With this in mind CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com spoke with Wingman founder Stu Jolley who launched his brand of grooming products back in 2010, before attracting the support of men’s grooming company King of Shaves, and Jolley’s mentor, founder, Will King.
Jolley explains that it is a mixture of matching the consumer’s needs with the product, as well as connecting with them with a brand that reflects their lifestyle, that is important.
Reaching the forgotten audience
On the one hand, the men’s grooming segment attracts ‘engaged’ men who understand what products they need and will have developed an in-depth beauty regime; which has seen the men’s market and men’s cosmetics take off, particularly in the UK and in Korea.
However, Jolley reiterates the importance of interacting with the less engaged consumer, who still has grooming needs; and with multi-functionality becoming a big trend in the mass men’s market, developing a product and brand to meet the consumer’s lifestyle, becomes important.
“Finding the right people and specialists who could make these products was essential, as you need to provide men with a product that is effective and fulfils their needs,” says Jolley.
“But we also wanted to develop a brand that fits the man-on-the-go’s lifestyle. We wanted to become their ‘Wingman’ – and this is important as it engages the consumer and promotes brand loyalty.”
Past struggles
In the past, advertisers have struggled to find the most effective way of communicating with the male audience, as despite coming on leaps and bounds, marketers are still far more informed about women’s industry and their needs.
Promotions have been a popular approach of targeting men, particularly with product launches in conjunction with an offer; however the price of the product has little bearing on the satisfaction of the products being used.
With this in mind, the Wingman boss states that it is his brand’s aim to appeal to male desire and create a close relationship with the consumer, through the brand’s name, its identity, right through to its packaging.
Matching lifestyle
“We are targeting young men in their 20s who have already had their introduction to grooming products, and still want an effective product that reflects their lifestyle,” he explains.
“We created our first product – the deodorising wipe – to fit in with the man-on-the-go, fulfilling the needs of city guys and festival goers who wanted to remain fresh. Through identifying and engaging our audience we have then developed the range to suit the desired lifestyle.”
Research has shown that men will stick with a product if it is effective and provides the quick fix they were looking for; therefore it is of utmost importance for brands to be male-friendly, and also effective and simple.
“We have used a variety of channels, such as apparel through to social media to appeal to and engage our audience, and this should lead to some exciting developments in 2013 for Wingman.”