Today's Internet Marketing article has to do with a subject near and dear to my heart ever since I married my lovely wife Yvonne.
Buying Tampons for a woman... while still feeling like a man.
Picture this:
You are a guy (a man's man) and your wife, girlfriend, mistress, booty call, fling (whatever...) is sick at home when she calls you at your cellphone to ask you if you can be a sweetheart and run to the store to pick up some tampons for her.
Panic sets in...
You have no idea where to start, what to ask for at the store or what type of packaging tampons are sold in... but, you committ to run the errand in order not to piss her off and potentially ruin the relationship (imagine, she is sick AND she has her period... Double whammy.)
I don't know about you, but there is something to be said about going to a supermarket or drug store and purchasing a box of tampons that makes me as a man feel a little antsy. Starting from the fact that 99% of the time I have to ask someone (typically a woman... hopefully) where they are located in the store.
Once I get there, it is hard to distinguish among all the girlie looking boxes which is the one I am supposed to buy (I may be an expert in Internet marketing but I am clueless on the topic of which feminine hygine product to choose. All the boxes look the same and the colors are pretty similar.) - All this while trying to pull off a covert operation so no one sees me buying something that is not for me (but technically I am the only one who knows that...)
OK... On with the reason for my article and how this all ties into Marketing and Internet Salesmanship.
I think it's pretty obvious that tampons, sanitary napkins or pads are products that are targeted towards women being the purchasers and the end consumers of the product, and the top brands in the market such as Playtex, Always, Tampax and Kotex have a firm stronghold on that consumer segment.
This got me thinking about an opportunity for a new brand of tampons trying to break into an already saturated market such as tampons and what it would take...
For instance, rather than trying to cannibalize on the main target audience traditionally pursued by the main players, this new brand could create a tampon marketing campaign geared towards men who are buying tampons for their wives, girlfriends, daughters, etc. which would position itself as taking away the embarassment and confusion of the men who are running the, until now, shameful errand of going for some tampons.
I know this example may seem a bit silly to some readers at first, but I am taking the ruthless extreme in order to make a point (and there is a point...)
Let's see how this would play out:
After much discussion with an expert on the subject (my wife Yvonne), we came up with a hypothetical tampon brand called They're not for me... These tampons would be packaged in a discrete, masculine-looking box which would be color coded based on the absorbency of the tampon. For example, lue for light days, green for regular days, ed for heavy days and silver for extreme flow (personally, I would rather not imagine the days that would require these.)
Women asking men to purchase tampons while at the store would simply have to tell them which colored box (absorbency level) of They're not for me... they need.
Furthermore, the boxes could also be placed in an area highly trafficked by men and which would present the least embarassment to the male consumer buying it (e.g. condom aisle, next to the shaving needs, even behind the sales counter right next to the cigarrettes - imagine, walking up to the counter sales person and asking for a carton of Marlboro reds, a pack of gum and a blue box of They're not for me...)
In fact, a creative marketer could do cross promotions with companies that traditionally market to men to include incentives to buy the product. For instance, $2 off a six pack of beer with your purchase of They're not for me..., a sweepstakes to win tickets to a ball game, etc.
This They're not for me... brand also has the potential to incite a good amount of press coverage as it takes an unusual approach on what has been a common/embarassing issue faced by all.
Just the amount of press coverage on this would be enough to help the product launch and establish itself firmly in the market.
(BTW, to disclaim and legally cover my a*s - this is just an idea I am using as an example that I am sharing with you and I am not endorsing nor encouraging that you do anything with it. In other words, I won't be held responsible for your level of success or lack thereof if you decide to actually execute on it.)
Ok, enough about tampons for the moment, I think you get my point.
When launching a product in a highly competitive market such as selling on the Internet where there are already established competitors and the barrier to entry for new products is not that high, you need to find a way to position your product with a different twist that will allow you to specifically target what audience segment you are pursuing and address what specific benefits are in this product for them.
For example, in the They're not for me... tampon example:
- The product takes a different slant to that followed by the market leaders to address an underserved segment of the buying population by addressing an unmet need.
- This not only makes the product be more suitable to the buyers of the product but also adds a different twist that makes it stand out from the hundreds of other already available options.
- While we are on this, specifically targeting such a narrow niche also creates the possibility of selling the product at a higher price premium as this is a more targeted product which offers extra benefits/comfort level to the immediate buyer.
(For example, there is a new line of condoms by Trojan condoms being marketed specifically for women which sells on a per package price for considerably higher than the traditional male targeted line.)
KEY TAKEAWAY:
When crafting the marketing/positioning for your new product offering, think of the specific segment of the market you are pursuing and create a product that alks the talk, looks the part and addresses the wants and needs of that audience. By taking a tight/specific approach, you might be able to target a segment of the audience that may not be being fully served by other players (e.g. PC / Microsoft type computers dominate most of the general desktop market but Apple has carved a very profitable niche in the graphic designer and music production segments with their Macintosh; and have gone on to extend this music / multi-media perceived market expertise into a practically complete market domination with their i-Pod brand of MP3 players.)
Take a moment to look at your current online sales strategy and any upcoming products you may be creating. See if there is a different angle that will allow you to take advantage of your business core strengths to make the final product marketing different from every other product out there.
Think outside of the box and explore all angles no matter how absurd they may seem to you at first - there may be a gem hidden in there somewhere. After all, there must be quite a profitable niche when Clinique launched its beauty line exclusively targeting men and why Just For Men hair coloring products is one of the leading brands among the countless hair coloring options available.
Now, if you'll please excuse me, I need to run out to the store to buy some tampons for my wife.
If I could only remember if she needs egulars or supers...
George Levy is an internationally recognized marketing expert responsible for helping businesses both large and small use the Internet to sell over $100 million dollars in the United States, Canada and 14 countries across Latin America. He is the developer of the Internet Salesmanship program and is known for his Ruthless Truths about online sales and making money on the web. To get instant, Free access to his Internet Salesmanship newsletter, Blog and seven day web marketing course, visit: http://www.internetsalesmanship.com/
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