As gender roles continue to blur, the personal care industry could benefit as more men take an active interest in their appearance. Datamonitor research has highlighted some of the key 'megatrends' based on changing consumer values, with gender complexity at the forefront of the issues for personal care players to confront.
Although consumer behavior is complex, a clear understanding of consumer values, attitudes and behaviors, together with associated product trends, provides powerful insight into what drives today's consumer buying habits.
Times change
The emergence of more complex male consumers who are embracing both effeminate metrosexual values alongside more macho themes will have a huge impact on the personal care and dieting industries. With polarized values and behaviors characterizing male lives, 'role anxiety' is becoming more apparent. Men are less certain of their roles, their careers and their relationship to family as they reconcile effeminate values with older-fashioned 'macho' themes. It is vital that marketers avoid taking a one-dimensional perspective when targeting specific genders, especially males.
As society's perception of gender roles has become less and less clear cut, traditional macho values have gradually waned in influence. The World Values Survey in particular has highlighted a growing trend towards individuals possessing egalitarian values with regards to gender roles. Datamonitor believes that this has contributed towards the feminization of society and is having a particularly strong impact on male consumer behavior.
More time in front of the mirror
A Datamonitor survey has shown that more European and US men (73%) than women (72%) felt that spending time on personal appearance was 'important' or 'very important' to them. Little wonder then that the combined European and US male personal care market is set to rise from $31.5 billion in 2003 to $37.6 billion in 2008. Across all countries, 47% of male respondents indicated that they spent more time on their personal appearance over the course of 2003-04, compared to the 51% of females.
Furthermore, men, especially younger generations, are becoming more experimental when it comes to trying out new products and grooming practices and this offers an array of opportunities for 'on-trend' product development. Manufacturers therefore need to develop specific male brands and concepts in the grooming arena.
Leading industry players are slowly catching onto the demand; for example, L'Oreal Paris has launched the first comprehensive men's anti-aging line to hit mass market retailers. The eight-product line, named Men's Expert, features the L'Oreal technological breakthrough Active Defense System, which increases the skin's resilience.
'Boys will be boys'
However, the prevailing existence of macho values means that traditional ideals of what it is to be a 'man' persists, and machismo themes still have strong relevance in products such as beer and cars. Despite the growing prevalence of metrosexual behaviors and men valuing the importance of looking good, the feminization of society is still held in contempt by many other men. Even those embracing metrosexual ideals still don't want to be seen to be 'trying too hard' when it comes to anything perceived as vaguely effeminate.
Datamonitor believes that male grooming products can be made to appeal to these contrasting values by adjusting the marketing mix accordingly. This can be in the form of differing product lines or distribution strategies. For instance O'Keeffe's Working Hands Handcreme in the US is a typical metrosexual product that seeks to achieve acceptability amongst a more macho target market via a distribution strategy that utilizes a hardware or home center distribution channel. Such channels could be effective in attracting the men put off by excessively feminine personal care marketing.
Related Datamonitor Report: Evolution of Global Consumer Trends
