Degree Men's Deodorant: Competitive Analysis

“Learning about your client's business (general industry or sector and particular business, product, service, or organization) is paramount. Being a creative professional in advertising necessitates learning about each product, service, or cause under assignment,” (Landa, Advertising by Design, 16). Because I want to be an advertiser one day, this is a tactic that I will need to use constantly. Being able to point out what was done effectively, and not as well in a competitor’s advertisements could make or break your campaign. Knowing what worked well and what didn’t is important when trying to engage your key audience.

In my case, my product is Degree men’s deodorant, and my audience is well, men. I am obviously not a man, and had to do some research about men and what it is exactly that they want or need with one of the most important parts of their personal hygiene care. I had to study men, which was fun, I might add; I had to essentially be a man, and I am now able to empathize with the opposite sex. According to Robin Landa, author of Advertising by Design, “finding a relevant insight into how people think, what they need or desire, and how they act, termed a consumer insight, is paramount for idea generation,”.  It is with this idea in mind that I was able to come up with the inspiration for doing something different from any other men’s deodorant ad. Most ads target only one sex. Well, mine is going to be appealing towards both men and women.

When evaluating my competition, I was able to see what specific points different companies used. Ad campaigns ranged from showing how well their product worked under pressure to how fresh men were able to stay to impress women. My ad will use bits and pieces of each of these techniques to combine in something completely different. I’m hoping that my targeted audience, everyone, will find my ad entertaining as well as informative about my product. “A critical component is learning about the audience—the targeted,specified group of people at whom you are aiming your message, design, and solution,” (Landa, Advertising by Design, 16). Men and women may seem to want different things, but there are those rare times when they can agree to the same concept. With any luck, they will find my ad relatable.