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Remington, the shaving to haircare brand Victor Kiam liked so much he bought the company, has lost some of its appeal in recent years. In particular, it has suffered from a perception that it is old-fashioned and only makes products for middle-aged men.

Step up the Bikini Trim and Shape, a sure-fire sign the company is working hard to update its image. Backed by striking print, digital and direct activity through Grey Worldwide that broke at the start of the month, the trimmer is a mark of the firm's targeting of the Sex and the City generation.

But there's no escaping the fact that the past 12 months have been particularly turbulent, as Remington has suffered the loss of a number of senior figures.

European marketing director Richard Rietjens left in February after only six months. His predecessor, Peta Thorniley, lasted less than a year, leaving last September, while UK managing director Simon Russell also departed last year.

Now the dust has settled, the role of European marketing director has been scrapped and Kay Downs has taken the reins as managing director.

She has appointed Paul Martin commercial director and Adrian Mooney marketing controller.

So everything is in place for a concerted attack on the shaving, grooming and haircare markets.

Remington has been introducing several products to energise the brand and appeal to a younger audience. These have included the Pop Girl teenage hair kit range, the Big Shot hairstyling and drying range, and most recently, the bikini trimmer.

But Remington faces stiff competition from Gillette-owned Braun, Conair-owned BaByliss and Revlon, Philips and a host of salon brands.

So how can it shake off its aged image, and is its tactic of targeting younger consumers suitable? We asked John Wood, managing director of bds-beechwood, which handles creative for Revlon and BaByliss, and Robert Powls, co-founder of the Good Hair Day haircare brand.

VITAL SIGNS
Retail volume (% market share)
                        2002                   2001
                 Hair-       Body-      Hair-       Body-
                  care     shavers       care     shavers
Gillette           23.2        19.5       24.2        19.8
Conair             17.7         n/a       19.8         n/a
Remington          11.1        17.1       12.6        17.8
Philips             n/a        25.2        n/a        26.4
Private label      17.5        14.1       14.6        12.8
Others             30.5        24.1       28.8        23.2
Source: Euromonitor

DIAGNOSIS

John Wood

Remington is an all-American brand, and that's part of its problem. Although it has 100% prompted awareness, ask most people what they connect with Remington and they will say the US, shaving, male, middle of the road and probably old. They might even mention Victor Kiam.

Remington's problem is that, in the UK, the brand faces different problems to those in the US - yet it does not seem to be treated differently. When it comes to quality and technical capability brands such as Braun, Philips and Scherna just seem to have better positioning in the UK. It's partly the Germanic-sounding names and engineering reputation.

In female grooming, brands such as BaByliss, Revlon and even Braun sit much more comfortably than Remington. It doesn't really connect with women.

Although launching a bikini trimming product is pretty brave and if there is demand I'm sure it will sell, it sits very uncomfortably with Remington brand values. If it is successful, it won't be long before more appropriate brands launch similar products which, in turn, will give Remington a problem.

Robert Powls

When I think of Remington, I'm immediately taken back to the 80s and those ubiquitous Victor Kiam ads. Those ads were fantastic. The line 'I liked it so much I bought the company' became popular parlance, and a lot of people went out and bought his products.

Then poor old Victor shuffled off this mortal coil and the brand seemed to die with him. The incredible brand equity built by what must be regarded as one of the most memorable campaigns of all time seemed to disappear overnight.

Successive marketing directors spoke of their inability to escape the old man's shadow. What rubbish. Trying to exorcise Kiam was the worst mistake they could have made. They should have embraced the brand values Kiam personified so well - humour, confidence and attitude - and used it to their advantage.

Now Remington has launched its clever Bikini Trim & Shape campaign, and it seems it is finally getting its act together with witty viral marketing tactics. It has certainly caused merriment in our offices. But if it is to regain the share of the grooming market it has lost to the likes of Philips and Braun, it has to create more than a few chuckles.

TREATMENT

- Accept that the UK market is different from the US and requires a different creative approach.

- Stop focusing purely on products and pay more attention to overall brand image.

- Be clear about the brand values that you can own and play those values out in NPD.

- Communicate those brand values consistently across the product range for at least five years.

- Go back to basics. Look at the brand values Kiam brought to the company and apply them to today's marketplace.

- Revisit the heartland of male grooming. Victor's words still have resonance with anyone over 30 and they'll still be shaving.

- The youth market is a target. Get the 16- to 20-year-olds now and you'll have life-long, brand-loyal consumers.