In a marketplace that is becoming more and more competitive, with hundreds of brands vying for the consumer’s attention, it’s not unusual to see well-known brands taking shots at one another through their messaging. This is the first time, however, that I’m seeing men’s body care brands running attack ads comparable to those seen during political campaigns. Nivea going after AXE, Gillette blatantly attacking Dove, and Old Spice putting a hard stop to the use of lady’s body wash by the manly man. This segment is becoming very interesting.
 
With the onslaught of yet another men’s body wash (Dove for Men), a female friend recently asked me, half jokingly, “are American men going to become pansy’s?” Not at all. I believe the American male’s rugged and tough image will stay intact. But image and reality are sometimes miles apart. I think most American men have asked themselves while standing in the shower with a bar of soap, “isn’t there anything better than this bar?” They just haven’t overtly asked for it, but I’m sure in focus groups, this concern has come forth. American men are traditionally not “askers,” unlike some of their female counter parts, excuse me ladies. They are usually more content when it comes to personal hygiene. Sports and gadgetry is a whole other story. The men’s body wash category has always been owned by Gillette, since it is, of course, “the best a man can get,” but lately men are getting some great products elsewhere, by the likes of Nivea, Old Spice, and now Dove. I decided to do a dissection of the products, marketing and cultural significance surrounding this now, highly contested and tensely fought over segment.
 
So to get down to the nitty, gritty details, I decided I first need to try all the products in question, as any good marketer does. Don’t worry, this was not like the scene out of “What Women Want,” were Mel Gibson’s character tried exfoliating, I was in a controlled environment, my shower.
 
Nivea, which smelled great, and what I thought would be my favorite, turned out to have a somewhat slimy consistency and left my skin feeling dry. Although the consistency of Dove was better and felt refreshing, it also dried my skin out. Old Spice’s original formula was, in one word “pungent,” with a scent strong enough to rival the boldest aftershave. I think it lives up to it’s tagline “if you’re grandfather hadn’t used it, you wouldn’t exist.” The big surprise turned out to be Gillette, which I wasn’t expecting. The big difference here is the consistency and color - it looks like blue cookies and cream ice cream but its lather is smooth and refreshing, and amazingly, my skin felt moisturized.
 
Because a body wash is a product that affects two of your strongest senses, touch and smell, it not only needs to be enjoyable to use, but memorable. If I were standing in the aisle at the grocery store, my vote, as far as product attributes are concerned, would go to Gillette.

With the “real human” tests completed, I took a better look at the marketing - how each brand is positioning themselves. Old Spice has become a runaway hit in the aftermath of it’s Super Bowl spot, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” which has turned into a viral phenom, grossing over 7 million views on You Tube. Old Spice’s You Tube channel alone has close to 23 million views. It appears their recent agency switch from Saatchi & Saatchi to Wieden & Kennedy, was a smart move. Wieden, known for it’s iconic Nike ads and male-skewed humorous ESPN ads, has some experience with the target audience and modern masculinity. The “Experience is Everything,” campaign has given the Procter & Gamble brand that dates back to 1938, a bold personality by broadly acknowledging the undertones of commercials aimed at men, to create something hysterically funny.  Old Spice fans have even dubbed the ads manmercials. I won’t debate Old Spice’s marketing success, however, I believe their target is still fixed on the younger demo, where Unilever’s AXE is prominent.
 
Dove, on the other hand, focuses on the more tangible aspects of being a man; the pressures, responsibilities, and accomplishments, in their “Journey to Comfort,” campaign. The spots are clearly aimed at the 35+ demo - a man that has gained a wealth of experience and is now ready to savor the fruits of being a man, and in Dove’s words “be comfortable in his own skin.” It appears that man’s quest to be comfortable begins at birth, and now ends in the shower. The copy made enough of an impression on viewers that some are using it as a ringtone. It attracted Gillette’s attention as well, which started running attack ads against its new rival, using the shape and color of the Dove bottle, with a butterfly draped across it. Not surprisingly, the VO stated “just cause it say’s for men, doesn’t mean it is.” Gillette’s “Wash Like a Man. Feel Like A Man,” campaign is vaguely similar in strategy to Old Spice’s “Experience is Everything” campaign. Strategy is however as close as the two come to each other, as Gillette is more conservative on the execution end, with a less irreverent tone. You simply can’t get any more bizarre than Terry Crews’s berserk biceps yelling at you about the odor protection of Old Spice. Gillette offers some more traditional humor in depicting manly items, such as power tools, footballs and dirty socks as the “man sized odor,” that calls for Gillette body wash.
 
Nivea’s message, in the “What Men Want” campaign emphasizes the “men” in “men’s body wash.” New on the soap scene last year, they differentiated their product by suggesting that it’s the “body wash for grownups.” Their approach demonstrates that it’s a body wash for grown men, without the college-mating-scent that eau de AXE offers. Although the AXE brand has award-winning marketing, I’m not including them in this analysis because their target is high school and college boys, not men. That’s not to say that there isn’t some amount of spillover. I’m sure some 30 year olds out there are using it. I believe that the consumer and industry as a whole are moving away from men’s sex appeal and going towards men’s care, at least within the 30+ demo.
 
Old Spice has 17 varieties of body wash under 4 product lines, from High Endurance to Odor Blocker to Red Zone. Sounds somewhat confusing right? Unlike the Ikea bookshelf, men might actually need a manual to know what to do with this many options. Following Old Spice, is Gillette with 5 varieties, Nivea with 4 and newbie Dove, with a meager three varieties. An interesting innovation is Nivea’s new 3 in 1. The 2 in 1 hair and body wash is old news, but Nivea’s 3 in 1 lets you shower, shave and shampoo, and is being dubbed Active 3.
 
Eventually, if they’re successful and find some loyal “pit-washers,” Dove will also have a line of 10 or 20 different men’s body wash products. I believe they’re still testing the waters, or showers I should say, to see if men are ready for what some consider too close to a feminine experience. The obvious question of course, will such a product jive with the American male stereotype - strong, stubborn, and über-manly? I don’t believe most American men are benching 400lbs and building 2000 square foot tree houses, but male peer pressure telling them, “don’t be a girly-man,” can easily render a man-aimed product, “un-sellable.” Logically, this seems ridiculous, but many men feel the compulsion to uphold a certain manly image and be perceived as an alpha male. Image aside, I believe that more men are finding a comfortable middle ground between being a man and taking care of oneself. I’ll reference my grocer, Bobby, who is happily married, has 3 large tattoos, builds hot rods in his spare time and likes getting manicures.
 
The current attributes of men’s body wash in the U.S., such as the packaging, smell, and consistency, have been prevalent in Europe for the past 25 years. Therefore, for future trends in this segment, look to Europe. So what’s next? My guess is men’s moisturizers. It’ll be interesting to watch the leading brands duke it out to soften a man’s skin. Hey, even the toughest man needs soft skin!