The Mens’ Grooming Market

A contradictory marketplace or a contrary male?

In recent years, there’s been a lot of talk and inflated predictions of growth regarding the mens’ grooming sector. This has resulted in extreme product ventures, including Gaultier’s Vanity and Lynx/Axe Barber Shops, that can make a man, in a less confident moment, wonder if he knows what’s really best for him.

Men Are Open to Change—Slowly

The truth is, of course, that we red-blooded, heterosexual males are open to new ideas, but we are also cynical and slow to notice and respond to what’s available compared to the fervor of our female counterparts. It seems that despite the increased awareness of, and importance placed on, male self-image, the wild ‘guesstimates’ of growth in this market are just not being achieved…..at least not at the pace of original predictions. So does this make it a contradictory marketplace or are brands at the mercy of a contradictory male consumer?

Is it just that we guys have an in-built resistance to change? Are we ignorant? Or, do we not buy into stereotyping and the marketing push of products that are too extreme, too bland, unnecessary or, dare I say it, useless? In addition, many of these products are presented in packaging that further patronizes, trivializes or stunts the progress we are making in the pursuit of personal grooming. I believe that the answer is actually far more fundamental—the product options available are simply not meeting our real needs; the needs of a contradictory consumer.

What Do Men Really Want?

Today’s male consumer has a whole host of different need states and his motivation and buying behavior vary according to need, circumstance, mood and occasion. He is ‘Mr Contrary’ and cannot be neatly packaged and put into a box—or asked to buy one. We admit that this does not make it easy for brands, but it is a brand challenge that needs to be recognized and met if this market sector is to successfully reach the individuals within its audience and if the sector is to finally grow and make its mark.

How Not to Use a Celebrity

Celebrity role-models have a huge pull for consumers and are a well-used (if sometimes short-lived) marketing tactic for brands. But, please credit us with some degree of intelligence. We are, for the most part, discriminating and do not follow celebrity just for the sake of celebrity. Rugby hero Jonny Wilkinson is a waxed and toned, stylish role model for today’s male that we can emulate and desire to be like, because we recognize that he is balancing his style with his ‘real’ man sporting achievements. British tailoring company, Hackett, (which has Jonny Wilkinson as their photo model) spotted the perfect opportunity to extend its licensing into the male toiletries market and recently launched a range of not surprisingly named Hackett shave gels, deodorants and so on. All the products are rather boringly packaged—featuring only the name Hackett on a plain, standard bottle, carton or tube. A huge lost opportunity. Not desirable. Big miss. Jonny probably does not use Hackett and where and when would it fit into Mr. Contrary’s lifestyle?…

Know the Habits of the Male Animal

And that is the thing…To be successful in this marketplace, brands don’t necessarily need to try to be all things to all men, but they do need to recognize how, where and when the products might be used and make them desirable for that time. The same man is as likely to buy products from the highly-colored and rubber clad FCUK range for men as from designer names such as Armani.

Armani Prive, a beautifully androgynous African fragrance collection, has just been released in conjunction with the Armani couture line. In my opinion, Armani Prive is one of the most exquisite product launches for some time. The collection of four woody, earthy and leathery fragrances are truly exclusive products, which are individually merchandised and packaged using mineral colors and natural materials, like wood bottles and stone stoppers, and making them well worth the £100 plus price tag per bottle. Big Hit!

Form Follows Function

Yes, today’s contradictory male, is sometimes looking to ‘buy into’ indulgence, sensuality and luxury… but, as fits with our traditional stereotype of him, he also wants functionality and products, which say what they do, simply and clearly, on the tin. Then again, just like his female counterpart, sometimes he wants function and emotion at the same time. Enter L’Oréal’s newly launched Men Expert line. The packaging design— clean blue steel metallic finish and hint of orange, coupled with L’Oréal’s trademark layers of informative copy—certainly delivers the functional skin care authority in a desirable way…but it is rather predictable. Using the L’Oréal standard ‘livery’ and the focus on science realized with the male formula of gun metal and hot spots of color, these new, modern products look like headache cures dressed up. I would have liked these to look efficacious and sleek, through minimalist but considered use of graphics, colors and typography.

Are we really so predictable and one-dimensional that if it’s ‘male,’ it’s designed in gunmetal, looks like a gear stick and uses blatant ‘car’ language and analogies?

Trevor Sorbie, a celebrity hairdresser based in the UK, must think so. His new range of hair care products, Mg, are now available from high street retailers in the UK and filtering into Europe. It is our opinion that the Mg design desperately needs a face lift. The premium nature and positioning of the product is not conveyed through the packaging, which is bland, probably invisible on shelf and shows no creativity or marrying of product and packaging. There should be a more holistic approach so that product, packaging and name work in harmony to promote the premium positioning and maximize desirability.

Korres, a Greek company with roots in the first homeopathic pharmacy of Athens, is a truly fresh offer and an ‘anti cliche’ in men’s product design.

Homeopathic remedies and natural products create a wonderfully fresh grooming line. It is believable, not just because the products are so naturally diverse, but because it feels like a ‘fresh’ local brand with authentic origins, which can provide real solutions to modern day male living. The simplistic clean design is elegant and unpretentious—two things that men aspire to be—and with great natural products inside. It speaks to us honestly with no superficial ‘male’ designer BS and we believe in it because the products are all based on tangible natural benefits that someone has explained clearly with no affront to our sexuality or intelligence.

Courting the Male Consumer

The contradictory and contrary male consumer is setting the men’s grooming brand agenda, and for brands to successfully meet his constantly evolving needs, they must think in terms of meeting one or many human needs—regardless of the time frame. It is not about a specific moment, but rather understanding what consumers really need and when they are going to make use of it. And we need to remember that all brands are addressing one constant—building consumer desire.

But desire is not an easily attainable quality. To be successful, brands need to know what will be desirable tomorrow. To do this my suggestion is stop serving up formula. We (male consumers) are open to new ideas, but not trite or superficial ones. I won’t be buying the (soon to be launched) celebrity fragrance from David Beckham, but I would buy from a range ofBeckham endorsed professional, styling products. I won’t buy a shave gel presented in a package that looks like a car, but I would buy Korres if I saw it being sold when I fill up for petrol. We men now shop in different ways than the women, who have often shopped for us in the past. Today’s male grooming brands need to tune into when, how and what really revs the complex, contemporary man.

About the Author

Jonathan Ford is both designer and founding partner of Pearlfisher, a future focused design consultancy.
Based in London, but designing for brands on a global basis, Pearl­fisher opened a Studio in New York in 2004 to serve North America better. Pearlfisher’s award winning work in the food, drink and luxury markets includes clients such as LVMH, ABSOLUT Vodka, Green & Blacks, Unilever and Waitrose.
Ford is regularly invited to speak on design, branding and strategy on the international conference circuit and is Pearlfisher’s resident design guru.Previously, Ford spent three years in New York as creative director, Sterling Consultants Group, and earlier, he was design group head at Michael Peters & Partners. More information, call: (212) 604 0601.