About a year ago, when Jamie Leventhal was trying to convince big chain stores to stock his new line of shaving gels for young men, a buyer for Target asked a crucial question: How much would he spend on advertising?
“I told him we would not spend a single dollar,” Mr. Leventhal said.
The buyer was stunned until Mr. Leventhal pulled a prototype out of his briefcase. The product, called NXT, is sold in an arresting triangular container that lights up from the bottom, illuminating air bubbles suspended in the clear gel. The plastic is tinted blue, and when the AAA batteries in its base are lighted, the whole thing looks like a miniature lava lamp or a tiny fishless aquarium…
To call attention to themselves, the products, which are aimed at 18- to 24-year-old men, will glow on the shelves, inviting customers to pick them up. Every 15 seconds, a light-emitting diode (LED) in the bottom of the container flares on, stays lighted for a few seconds, then fades out.
I’d rather have a miniature lava lamp.
They can’t stand it that a simple bar of shaving soap actually works better.
I spend less than $3 per year, including the brush.
Hey, well they got free advertising here!
Anyway, I agree with the soap, works just as well and is an awful lot cheaper…
Shaving gel is awesome – not to be confused with shaving cream in a can – it’s a lot thicker, more reliable lubrication against the blade. Cool packaging, but insane that this is all disposable.
I would buy one! That is Brilliant! I would probably buy two! Do we know if Target is selling these? One problem: Target has super bright lights in the isles, so i dont know how well that will work…
Dumbass #1: “Wow! Look at this cool shaving cream package!”
Dumbass #2: “I wonder how well it works?”
Dumbass #1: “Who cares. It looks cool and besides, it’s our civic duty to buy lame crap we don’t need.”
Dumbass #2: “Good point. I’ll take six.”
Actually, I posted this as interesting packaging and marketing. Remember?
I haven’t shaved since 1979.
For a while Logitech was putting blinking LED’s on their packages. I still have some of the little circuit boards and battery clips somewhere.
If the shaving cream is around the same price as the other products I would probably buy it. I see it as getting something useful for free with my packaging.
You wasted a perfectly good AAA battery on this? You could use a round flat battery used for watches to do this. But I would like to get one just to take it apart and come away with some free wiring, circuits, and leds
Agreed, If i shaved (Beard Trimmer FTW) then I’d go buy this
My shaving cream is flashing and has wires connected to batteries on the bottom. Call the police so they will arrest it and I am safe again.
#11… I was just thinking the same thing. Remember the last time some company tried to use batteries and blinking lights to advertise a product? They shut the whole city of Boston down.
Packaging aside, how many here know that large retail chains make a lot of money charging suppliers for shelf space? As mentioned in the article, Target asked the vendor how much they would pay Target to stock their product.
#7, Ed,
I haven’t shaved since 1979.
Is that your legs, face, or both?
;-{o)
#11, Sheeple,
Good point. How would this look through an airport X-Ray machine.
*
I like the idea. I might try it if I saw it just for the novelty. I admire good artwork and in my opinion this qualifies as art.
Bar soap is not as good as gel, in my opinion. Soap dries out my skin too much and does not have the same lubrication as does gel. I haven’t used the foam/cream in years.
The packaging doubles as a tazer.
#11 and #12, I agree. Good luck getting this one through airport security.
Hilarious….
(How do you “light” a AAA battery?)
It would be fun to try to get that by the TSA folks, but the real danger is that they’d get used to it, allowing for some “interesting” variations….
I quit shaving in the 70’s, but I think I’d buy one just for the heck of it….
Regards,
Stu.
Is the gel any good? Is it cheaper than Edge brand?
Oh, nevermind. At 39 I’m too old for the product…
#13 – I only coached bicycle racers. So, my legs stayed shaggy as my furry face. :-]