You might have noticed the ads for brands like Dove, Neutrogena, Vaseline and Nivea, all angling for a piece of the valuable men’s skincare space.
But something isn’t working.
According to Mintel, a market research tracking firm, men are expected to spend 10.2 percent less than they did last year on this sector of the men’s grooming business.
So how is one brand trying to get noticed?
They’ve worked their way into an NBA locker room, where they can get product placement and branding during the postgame interviews.
The Nivea for Men brand, through its sports marketing firm Leverage Agency, struck a deal with the New Jersey Nets.
Its logo adorns everything from locker room rugs to plush towels to products in each of the player’s lockers. In cased you missed any of that, the locker room itself is called the Nivea for Men Locker Room.
“Having a partnership with a team makes a lot of sense for us,” said Magnus Johnson, vice president of marketing for Beiersdorf Inc., the American subsidiary of the parent company that owns the Nivea brand. “Athletes go from jerseys to suits and ties and they’re always looking for something to make them look good.”
Doing a partnership with the Nets isn’t surprising given the fact that they are among the most progressive teams in terms of letting companies dream up new concepts to better reach the marketplace. Years ago, the team sold the space on the back of the visiting locker room chairs to Marquis Jet.
Johnson said if all goes well, the company will look to rolling out similar locker room partnerships with other teams.
Looking to athletes isn’t new for the category. Vaseline Men , a Nivea competitor, uses former New York Giants great Michael Strahan in its ads, while Dove’s men line has used New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols.
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