The New Macho

Gone are the days of brash and insensitive macho men. The new macho man, according to Veet Men, which was launched in Pakistan in January 2021, is sensitive, respectful and, above all, well-groomed. A man who cares about his appearance, does not shy away from bragging about his routine salon visits and actually takes pride in upping his image as someone who is intelligent. It is this kind of man that is Veet Men’s target audience – they belong to SEC A and B and are aged between 15 and 25. These young men can primarily be found on social media, like to post videos on it, and have a strong following.

To target this profile of consumers, Veet Men chose non other than actor Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui as the face of the brand to reflect this new macho man. Siddiqui is shown as a young, good-looking gym-goer who is conscious of his hairy chest and uses Veet to remove his chest hair.

The campaign is actually a regional adaptation which ran earlier in India. With minor changes, made by BBDO Pakistan, the campaign runs only on social media with no presence on TV, print or OOH. According to Humayun Farooq, Marketing Director, Veet, “promotions for Veet Men are focused on digital, social media and in stores. It is a targeted plan that asks men to question their definition of what macho means and encourages them to throw away age-old stereotypes, as macho men can wear pink, have mani-pedis and even remove unwanted chest hair.” On-ground activations have been curtailed due to Covid-19. The product is available in most urban centres, and will be available in smaller towns and rural areas depending on demand.

When it comes to turning this 25% of the total population segment into macho men and ultimately loyal customers, Veet faces competition mainly from razors and trimmers as other hair removal creams are almost non-existent. “With no cream-based hair removal solution for men available in the market, our target customers had no option but to opt for razors,” says Farooq. However, this may be an uphill task as it requires not only developing brand loyalty, but changing men’s habits regarding their hygiene and grooming as they may be averse to using cream to remove hair.

As to why it took Veet Men so long to enter the Pakistani market, given its availability in other countries for several decades, Farooq says, “The standards of beauty have changed over time in Pakistan. Today’s young people are more conscious about their appearance than their older counterparts, and have a clear idea of what they prefer. Furthermore, social media presence makes it easy to reach out to this young generation, hence we believe the market here is now ready for this brand.”

Veet’s USP is a quick, painless way to remove hair without nicks and cuts and Veet plans to capture at least 10% of the market share in the next year. The initial response is said to have been better than anticipated although the brand team believes it will take five to six years to achieve breakthrough results. Until then macho men, look out, Veet Men is here.