Apparently, some men don’t want to smell like they bathed in cologne, at least according to Dove.
The Unilever-owned personal-care brand is introducing this week of Feb. 13 its campaign for the new Dove Men + Care Elements, a grooming line incorporating natural ingredients. It’s a bit of a refined proposition for the mass men’s market, which is saturated with products touting heady fragrances and overtly macho monikers.
“We’re doing this [line] in a more sophisticated and subtle way for the marketplace,” said Nick Soukas, vice president of marketing for Dove at Unilever. “It combines our signature superior care from Dove with a new specified take on male freshness — it’s meant to trigger the senses.”
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The line is comprised of three ranges based on ingredients — Minerals and Sage, Charcoal and Clay, and Mineral Powder and Sandalwood. Soukas said the ingredients were chosen based off of best-selling prestige products in — of all places — the women’s segment.
“When we look at natural ingredients and products inspired by nature, clay, charcoal and sandalwood showed up in popular men’s and women’s products,” Soukas said. “Not every ingredient will cross over, but we think these areas are seeing good appeal among men.”
The Elements line consists of 11 products across several categories, including spray and solid antiperspirants, body wash, bar soap and hair care.
The products began shipping to stores this month, and a digital and television campaign is to launch on February. Dove is also doing a live activation to support the launch, complete with a tree house designed by tree house architect Pete Nelson. The tree house, located in Chattanooga, Tenn., will be open to the public and will be stocked with Elements products for visitors to test out. “We’re really trying to leverage the ‘I’m getting in touch with nature’ [attitude] and bring it to life for the consumer,” Soukas said of the activation.
Soukas emphasized that the men’s personal-care market is rapidly sophisticating, as men increasingly shop more for themselves and are looking for more options.
“We’re hitting a spot where men are engaging more in personal care and actually caring about the outcome of their routine,” Soukas said. “There’s more men that are searching for information and products.”
Blame Millennial men — Soukas noted the line is designed to appeal to a younger set of men with “shifting priorities.”
“We have a vision of modern masculinity….It debunks the stereotype that guys were less interested and less sophisticated in their personal-care routines,” Soukas said. “That’s struck a chord in men that are in their late 20s and upward, and they don’t see themselves using products for attraction but as caring for themselves.”
Despite buzzy launches last year such as Harry’s at Target, industry sources suggest it is Dove Men + Care that is driving much of the growth in the men’s mass market right now. One source noted that the brand had experienced 30 percent growth year-over-year from 2015 to 2016.