While showering this weekend at the place where I’d played tennis, I had a moment of indecision. Located between two bottles clearly labelled Shampoo and Conditioner, I surmised that the one in the middle was Dove body wash, but couldn’t find it on the label. Given the creamy texture, two questions occurred to me.
Could this be conditioner? Not likely, because it says “nourishes the driest skin" (not scalp).
Could this be hand cream that somehow found its way into the shower stall?
On a large white canvas that is the plastic container, the words “body wash” appear in tiny font at the bottom and in the same background color as the splash (by design, no doubt). It's the 10th largest graphical or text element, if you’re counting.
My vision is still 20:20, but I use glasses for low-light conditions. I don’t wear them in the shower, which had no overhead light and was thus darker than this picture makes it appear. I can now see it (barely) with the help of my iPhone’s 3-lens camera, and there’d be little doubt about what the product is in a well-lit Target or Walgreen’s aisle when flanked by other body wash brands.
Having been responsible for packaging as part of my marketing roles, I’ve taken a keen interest in the topic, though it’s not a service my firm provides. As an Associate Brand Manager on Campbell’s condensed soups, I put pictures of ingredients on the cans made iconic by Andy Warhol’s paintings. The design agency knocked it out of the park and the brand has never looked back. Advanced graphics, photography, and packaging materials have since enabled today’s stunning package designs and materials. That said, French’s mustard could improve the feel of its flip-top lid by installing a rusted razor blade in its place.
Because my strengths are with words and numbers and not pictures – just ask any of my Pictionary teammates – I’ve surrounded myself with great designers in the agencies I’ve worked with and at. I understand the power of beautiful aesthetics, but they need to be balanced with practical requirements. Form and function.
I’m a fan of Real Beauty, the campaign Dove launched 20 years ago "To make women feel comfortable in their own skin and to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence rather than anxiety." Brand research indicated that only 4% of women considered themselves beautiful, creating an enormous opportunity to speak to the other 96%. They were the first to put pictures of everyday women instead of supermodels in their advertising; something that’s now commonplace. Some Real Clarity could also help.
In the end, I did what I think most guys would have: I used the shampoo on my head and body.
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