Freshman Masculine Wash is a pioneer masculine hygiene product in the Philippines. The current market has different feminine hygiene products but none for men, this could have been an opportunity to present a need for the product but the current brand and marketing strategy of Freshman was ineffective in reaching their target audience since it borrowed concepts from feminine hygiene marketing.
Photos courtesy of Freshman's official social media channels.
Photos courtesy of Freshman's official social media channels.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The goal was to pitch a strategy and create a sample advertisement for Freshman since men don't see it as a need. How do you find the uniqueness of the product, create an insight, and make it relevant to people?
THE IDEA
To advertise masculine body care, you would need to impose masculine associations in a modern manner.
WHAT I DID
Brand Strategy
Marketing
Copywriting
Graphic Design
Niche target market: Metrosexual Men, a term coined by Mark Simpson, referring to mid to high income urban young men who are into body care and self-grooming. They are associated with activities such as shopping, accessorizing, and buying body products. Think of David Beckham, people perceive him as a man’s man since he’s an athlete yet you would never catch him having a bad hair day. The fact that he takes care of his appearance doesn't diminish his masculinity.
Part of the challenge is going against age-old gender stereotypes which can still be observed in Philippine advertisements. However, this is not impossible. Western brands like Axe and Lynx have evolved to include more progressive representations of masculinity. They observed an increase in sales and found a bigger market of informed younger males, as well as developed a more positive perception of the brand.
This proves that companies adhering to the new business imperative of gender-positive advertising can face a future of success (if done correctly).
The campaign aims to redefine masculinity and show a wider range of male portrayals in media.
With this campaign, we wanted to celebrate individuality and a diverse take on manliness - a message emphasizing that there is more than one way to be a man.
Our tagline, Men need to be ______ aims to contradict a negative stereotype with the visuals used in our print ads—showing a gender-positive message that supports the progressive movement of ‘redefining masculinity’
'Tough' implies being strong enough to be oneself and to not be afraid of being seen as feminine.
Men can be 'focused' on their partner's pleasure since they have nothing to hide or fear with Freshman.
This promotes inclusivity with the word 'Pride' being included in the copy.
This project is part of coursework and is for educational purposes only. All brands and trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
No copyright infringement is intended.
