Most men in America today don’t use lotion normally, for example Nivea has a lotion line specifically geared towards men; and it’s not doing so well.  They sold roughly 15,000 bottles last year in the US, according to Information Resources.  While, in contrast Nivea’s other lines have sold 5.7 million bottles.

In its marketing research, Vaseline found that “men were concerned about feeling greasy and appearing lady-like when using any lotion”.  In an effort to introduce their new lotion for men (Vaseline Men – catchy right?), Vaseline has teamed up with ESPN for “help”.  I surmise that to most men, anything sports related is masculine.  I guess focusing on your favorite football star using lotion…makes it okay to use.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s a great idea to start a campaign aimed at men.

ESPN has produced TV and print ads featuring Michael Strahan the former NY Giants tackler (or whatever he did) and Chase Utley from the Philadelphia Phillies; using the lotion in different situations.   Vaseline wants to position the lotion as a performance enhancer, meaning: “If my skin is strong, then I can perform and do things that I want to do.” 

Has our world changed so much that men are afraid to use lotion for fear of looking like a girl?  What’s next?  Men will stop using umbrellas for fear of looking like a wimp? 

Article Tags: 12 Point Type | ads | advertising | Creative | ESPN | Vaseline
Filed under: Creative, Entertainment, Television, advertising, branding