I am raised in a Braun shaver family. My father has a Braun, my grandfather had a Braun and I ended up with a Braun as well. Similar experiences I see with my friends: some have Braun, others have Philips. The market is split.
Recently we were visiting my parents in law and I had forgotten my shaver. As we had something special that weekend I ended up borrowing the shaver of my father in law. It turned out to be a Philips. A couple of minutes in the job I changed my mind about Philips shavers… in fact, I liked it so much better than my Braun that I will be switching brands soon.
Why? The simple answer is that Philips created a product that works with my face: it does not assume there are straight lines!
Below the shaving head of a Braun. As you can see this is a straight line. Whatever new technologies Braun is inventing (the latest is Pulsonic technology with 10.000 micro vibrations that help to capture more hair) the dilemma of a straight line vs a curved face will not be solved.
Below the head of a Philips shaver. Philips explains on its website “three independently flexing heads in a shaving unit that swivels with full range of motion. This unique combination ensures optimum skin contact in curved areas to catch even the most problematic neck hair.”…. aka lots of text to say that the shaving head works with your face.
To capture the market Philips should make itself a clear opposite of Braun by focussing on its unique differentiator. Philips shavers are made to work with your face. A face does not have straight lines, neither do Philips shavers. Or to say it differently: your face does not have straight lines, why expect something different from your shaver?
Currently Philips is unfortunately not spelling out this unique differentiator. Take a look at the latest Senso Touch 3D commercial:
From the commercial: “every curve, every contour, every hair”. This could be as well a Braun commercial, no differentiation.
To really make the point and remind people why to buy Philips it should all be about the differentiator. This would my simple story board and script for the commercial:
Let me know your thoughts!