NEW YORK -- More and more men are switching from bar soap to shower gels and body washes, a trend helped along by the availability of more masculine bath accessories.
Many women use body washes along with mesh sponges that help produce a lather and exfoliate the skin. But some men found the sponges, also known as "poufs," off-putting.
A customer review of a mesh sponge on the Amazon.com web site, which ran under the heading "deal with it," details the problem. The reviewer described being out of bar soap and thus forced to use his wife's liquid soap "and this poofy thing." He found that he actually liked it, and felt it got him cleaner. So he got his own pouf (white, he said, rather than the available lavender or "taffy pink") and added that he used "some of the more manly liquid soaps to balance things out."
Although still visible (at press-time, at least), that post is actually several years old, and men squeamish about using poufs today have more masculine options available to them.
Last year Procter & Gamble Co.'s (P&G's) Old Spice brand launched a pouf-like body sponge encased in a rubber grip, which it called the Deck Scrubber. Unilever Axe brand introduced its own version, the Axe Detailer Shower Tool, in 2008. And Unilever's Dove Men+Care line also includes the Active Clean Shower Tool.
All the men's body scrubbers feature a mesh side for building lather and a scrub side for deeper cleaning.
Attention-getting advertising has also helped raise the profile of men's body washes. Old Spice has devised a series of ads (which have become viral hits on the Internet) that actually cater to women; P&G's research indicated that 70% of the shower gels used by men is bought by the women in their households.
Axe has courted potential male customers more directly, with ads designed to appeal to the sensibility of young men.
Axe recently launched a "One Night Only" concert series, featuring exclusive shows announced only hours before they happen via the brand's social media sites.
"Axe is known for delivering unexpected and memorable experiences that help bring guys and girls together," says marketing director Mike Dwyer. "The 'One Night Only' concert series delivers in signature style by partnering with some of today's top artists to headline secret, exclusive shows that promise to be unforgettable.
The concerts promote a new line called Axe Music, which includes a body spray, shower gel and shampoo.
No comments:
Post a Comment