L’Oreal Men Expert

How would you go about selling men personal care products? I must admit it isn’t a job I would like to have. But even so, I’d like to think that I could do a better job than this effort from L’Oreal.

Well to be fair it is a tough gig.

First problem. Being interested in skin care might look a bit effeminate. So get a good looking definitely straight actor with a down to earth approach to life in the advert. Someone like, say, Mathew Fox. (You know, the guy off Lost.) Nobody is going to see through what we are trying to do there in three seconds flat are they?

Celebrity endorsements are big business and the big cosmetic companies wouldn’t spend the millions they do if they didn’t know that was a way to sell product, so my cynicism is probably not completely justifiable there.

But what benefit are they selling? Apparently Mathew Fox is determined to make sure his skin doesn’t look tired. What does that mean exactly? I am not at all sure. I know what tired eyes look like. And an overall tired person does have well, a tired look about them. I suppose what they are talking about is the look that skin gets sometimes when it is a bit dry.

Well the product seems to be simply a moisturiser with a bit of vitamin C in it. Vitamin C does tend to whiten the skin a little, so I suppose you could say that it will make your skin will look less tired. But I can’t help thinking that this way way too subtle for the male market. I think men need it spelled out. ‘It is a moisturiser’ might work. But I am not convinced that all men would even get that. ‘It makes your skin less dry’ might be better. You think I am joking? I have seen faces blanker than Osama bin Laden’s Facebook location on men when I have talked to them about moisturisation.

If it isn’t insultingly simple, it is too complicated.

And as for telling us we are worth it, well we knew that already. The question is, is the product worth it?