Marlboro man meets moisturizer

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Everyone wants flawless skin, flat abs and a fab rear. But men don’t always admit it.

So, companies that sell products promising to help guys lose weight, conceal bloat and enhance skin have to walk a fine line between men’s vanity and masculinity. But how do you market moisturizer to the Marlboro Man?

Dove plays the theme song to the 1930s TV western “The Lone Ranger” and compares guys’ skin to cowhide in commercials for its men’s shower gel. Weight Watchers uses TV spots with trimmed-down singer Jennifer Hudson to market to women, but opts for average Joes talking about drinking beer and grilling meat in ads for its weight-loss program for men. Dr Pepper is more overt in ads for its diet soda targeted toward men with the tagline: “It’s not for women.”

The ads come as guys of all ages are succumbing to growing pressure to suck in their guts and hide their blemishes. In one of the biggest signs that men are more image-conscious, the number of chemical peels, laser hair removal and other cosmetic procedures on men is up 45 percent since 2000, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Fashion and pop culture have a lot to do with the change. The ultra-slim silhouette and skinny jeans that hit the high-fashion world several years ago have infiltrated men’s departments in mainstream stores such as Banana Republic and Old Navy.

The U.S. economic downturn even plays a role. With unemployment around 9 percent, men looking for a job have to make sure their look is as polished as their r sum . “The better you look, the more you’re going to earn,” said Deborah Mitchell, executive director for the Center for Brand and Product Management at the University of Wisconsin School of Business. “Men are increasingly thinking ‘Wow, I need to look good or look young.’”

That doesn’t mean men want the whole world to know.

Dove officials had that in mind when they launched a line of shower gels for men. The brand, a unit of Unilever, had been synonymous with women since the 1950s. But when Dove rolled out the Men+Care line of lighter- scented shower gels, it used a more “manly” approach to marketing.

The “Manthem,” which was launched during the Super Bowl in 2010, showed a man’s journey through life from conception to age 30.

Weight Watchers found that men respond better to real men — rather than women or celebs — in ads for its weight-loss program. In April, it launched its first national campaign targeting men, using ordinary fellas talking about its online “cheat sheets” that give tips on the healthiest ways to enjoy beer and grilled meats.