Smart Nivea Shaving Strategy

Funny how many thoughts and musings occur when you’re preparing for the day. Perhaps it’s because it’s a private moment (usually) and your brain is a little less focussed than it needs to be later in the day, so open to thoughts.

What I noticed the other day was that I had bought and really appreciated a new pack of Nivea Shaving Gel. Why was this significant? Because I, like many other men, am a creature of habit and I rarely consciously think about personal care products. True I might be getting a little older and be changing my interests and tastes, but I was surprised in myself; surprised for a specific reason.

Gillette shaving products have dominated the market for years, especially in the UK, and despite the attempts of competitors including Unilever and P&G (pre-buying Gillette) to muscle in on the very lucrative market, Gillette through strong branding and sheer weight of impact had managed to capture men’s minds’ if not hearts.

Usually there have only been 3 choices in store; Gillette (with various choices), the very much perceived as second-class Wilkinson Sword and then store brands. Who in their right mind would seek to enter the men’s shaving market when other mighty players had failed and own label meets the functional need? That said there is a huge price gap between the two.

Enter Nivea. I must stress that I did not buy the Nivea showergel with these thoughts in mind, but instead they are occuring to me afterwards. In other words, I had an emotional response in front of the shelf, helped by a hefty 50% off discount to motivate the risk of change.

What I realised had happened was that I had bought the product because I liked the pack. What’s more, I liked having it in my bathroom and I felt good about using the product. For me as someone who perceives himself as pretty functionally motivated in the personal care department, this was a shock.

But times change and these days everything is about design and aesthetics. Perhaps my appreciation of well-designed cars, sunglasses, food, furniture and transport systems had changed me into someone more appreciative of design overall? Now I was a prospect for a well designed and aesthically beautiful pack of shaving gel!

When I think about it Nivea have been smart in two ways.

Firstly they have looked at the macro trends not just the category trends and realised that an opportunity for a new positioning had emerged; one that Gillette and store brands were not meeting. Secondly they chose a marketing strategy based on packaging, trial and therefore product experience, instead of copying Gillette’s turbo charged, celeb-endorsed macho-media assault on the senses.

Perhaps that is where Unilever, who have the same sort of personal care muscle and resources had failed? As I say, I was never previously aware of Gillette’s advertising except in a professional sense and frankly felt it had become a little embarrasing and the bane of jokes of late. But the way to my heart was via the pack.

Well done Nivea.

**By the way, does anyone know how the Nivea shave UK share of market is trending – I have since repurchased but once again managed to buy 3 packs for the price of 2?

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