Vaseline ropes in Shahid Kapoor to endorse men's range

For its men's skin care range, HUL's Vaseline has roped in Shahid Kapoor as its brand endorser

To mark its entry into the men's skin care segment, Vaseline has roped in Shahid Kapoor as its brand ambassador.

Hindustan Unilever has recently come out with an ad for Vaseline Men Anti-Spots Whitening Face Cream featuring Kapoor. With this, Vaseline launches a whole range of skin care products for men that include face washes, body shower gels and body lotions. The range will be endorsed by Kapoor.

Vaseline ropes in Shahid Kapoor to endorse men's range

"Shahid Kapoor fits in because consumers associate with him the hard work that he puts into his performances. He really embodies the pursuit of perfection, which comes from hard work and preparation. Given that preparation is the key idea, Kapoor becomes the most obvious fit for our campaign," says Govind Rajan, general manager, skincare, Hindustan Unilever.

The creative agency for the ad is BBH, Mumbai and the creative director is Preethi Nair.

With the launch of Vaseline's men's range, HUL is targeting young urban men in the age group of 18-30 years.

"Young men today spend a lot of time grooming themselves. For them, looking good and being presentable is very important but they often neglect the face," says Subhash Kamath, managing director, BBH Mumbai.

The insight behind the ad was that young men today spend a significant amount of time in looking right and they use the women's fairness creams available in the household; the product addresses this need and aims to be a fabulous alternative for men.

The ad starts with Kapoor addressing men on the amount of time they spend in brushing their teeth, combing their hair and shaving, adding that they don't spend even a minute in taking care of their faces. The tagline reads 'Be prepared'.

"With the ad, what we are telling the young men is to 'Be prepared'. It doesn't mean that one only has to dress up well, but also that one's face should be right, which is actually the first thing that gets noticed," says Kamath.

According to Rajan, there is a demand for male specific products. He says, "About 35-40 per cent of urban Indian men today use some sort of face product. Men today understand that their skin is different from that of women and are now looking for specialist skin care products."

Kamath adds that the men's skin care market is worth Rs 500 crore, with the branded products constituting only about Rs 100-125 crore. Thus, there is enough scope for every brand to grow."

Currently, the leading players in the men's skin care category are Garnier Men Power Light (endorsed by actor John Abraham); Emami's Fair and Handsome; Elder Pharmaceuticals' Fairone Man; Nivea for Men; and HUL's Fair and Lovely Menz Active.

Kapoor has earlier endorsed a couple of brands such as Levi Strauss Signature jeans, VIP Luggage and P&G's Head and Shoulders, among others.

Incidentally, HUL has also roped in Anushka Sharma (of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi fame) as its brand ambassador for Vaseline White for Women.

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