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This is the question that visual merchandisers ask themselves when creating the packaging that will accommodate their products.
Virility first ?
Gender-based marketing, a concept that has existed since the dawn of time, yeah!
Who has always managed the marketing department before? Advertising services! What were they inspired by? Society and the stereotypes they conveyed. Pink for girls, blue for boys. This is when sexism is found on packaging and particularly in the Hygiene and Cosmetics department.
How to attract men to shelves? A cornelian dilemma. Should we rather opt for a very masculine packaging to reassure the virility of the man or a simple look or also on add the mention "for men" on the packaging?
First of all, the shape of the packaging is very different from that of women's products. The packaging is more geometric. Why ? This expresses the technicality and efficiency of the product. Women prefer satin surfaces, hence the craze for "soft touch" surfaces.
In addition, the colour of the packaging is not chosen at random. For men, we stay in a universe of blue, black, red, grey and green with metallic effects.
Last but not least, the visuals are there to show that the product will be efficient and technical, that the man does not buy gnognotte.
Nothing better than to prove this in images with the Gillette brand.
Are the packaging geometric ? Yes
Are the colours blue or red or grey ? Yes
Can you see a metallic effects ? Yes
Do you feel like the product you will buy is very efficient thanks to the visuel ? Oh yes!
Another example, still in the Gillette group, the brand King C Gillette responds to a universe that is still very masculine but more classy. A true barber shop experience with
their products thanks to their night blue and gold metal
colours packs. Very Peaky- blinders oriented!
To continue, let’s analyse a major brand in the men cosmetic department : L’Oreal Men Expert. In 2004, the L'Oréal Paris group launched its L'Oreal Men Expert brand for men.
Promising beginnings given that the brand is already number 1 for women in supermarkets. They used their expertise and adapt it to the male market. One more time, the packaging is men-oriented, masculine, gray, metallic colours… Moreover, the terms used on the packaging are also more viril and get straight to the point: turbo, expert, energetic...
Virility can be overrated !
What I think about is : who says a man necessarily wants to buy a beauty product if the packaging is dark. Today, it is necessary that all people identify with products, especially those who claim their non-binarity or those who do not wish to be defined only by their gender.
Brands must contribute to this reality!
As seen when I visited supermarkets, I noticed a brand I never saw before in the men's shelves. A brand, with a packaging even a bit girly. The French brand “Au Poil” represented by the rugby players Alain Chabal, stands out on the shelves. Say goodbye to blue, red, metallic colours and say hello to pink, purple and orange.
Moreover, this is what the founders of Horace brand, natural care for men did. How? With sober and elegant packaging. No secondary packs to avoid unnecessary packaging, only a primary pack where everything we need to know about the product is mentioned. Blue, transparent or white, the packaging is sober.
Last but not least, Typology, the king for non-gender pack cosmetics. Exclusively sold online, you arrive on their website and you will never come across a woman or man tab. The products are suitable for both genders. Both genders? no, the products have no gender and even less their packaging. For this brand again, no secondary pack. The primary packs are exclusively in recyclable glass or plastic. "All of our containers are flat: the packages are smaller, and the carbon footprint is better." Unbelievable!
Pauline Nortier
Sources :
- Lsa-conso.fr. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.lsa conso.fr/mediatheque/3/1/3/000443313_5.jpg> [Accessed 1 November 2021].
- Google.com. 2021. Redirect Notice. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lorealparisusa.com%2Fbeauty-magazine%2Fskin-care%2Fskin-care-essentials%2Fmens-skin-care-products&psig=AOvVaw3N86b2WZqkgOwVZ3oeYMPn&ust=1636554667222000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCPDyh6-_i_QCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAF> [Accessed 1 November 2021].
- Aupoil.com. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.aupoil.com/> [Accessed 1 November 2021].
- Google.com. 2021. Redirect Notice. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lefigaro.fr%2Fmode-homme%2F2016%2F11%2F30%2F30007-20161130ARTFIG00178-qui-se-cache-derriere-horace-site-qui-sauve-la-peau-des-hommes-de-la-grise-mine.php&psig=AOvVaw3dSTJicP7450ttuJJlK_AI&ust=1636806901338000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCKCqz4HrkvQCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
- https://www.e-marketing.fr/. 2021. Le sexe du packaging. [online] Available at: <https://www.e-marketing.fr/Marketing-Magazine/Article/Le-sexe-du-packaging-13232-1.htm> [Accessed 1 November 2021].
- Google.com.2021.Redirect Notice. [online] Available at: < https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gillette.fr%2Fblog%2Farticle%2Femballage-carton-durable&psig=AOvVaw0ZL1Z2z8dh1c8y9KnCarcH
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