Pearlfisher: "Mr Contrary - meeting and creating desire with today's contradictory male"

Jonathan Ford demonstrated in his presentation just how contradictory men can be in their approach to grooming products. He maintained that men are modal creatures who switch modes according to their needs, and that to succeed. brands must understand these different modes. Ford identified a number of contradictions affecting not Just men but all people living in today's modern society. These included mass exclusivity, tribal individualism, tradition versus progression, convention versus change, less versus more. "The same person can be traditional in their views and be enticed to be forward looking and experimental," he maintained. He went on to explain how brands need to be considered inner-directed thinking which is about life experiences and not about things. A brand like easy jet. for example, understands~hat the airplane experience is not important to those who want simplicity. This has now been translated into a men's grooming range which consists of basic products, that are easy to use and do the job However, a contrary man might just as be likely to choose an exclusive fragrance such as Annani Prive, only available from Harrods, "These are moments of indulgence by someone who wouldn't normally buy this type of product, "explained Ford, ""Being outer directed, or showing off, is continually influenced by being innerdirected, If brands stop thinking of being Inner-directed this will be the end of them."

Mintel: "Top trends in cosmetics and skincare"

Drawing on information from Mintel's Global New Products Database, the speakers revealed that nearly 100,000 new C & T products had been launched between 2002 and 2005 {all SKUs - "Store Keeping Units" - are counted as are new products each time they are launched In a different country}. A brief summary of the top trends follows. The convenience trend for portability continues to grow with new examples such as Estee Lauder's Artist Brow Stylist all-in-one brow grooming kit shaped like a mascara containing brow pencil. tweezers. brush and brow fixer. Mini portable cosmetic palettes are also all the rage. such as Urban Decay's Hot Box, shaped like a cigarette lighter that opens out to reveal a range of eye and lip products. Mintel is noting more unique packaging, sucrl as P & G's Zest liquid soap with air freshener In the base, and Schering Plougll Healthcare's continuous spray sunblock which provides even coverage. Products with multiple benefits are becoming more prevalent such as Shiseido's smoke repelling hair gel, or skin care products offering specific diabetic benefits New developments abound in products to look younger, with doctor/derm brands such as Skin Doctors, offering a cosmetic alternative to botox. Microdermabrasion products Wilich are battery operated are also starting to appear on the market. Enhancing what nature Ilas given you IS a strong trend and includes mascaras to make lashes longer, products to make teeth whiter or to Improve hair colour. This is complemented by products which work from within. Bringing the spa experience home is now going mainstream with Mintel predicting spa as the next aromatherapy. Finally, customisation is an important trend across a number of categories, such as in fragrance, where The Body Shop's Invent Your Scent gives scope to consumers to create their own individual scent. In self tanning, Fiji Blends has launched Shades of Darkness, a product with two compartments and a dosage cap to allow for customised tanning.