Last week I learned about two different brand launches from arch-rival companies and the contrast between the two was dramatic. One is a line of soaps and shower gels called The Right To Shower from Unilever, and the other is a new women’s razor brand called Joy from Procter & Gamble.
They’re both scrappy launches and therefore caught my eye, but the Joy brand, with apologies to all of my friends at P&G, strikes me as inauthentic and soulless. Joy (http://www.joyshave.com/) is available exclusively via Walmart and has an engaging, really charming tone of voice. Other than that it isn’t in any way innovative and feels like nothing more than a mid-priced product sandwiched between store brands and P&G’s premium women’s razor brand, Venus. It’s a middle-of-the-road offer with smart marketing topspin that’s clever and cute but its heart is made of plastic. I solidly believe that the young women they’re overtly targeting are looking for more than that. What’s more, targeting by age and gender feel contrived and out of touch to many consumers these days, particularly huge swaths of that very demographic.
The Right To Shower products (https://www.therighttoshower.com/) feel different in every way. The brand is available via Amazon and at Whole Foods, which sets up a distinct tonality right away, and it’s aimed at people who have shared values, rather than some dehumanizing demographic categorization of consumers. This is clearly a mission brand, from beginning to end, with 100% of the proceeds dedicated to giving homeless people access to cleanliness. It doesn’t feel slick and corporate. There’s a palpable sense that people who care are behind this brand, communicated via every single design and wording choice, even if it was created in-house by Unilever, and even if it does serve to halo Unilever as much as it needs to stand on its own feet. In any case, though the brand feels like it’s still rolling out they’ve already started putting their proceeds where their mission statement is by providing roaming shower vans to serve the homeless.
While The Right To Shower feels more niche and Joy feels more mass, it would be a mistake to predict bigger success for Joy. I believe The Right To Shower is the stronger play to grow into a significant business over time because it stands for something and in doing so feels authentic, true and real. In a market that’s beyond saturated with choices, people want to be moved, not sold at. More than ever before, they want the things they buy to be more than just products and reflect what resides inside their hearts.
