Irish Spring Brand & Product Innovation Male  Body  Wash  

Aileen  Avendano,  Ari  engber,  Erin  Shintaku,  Jake  Byrnes  &  Mellisa  Woodma  

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ABSTRACT  

Asked   to  develop  a  new  body-­‐wash   for   Irish  Spring’s,  we  developed  a   concept   that  remains   consistent  with   Irish   Spring’s   current   brand   image  while   reinvigorating   the  brand.   This   report   includes   primary   and   secondary   market   research,   competitive  analysis,  product  and  brand  innovation,  and  promotional  strategies.  

A Natural Progression

The project to rebrand and market a new Irish Spring product line has been a journey for our team. We

started with many different ideas, and, after much deliberation, narrowed it down to our favorite, which

we called the “Man Cave.”

After doing some market research we found that our target consumers believed that the idea was too

similar to the marketing strategy of Old Spice. After some discussion on the root essence of the “Man

Cave” idea, we decided to change tracks and came up with a new concept for Irish Spring called “No-

Nonsense.” It is a product for a man who does not need to validate his masculinity with an overly

sexualized body wash. “No-Nonsense” was not the idea we had originally intended on presenting, but

we feel it is a natural progression from the essence of what our “Man Cave” idea was centered around

a man who doesn’t mess around; he is already confident and wants to get in, get out, and get clean.

With our slogan “Get in, Get out, Get clean”, we plan to convey our message of what a “real” man’s

shower experience is all about.

Introducing No-Nonsense by Irish Spring

“Get in. Get out. Get Clean.”

The “No-Nonsense” line by Irish Spring includes a body wash and a shaving cream/face wash two-in-

one. The unique selling proposition for this new line is the idea that it caters to the no-nonsense man

who does not want more than a couple of products in his shower at once. This concept is also a stark

contrast to the current body wash products in today’s marketplace, such as Axe and Old Spice’s use of

sexual appeals. Considering the over-the-top marketing campaigns both of these brands have recently

launched, a simple no-nonsense product will appeal to the man who doesn’t believe he needs a body

wash to “get lucky.” He is already confident in the man he is.

Competition

The main competitors are Axe, Old Spice, and Dove+Men. Axe by Unilever is positioned as a

masculine brand for younger men who want to “get the girl.” Unilever’s Dove Men+Care is a brand that

has positioned itself as a specialized body wash for all skin types. Their primary claim is that their body

wash is a masculine product based on the “science of skin care.” Lastly, Old Spice, owned by Procter &

Gamble, has the unique selling proposition of using a variety of exotic scents in addition to their classic

line of products that carry a loyal following.

Target Market

This new product is based upon the target

individual “Jack” presented by Colgate

Palmolive for the new Irish Spring body wash.

Jack is a 24 year old, single, working-

professional who lives in Chicago making

roughly $55,000 a year. He is committed to his

work and his future as a lawyer, but always

makes time to work out and hang out with his

friends. On weekends he can be found golfing,

playing pool at a friend’s house, and drinking

Dos Equis, as these are his mains AIO’s.

Jack was raised on the idea that you should stick to quality brands and is drawn to no-frills products that

make his life easier. While value and quality are his two major considerations, he enjoys products with

simple aesthetics that fit well with his no-nonsense lifestyle. He used to identify with Old Spice, but has

recently found himself deterred by the abundance of that product’s options and over-the-top

commercials. He is looking for a simple body wash to get him clean and on his way. Jack is already

confident in his masculinity and does not need body wash to “get lucky;” he makes his own luck.

Jack will be drawn to Irish Spring’s “No-Nonsense” message because he identifies with the concept that

men who are masculine and self-confident don’t need an over-the-top body wash to attract women. He

understands that no amount of money can ever buy a magic potion to help him get lucky; Jack already

has the confidence he needs. He simply wants a quality brand product that gets him clean. He will be

enticed by this product because it caters to the determinant attributes he looks for in a body wash. He is

drawn to the value provided by the price and convenience of the line, as well as the simple aesthetics of

the product’s design. Lastly, he will be drawn to Irish Spring because it is an established brand known

for its simple message and fresh smells.

Market Research In our research we asked product usage questions and found that 81% of our respondents typically

spend 10-15 minutes in the bathroom each morning, including showering. This research supports our

product idea that our target market doesn’t want to spend a lot of time in the shower. Body wash is not

necessarily in consumer's consideration set and is not a product that men will put a lot of effort into

when they buy it. Our research also indicated 62% would only drive 1-2 miles to buy body wash. This

information tells us that we need to be able to supply Irish Spring in many retailers because our target

market will only be willing to travel a very short distance to purchase it.

In order to test our ideas with our target market we created an online survey using Qualtrics. All of the

polled individuals were males, aged 20-30. The pool of questions was mixed between open ended and

multiple choice. The variance of question types provided us with a wider range of information that

ultimately allowed us to test the reaction of our consumers to our original concept of: “Man Cave.” One

of the most insightful questions we asked read:

“Does this product have a unique position in

comparison to other current brands of male body

wash?” In response, one man identified that the concept

of non-sexualizaiton was unique, as: “it evokes

manliness and looking at the "inner man" rather than

how to get lucky with girls (Axe) or get noticed by

girls (Old Spice).“ While reading the open ended

responses of our survey, we realized that our target

market saw the over- exaggerated idea of

adding extra manly touches to a guy’s shower as too over the top for the no-nonsense man we were

trying to target. We also came to realize that the “man cave” concept was working more as a

marketing campaign tailored to Old Spice rather than a line of new body wash for Irish Spring. Seeing

these limitations of our original idea, we were able to peel back all the unnecessary layers we had

added and streamline our “no-nonsense” product line.

Due to Irish Spring’s small market share within the current body-wash market, rebranding will be

easier, as consumer perceptions of the brand are weak in this particular product category. However,

due to strong overall brand awareness, people still perceive Irish Spring as a classic male brand with

an authentic scent. This leaves Irish Spring in a perfect position to capitalize on an already strong

brand concept as classic, simple and manly by reinvigorating the brand with a new product.

Marketing Strategy In terms of marketing strategy, we have a

few recommendations we think would be

best for the overall sales of this product.

According to our survey, the average price

that our respondents would be willing to

pay for this body wash is around $4.49. We

feel, however, that the best price for this

body wash should be $3.50. We settled on

this price because it is less expensive than

the competitors, but not so cheap that

consumers will view it as detracting from its

brand equity. We also think it would be best

to hold off on the in-store “sales” of Irish Spring. We want to strive to keep the price relatively

consistent in each of our markets. This allows men to walk into any location where Irish Spring is sold

and not be shocked by a price difference resulting in fewer brand-switchers.

When it comes to locations where we believe “No-

Nonsense” should be sold, our recommendations

include: Target, Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens.

The premise for this decision comes from research

stating, “the “Male Isle”... cater[s to] men’s “get-in

and get-out” shopping mindset.” (Veiders, 2011)

We would also like to sell “No-Nonsense” at Costco

but packaged as a box set including the body wash

and the face wash/shave gel two-in-one. Also,

women frequent these stores and are often the

decision maker for household goods, therefore this

is a strategic place to reach both the target market

and other influential decision makers within this

particular product category.

In order to invigorate our target consumer into trying our

new product we will start out with in store point of purchase

marketing. The promotional display on the right would be

positioned as an isle end display aimed at grabbing

consumers’ attention visually, as the display would be made

of real wood. While this strategy would have significant

overhead costs, considering that Irish Spring is saving

money by not purchasing televised ads or national print

campaigns, it is reasonable to allocate money towards in-

store displays, especially considering that “some studies

have found that up to 70 percent of purchase decisions are

made in the store.” (Belch, 2011). We also want to sell “No-

Nonsense” body wash on store shelves with an on-package

sample of the shaving cream/face wash. This will entice our

consumers to try both the new Irish Spring body wash and

the shaving cream/face wash. Irish Spring has historically been positioned as a value brand. Keeping

this in mind, we still want to appeal to the price conscientious consumer therefore we will be offering

an in-store coupon that will be tied-in with a point of purchase display.

Another promotional strategy we devised

centers around social media. Jack and

the target demographic are young and

tech savvy, and are therefore likely to be

reached through and influenced by via

social media. Our social media strategy

includes (but is not limited to) a meme

campaign centered around strategic

spokespeople. As spokespeople for “No-

Nonsense,” Clint Eastwood, Liam

Neeson, and Bear Grylls are a perfect

aspirational reference group for our

target consumer. Encouraging the

consumer to interact with the brand directly will ultimately engage people with the brand and the

concept of “No-Nonsense,” ultimately spreading awareness. Social media utilized for this campaign

will include: Facebook page, Twitter profile, Youtube channel, Instagram, an

Lastly, we would also like to promote

Irish Spring at events like mud-runs,

Celtic festivals, and Highland games

across America. These events appeal to

Jack, as he is an active man who is

confident and enjoys accomplishment,

therefore having a presence would

reinforce the new brand concept. Also,

mud-runs provide a strategic opportunity

to provide men with a cleaning solution

when they’re dirty. Promotional samples

should be given out at these events.

Summary

Given our competitive analysis and primary and secondary research, we believe that No-nonsense

by Irish Spring has the potential to gain a strategic brand position and ultimately innovate the male

body-wash market.

References

A. Baer and V. Tsaklangos, personal communication, February 12, 2012

Belch, G. & Belch, M. (2011). Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing

Communications Perspective. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Veiders, C. (2011, January 3). MALE PROWESS. Supermarket News, 59(1). Retrieved from

http://bi.galegroup.com.libproxy.sdsu.edu/essentials/article/GALE%7CA245783813/a65394f

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