Lotions, body washes and beauty products are no longer just for the ladies. Personal care marketers have recently been promoting products for men, and they are seeing success.
An article in AdAge lists a number of big-name companies, such as Procter & Gamble and Unilever, that have been directing more personal care resources to the male audience. They also note a San Antonio-based supermarket chain H-E-B added a men's personal care section. The men’s personal care market is currently measured by Nielsen at $2.1 billion and they expect it to hit $2.8 billion by 2012.
The AdAge article said this trend is helped by increasing media outlets that cater to men specifically, like ESPN.
However, the article pointed out marketers have tried to push personal care products for men in the past without much success. A few years ago, the term “metrosexual” was gaining traction and more men were become more comfortable using bath and body products. However, that trend dwindled.
Now, major companies are staying far from “the ‘M’ word,” as the article put it, but are trying to broaden the scope of men who use personal care products. They are focusing on telling men using such products will help me be manlier, not cleaner or softer.
The article concludes with a list of companies that have successfully sold to both men and women, highlighting gender to sell products. Such companies include Marlboro, Degree, Ugg and Nair.