My current razor has three blades, but I am sadly certain that at some point pretty soon that will seem laughably low. The razor blade wars have been around for years – but each year the battles continue with new "innovations." The Gillette Fusion Power razor, for example, now features an "onboard microchip" to help "regulate power." It's no wonder razor blades have been the butt of jokes for years now, but the problem generally has been that most guys just don't have a better or easier option.
Now there might be a solution – in a form of a new startup called the Dollar Shave Club. Through a personality filled and fun video that has gone viral with over 5 million views over just 4 months (see below) , they introduce the idea of their new service and attempt to take on the BS-driven world of razor blade marketing with a big sense of humor, and an (apparently) better product and service as well. They start, as most great startups do, with a strong idea of their target audience and the problem they are solving:
1. Guys hate paying $20 or more for razor blades.
2. Guys think the overmarketing of razor blades is filled with BS.
3. Guys forget to buy razor blades all the time.
4. Guys like to laugh.
Based on these four simple facts, the Dollar Shave Club offers 3 razors, including their flagship Executive razor, which is described as "a personal assistant for your face" with a "shave is so buttery, it feels like you’re carving turns through a virgin Wyoming snowfall."
Entertaining writing aside, the site also starts with a video showing the personality of the company and founder, with a good dose of random humor in the form of a guy in a bear suit and a toddler shaving a guy's head while he reads (fittingly) The Lean Startup.
Put the pieces together and you have not only a great product idea to solve an actual need, but a brilliant example of just how powerful personality can be as a sales tool. I already ordered my new razor thanks solely to the power of the pitch … and, of course, my secret ambition to one day have a personal assistant for my face.
“Overmarketing” … ? Maybe, maybe not! It is easy to get someone to buy something and then you keep talking to much untill you get them out of buying the item. Even with kids, you get them to decide and talk to much then you get them to undecide. That is the one form of overmarketing!