It started rolling out ads equating hair-free skin with beauty, health, confidence and “shining glory.” In the process the company has made every Chinese woman more conscious of every stray follicle.
By “educating” its customers and encouraging “fuzz phobia,” Veet remains the fastest growing brand in China for its parent company Reckitt Benckiser. Hair remover sales in Asia are rising 20% annually, almost double the rate of women’s razor blades.
This marketing strategy of getting women to focus on their perceived flaws is not a new one. Actually it’s about as old as the hills, but here’s the reason it’s so effective (not just for women – but for everyone).
We all base our buying decisions on how an ad, promotion or product makes us feel. Not on what it will do for us.
As human beings we are all hard wired to want the same things – better health, more money, great popularity, improved appearance, praise from others, more comfort, more leisure time, a happy life.
If your marketing can whip people into a lather by appealing to one of these deep desires – you’re gold.
It makes no logical sense for Chinese women (who are possibly the least follicly challenged among us), to become the fastest growing users of hair removal cream.
Chinese women are not buying based on whether this makes logical sense. They’re buying because of their desire for an improved appearance and happy life. They want to feel beautiful by buying the product.
This isn’t just a woman thing either. Men buy the same way.
Think about your neighbor down the street who goes out and buys himself a new Chevy Silverado truck, fully loaded.
He tells himself that it’s because the truck has extremely good towing capacity and a long truck bed and it will be a safe ride for the family. But his real decision to buy is an emotional one – he loves the way this big new truck makes him feel. Tough. Strong. Powerful.
