I was reading this month’s Golf Digest and toward the back I saw this 2-page ad plus a pull out card for the product ‘Men Touch of Gray’. It’s a hair coloring product.
The pull-out card offered a refund for proof of purchase but more importantly on the back of the card, in bold large fonts the message: “Best News for Boomers Since The Birth Control Pill.” These guys know their market!
An April article in USA Today headlined their story as “Men arm themselves with anti-aging weapons.”
Men’s personal care and anti aging products are an exciting trend and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. According to Laura Petrecca of USA Today, anti aging products accounted for 20% of the estimated $46 million in male skin care sales.
The targets for the men’s market vary – just as the market does for women. There are products for the movers and shakers and products for the young men starting out on careers. Interestingly, a third of men 18 to 59 say it is “very or extremely acceptable” to use anti-aging products according to a poll recently released by Men’s Health magazine.
What intrigues me is the language marketers use to appeal to men: the verbs are a lot more active than they are for women. Verbs such as “fight” and “defend” instead of adjectives such as “active” and “powerful”.
Apparently men are beginning to realize that looking good, i.e. looking younger, gives them a competitive advantage. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons there was a 215% increase in men getting Botox injections and a 96% rise in laser skin resurfacing for men from 2000 to 2007.
I wonder if men also gossip about who is using what anti aging tool?