Marketing in the news: "Sydney Sweetie the Body Wash Gene"
The notorious men’s grooming brand, Dr. Squatch has recently started an innovative marketing campaign with actor, Sydney Sweeney, making her "Sydney Sweeney the Body Wash Genie". I picked this article because I really like how Dr. Squatch is swaying away from normal marketing with men’s body wash to a more lighthearted and funny approach. Before being assigned this assignment, I received a couple of these ads through social media and streaming services, for me it just made sense to use it. 
Ever since 2013, Dr. Squatch has kept the same Value Proposition. They have built their brand from the simple fact that they want to create men’s grooming products that are made of natural ingredients and free of harmful chemicals while still being a top tier brand.
In this campaign the most unique thing that Dr. Squatch did, is using the boundary pushing humor to help inform their consumers. For example, at the beginning of one of their ads, she says, "Guys only want one thing" and proceeds to flip her hair. Right after doing so the guy states that he wishes he had a natural body wash instead of a synthetic one. They used what she said to catch the audience’s attention and proceeded to show that Dr. Squatch is not like the harmful bodywash you find elsewhere. It appealed to consumers who are concerned about what is in their bodywash products and would like to find more natural ways of cleaning oneself.
How Dr. Squatch turned Sydney Sweeney into the ‘Body Wash Genie’ Articl
In this Marketing Campaign, Dr. Squatch is using Sydney Sweeney as a focal point for them to express what their product is and how it differs from run of the mill men’s body grooming companies. Other key take aways I have consisted of when Dr. Squatch's Vice President of Marketing, John Ludeke, stated they were using Sweeney to reach a broad demographic. He went on to explain that not only does Sweeney market to the men’s demographic due to her "sex appeal" (her in the bathtub, saying she can grant any wish, and other more raunchy jokes). She also caters to the women demographic, not only because of her roles in the romantic comedy, "Anyone but You" and drama show, "Euphoria" but Dr. Squatch made an ad talking directly to women. They wanted to market to women because women also buy the products for men. Another take away is when Ludeke spoke about seeking brand partners, he was saying they are looking for individuals who like to goof around and break old marketing norms, as well as taking it seriously when it came to informing their consumers on their products.
The biggest market relevance from this article for Dr. Squatch is the marketing partnership with Sydney Sweeney. With her being in the ads and acting her part, Dr. Squatch is now advertising a broader audience like stated before. Not only did they catch the eye of the audience, but they also used the platform to educate their consumers on their product. They wanted to fill the needs of their consumers by giving them fun, raunchy, and informative material, which they succeeded at.
I believe the biggest challenge Dr. Squatch is having to overcome is stereotypes. They stated in their article that advertising is just wallpaper and boring. They want to change that persona and make the advertising world more exciting and upbeat. It is a challenge for them but given this advertising campaign and their recent campaigns, they are on the right track.
The marketing approach was exceptionally good, it caught me off guard when I first saw it because of the subtle jokes. But it kept me engaged, leading me to learn more about their products and what their mission is. Like I said in the previous paragraph, they did an excellent job in catering to their buyers’ persona. With it being a company that sells men’s products, they wanted to catch their attention with Sydney Sweeney and the humor she brought. They also did a wonderful job by addressing consumer needs with explaining how their product is more naturally based and safer than other competitors. Another part they did well on is getting away from the concept of "Old PR". They do not use newspapers, magazines, or billboards. They said that they are a digital native company and would like to use that as an advantage. They are putting their ads where their target audience is by using algorithms on social media and streaming services. They know where their audience's attention is and are focusing on new ways of capturing it. One last thing they did well is they sold the why and not the what they were selling. With all the humor and jokes aside, they wanted to educate their consumers on why they were selling which is because they wanted to create an efficient and healthy product for men.
The only thing I would do differently on this ad campaign is announce their value proposition. Yes, they make comments about the natural soap but instead it should include the fact that the ingredients are FDA approved and why they are superior to other brands. The ad campaign catches people’s attention and gets people interested but I feel as if they had included these changes, it would have done even better.
Key takeaway I got from this marketing campaign is how effective it is to use the right brand partners, material, and language to get one’s point across. They could have used Sydney Sweeney still but if they did not talk about what their product is and how it is better than others, then consumers would miss the point. Or if they used someone else who is not as famous as Sweeney then others may have just scrolled passed or may not be as engaged.
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