The “Secret Life” of Male Skin Care Shoppers Exposed – Part 2 of a Special 2 Part Exposé
This article is a continuation of the exposé titled: Why the Beauty Industry Hates Men Part IIIA – The ‘Secret Life’ of Male Skin Care Shoppers Exposed – Part 1 of a Special 2 Part Exposé.
The COOKIE CUTTER Approach – Men are ALL the SAME
There are many in the Beauty Industry who would disagree with this article series. In fact, they would shrug and say: “We don’t understand what the fuss is all about. We’re easy to do business with – you don’t like our retail locations, you can go on-line. You don’t use the pretty make-up bag of free lipsticks and mascara, then find a woman to give them to. Of course our products aren’t artsy fartsy – they’re not all pink and pretty and we’ve gone out of our way to make them ‘man friendly’. What’s wrong with recruiting women to do our bidding? What’s wrong with marketing campaigns that seek to feminize men? It’s working isn’t it? The new age, metro-sexual man is in and masculine men are now oh so passé…”
As tempting as it is to shred that viewpoint and reveal its caustic, ethical bankruptcy with an even more in-depth treatment than we’ve already given in this article series, we’ll save it for another day and just take a quick look at one aspect – the Beauty Industry’s cookie cutter approach to creating what it considers to be ‘male friendly’ men’s skin care and men’s anti-aging products.
If we were to gather every brand of men’s skin care and men’s anti-aging products currently on the market and place them side by side, you’ll notice a couple of things right away. First, the primary (background) colors – the overwhelming majority are likely variations of black, blue, gray, and earth-tones – colors that the Beauty Industry considers to be ‘manly’ and applicable to ALL men, while the rest take a ‘medicinal’ (bare-bone white) approach.
Now zoom in on the label and you’ll see the feminine influence from which most, if not all of these so called men’s skin care products were conceived. Among other feminine characteristics in disguise, notice how the over-whelming majority still rely upon the beauty terminology of their very female counterparts, e.g. serum, moisturizer, cream, etc.
These traditional female beauty terms are emasculating for men who identify with the masculine ideal and strive to keep up their male image. And there has been very little effort made by the Beauty Industry to address men’s general preference for simplicity and functionality by harmonizing the terminology of essential men’s skin care products. In fact, the Beauty Industry is known for taking the opposite approach.
While a moisturizer is essentially still a moisturizer by any other name, the Beauty Industry is notoriously creative when it comes to inventing new descriptions as a means of setting a brand apart from the competition, never-mind the confusion this creates for the consumer. For example, what is commonly known as a ‘moisturizer’ could be marketed under ‘lotion’, ‘complex’, ‘balm’, ‘therapy’, ‘cream’, ‘replenisher’, ‘hydrator’, ‘renewer’, ‘nourishment’, ‘essence’, ‘lift’ and so on. Even descriptions that have some masculine resonance, such as ‘rebuilder’ and ‘defense’, are still more confusing than practical.
It would be irresponsible to categorically dismiss the Beauty Industry’s efforts in creating products that appeal to men. True, masculine men aren’t their primary customers and you don’t have enough purchasing power for the Beauty Industry to invest in a complete and costly overhaul of their current practices toward the marketing of men’s skin care and men’s anti-aging products.
It isn’t so much the lack of effort, nor resources – it’s that the modern Beauty Industry as a whole, is so neck deep in the mold of feminine beauty traditions and influences which have defined and confined the Beauty Industry for nearly 200 years that it can’t break loose and find solutions that must be sought outside of the box. As a result, it’s approach towards the creation and marketing of men’s skin care and men’s anti-aging products are systematically cookie cutter and shallow.
The ‘Easy’ Solution: Products and Positioning that Fit a Man’s Nature
Rocket Scientists will say that what they do is simple – once you know what to do. And in the same light, solving the Beauty Industry’s Billion-Dollar Man Problem is easy… once you (the Beauty Industry) know what to do.
And what is that knowledge? It’s simply the awareness that, to engage masculine men and enable them to spend billions of dollars boosting the Beauty Industry’s revenues and profits, it’s time to put aside old models and practices, and reach out to men on their terms, in their world, and in a manner that is aligned with their masculine nature. This is what it’s about:
1. Respect men as men – have the courage to look your customer in the eye. Take the message directly to men, rather than expecting women to do the Beauty Industry’s heavy lifting.
2. Create products and packaging that masculine men are proud to own and talk to their ‘buddies’ about, instead of hide in the bottom of the bathroom cabinet in fear and shame.
3. Design marketing campaigns that cater to masculine men, rather than neglect and humiliate them.
4. Educate men, in language that is familiar and acceptable to them, on the advantages of proper Masculine Face Care, so they make smart, informed decisions and enjoy the results and benefits they expect.
5. Accept that masculine men have buying preferences that are categorically different from women, and creating an experience that fits those preferences – Men tend to ‘buy’, while women ‘shop’.
6. Liberate the legions of “secret male skin care shoppers” from department stores, speciality beauty stores and drugstores, empowering them to hold their head up high, and delivering to them the Ultra Masculine Face Care solutions they want, need and deserve.
Masculine Men – as qualified paying customers, wouldn’t you rather take your business where you know that your masculinity is respected and appreciated?
That’s the challenge the Beauty Industry faces – not next year, not next quarter, but RIGHT NOW.
Visionaries who rise to this challenge and create ways to be ‘easy for men to do business with’ will reap immense rewards and competitive advantages that carry them through the 21st century.
On the other hand, Beauty Industry ‘ostriches’ who stay buried in the sand and who fail to act will find themselves – ironically – much like the men they’ve ignored for so many years: on the outside, looking in.
