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Shampoo and body wash combo? Why?

Convergence in products is usually a good thing.  Cell phones used to just be phones; now they’re cameras, organizers, Internet browsers, music players, etc.  But some company has decided that the next step in convergence is to merge shampoo and body wash into one convenient package.

I found out about this in a commercial, but the commercial was so bad and the product so pointless that I can’t remember the brand or the manufacturer. 

What’s the point of using the same product in your hair as on the rest of your body?  What advantage does this give you?  Yes, you have one less bottle in the shower.  Yes, you have one less product to buy at the grocery store, but you have to buy it twice as often.  And you still have to carry around conditioner, unless this includes that.  Maybe they can also mix in some gel, aftershave, and toothpaste while they’re at it.  Not only that, your entire person, from head to toe, will smell the same.  I find the concept kind of weird.

The commercial is pointless.  There’s a guy in the shower, all soapy and just doing his bathing thing.  Also in the room, outside the shower, is his wife applying makeup in front of a mirror.  She asks him which of her friends he would be most interested in hooking up with.  Camera goes back to the husband in the shower, with a clearly worried look, saying nothing.  He takes the same soap he was using on his body, puts some in his hair, and shampoos away.  The wife gives suggestions.  The husband says nothing and shampoos his hair.  Bring on the tagline, end the commercial.

What in the world does that exchange have to do with a soap/shampoo combo?  I am thoroughly baffled.  The guy could have used separate shampoo and soap, despite his wife’s questioning. 

I wish I could remember the product name, but my brain was busy trying to figure out the point of the commercial to be bothered with such details.  How do commercials like this make it all the way to the air?  When the company pays the ad agency a ton of money to make a commercial, and the agency delivers this, how does everyone in the company say, “Wow, good stuff!  Air it!”  Surely somewhere along the line someone must have had a clue.  Go figure.

Fri March 3rd, 2006 3:31 pm

Filed under Advertising & Marketing