It is time to clean up Boys!

Recently, there has been a massive push to get men down the grooming isle.

Next time you're in a Shoppers, PharmaPlus, Loblaws, Walmart... etc. Check where the men's bath products are. I'll bet you (a hypothetical) 10 bucks that the men's products are mostly likely at the end of the isle close to the main thoroughfares.

Why? Because men are MEN. They don't buy body wash! They don't smell "pretty" and what the heck is a LOOFA?!

Well.... not so much anymore, maybe.

Take a look at what Axe and Old Spice have done to the men's grooming business... and Dove is taking a shot at it now too.

The emphasis is on still being a man, smelling good and still getting the ladies. Welcome to "Man 2.0" And I think it's working.Men are conscious of how they look and present themselves. They look good, smell good and I like it!

You can clearly see the different age targets at work: Axe: the young blossoming man that is into Sex, Sex, Sex humour; Old Spice the 25 - 40 range guy that likes the more subtle random humour that a bit more sophisticated and Finally the Dove man - the family man. However, the message is always the same BECAUSE YOU ARE A MAN.

I love the Old Spice work (and scent). Talk about taking a old brand and making it relevant and .... awesome.

Old Spice website
The man your man could smell like (my favourite)


I'm a Man


Axe - they've always pushed the boundaries - taking more of a shock value than the kind of humour seen in Old Spice


Balls (this spot makes me awkward)


Dove for Men

The best ads of the decade - did they make you purchase?

Best campaigns of the decade?

The Globe and Mail article has set out the 5 best campaigns this decade, with a few runners up. Most of h spots they've posted made me smile and agree with them. Some, like one the runner ups made me cringe at the thought of watching it again....

Take a look and let me know - did they miss something?

Potentially the Nike Freestyle ads?

Autoban for the better and having Fun

The fun and quirky car company that brought the world the Beetle and other fun zippy cars like the Rabbit is taking their marketing beyond cars but keeping the fun.

Volkswagen. The Theory of Fun.

Busting out some truly innovative ideas VW is getting people in Stockholm to have fun and do good. Check out these spots that have gone massively viral:

Staircase


Garbage Bin:




But here's the thing: Volkswagen is a car company, their main objective year over year is to sell cars, is it not? So how are they selling cars when their marketing campaign doesn't include any? Even their website thefuntheory.com offers more videos and a chance for people to submit their own ideas for awards.... and NO cars.

For a young urban professional, they are buying the brand. Yes, of course the typical factors play into their choice (price, features, safety, size) but they will look to and lean on the brands that speak to them.

What is interesting though is their dig for a deeper connection through the additional layer of "doing good". It's a fairly common belief that the younger generation is more deeply concerned about social issues (obesity, environment, helping others). Car companies are often vilified for being massive polluters and supplying the world with polluting machines. So it's interesting that VW is taking this perspective.

Are they smart? Risky?

Will we see these in Toronto, Vancouver or anywhere in North America?