How MANSCAPED Built a Global Grooming Product Brand, Despite an Already Established Market.

Why It Matters

MANSCAPED shows that premium design and humor can together overturn entrenched incumbents, offering a replicable model for new brands seeking rapid market penetration.

Key Takeaways

• Emphasize premium design to differentiate in saturated market.
• Combine humor with luxury aesthetics to attract modern consumers.
• Obsessive quality across packaging, graphics, and product sound matters.
• Position as serious grooming tool, not novelty, to build credibility.
• Leverage brand storytelling to break through legacy competitors.

Summary

The video examines how MANSCAPED forged a global grooming brand in a market dominated by century‑old giants such as Gillette and Philips. Founder and executives explain that breaking through required more than a clever name; they had to create a product that feels unmistakably premium while speaking in a tongue‑in‑cheek voice.

MANSCAPED’s playbook centers on obsessive quality: solid packaging, meticulously designed graphics, and even the acoustic signature of the trimmer are engineered to convey luxury. By marrying that high‑end aesthetic with humor‑driven marketing, the brand positions itself as both a serious grooming tool and a culturally relevant lifestyle accessory, sidestepping the novelty label that often traps new entrants.

A memorable line from the interview underscores the paradox: “the sound of the trimmer when you turn on has to feel premium, has to feel well‑crafted,” highlighting how sensory details reinforce brand perception. The company also leverages storytelling—highlighting its mission to normalize male grooming—to carve space among entrenched competitors.

The result is a blueprint for startups: combine rigorous product craftsmanship with bold, personality‑driven branding to disrupt legacy markets. MANSCAPED’s success suggests that even in crowded categories, a clear quality promise paired with distinctive voice can drive global growth.

Original Description

Marcelo Kertész, chief marketing officer of MANSCAPED explains how to effectively use humor to build a brand in this clip from the Marketing Matters podcast, part of the Wharton Podcast Network.

ABOUT THE EPISODE

Marcelo Kertész, chief marketing officer of Manscaped, explains how the brand leveraged humor, premium design, omnichannel distribution, and a breakout Super Bowl campaign to challenge legacy competitors and redefine modern masculinity in the global grooming market.

ABOUT THE PODCAST

Marketing Matters is hosted by Wharton marketing professors Barbara Kahn and Americus Reed. Each week they discuss marketing and advertising trends, consumer behavior, data and analytics, the latest in retail marketing, brand-building, and much more with their expert guests. Episodes are recorded at the Wharton School.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://whr.tn/459Kg5x

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Watch/listen on the Knowledge at Wharton website: https://whr.tn/marketingmatters

#MarketingStrategy #BrandBuilding #DTC #ConsumerBehavior #BrandingSuccess

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