life this year? I admit my answer is no. Although my dad’s current appreciation of beauty products is limited, the growing hype about men’s grooming has not gone unnoticed by my folks. During a recent visit to my parent’s house, I noticed L’Oréal Men’s Expert Vita Lift. He uses it faithfully, I was told, but it was my mom who bought it for him.

This brings me to an interesting question. Should the packaging and marketing for men’s grooming products be targeted toward women or men? My curiosity gave way to more research on the topic. I went through the May issue of women’s magazine Allure and the June issue of men’s magazine GQ.  In Allure, I saw one full page ad for a man’s product: Kenneth Cole Reaction. GQ, however, had eight full page ads dedicated to men’s beauty. All but Axe Snake Peel were advertising fragrance. Based upon my limited study, it would seem that marketers are targeting men directly. A quick walk around my local CVS confirmed it for me. The men’s grooming products were mainly shelved together and my first impression was that the packaging was simply stated and very masculine. Is this outreach to men working? Let’s take Unilever’s Axe, for example. A recent article in Advertising Age magazine argues that the four-year-old brand, which aggressively markets to young men, has risen to category leadership.

Contributing Editor Stephan Kanlian explores the topic further in his article, Courting the Male Consumer (page 22). Although his research acknowledges that women are still key purchasers of men’s products, many of the experts interviewed believe that males need to be spoken to directly.

I’m not an expert on men’s grooming, but I’ll admit I’m skeptical of targeting men directly. I’ve already mentioned my dad. My husband isn’t any better. As the wife of a man who used to shave with Irish Spring soap, I have trouble imagining men going out of their way to purchase specialty beauty products.

Please don’t misunderstand. I think there is great promise in men’s grooming. Probably for the first time in his life, my dad is using a grooming product that’s just for him. And my husband has recently traded in Irish Spring for the four-step “The Greatest Shave Ever Kit” from Grooming Lounge (something I brought him from a trade show). They love the products. But would they buy these products on their own? I have my doubts.

What do you think? What’s the most effective way to market men’s beauty products? Take our online survey at nitesh_bp.rodpub.com and see what others in the industry are saying.

Leah Genuario
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