Young men hate tidiness, and maintaining a house is a hell of a job as most of the bachelors here who read this will agree. That was the thought behind a book by the title Men in Aprons written by Alex Mattis, a 30-year-old (female) journalist in London and published by Electrolux, the Swedish appliance maker.
Now that different if not new..right?
The company had a problem.
With houses headed by single men…
Metrosexuals and the new gen guys… the IT kids and the Yo Yo types … the problem seem to be here as well .. and marketers you can try this route as well… after all you need to communicate with them right? They don’t see TV ..Apparently don’t read new papers and stuff.. hate pop ups and things like that in the net…
But hey…. seems most of them read books like Chetan Bhagat’s… and this seems to be one route worth a try,,,,,( a kind of product placements.. after films, TV shows, music and video games).. apparently, few of these guys also would be liking to live a neat life with dishwashers, vacuum cleaners or ovens.
The gripping theme of "Men in Aprons," the story of a twenty something Londoner named Dan who is "the envy of his friends" but is lost when it comes to laundry and tidiness at home. The 171-page book, written in simple style went on the racks and hit some sales….
It is is like appearing here and there ..though not yet become a trend....
The jewelry brand Bulgari, for instance, paid the writer Fay Weldon to use its name in her book "The Bulgari Connection," while Carole Matthews, for a fee, mentioned the Ford Fiesta car in "The Sweetest Taboo." Other companies have sponsored writing competitions, hoping that their brand will benefit from association…. And brand names that appear in books are not just by accident but by plan, it is clear!
But "Men in Aprons" took the thought of branded literary content a bit advanced. While the Electrolux name didn’t become visible in the story that apparently, the story line was built around the benefits of good housekeeping. The book opens on a downbeat note when the protagonist, Dan, gets dumped. Making matters worse, his ex girl friend takes her appliances with her. Buy the right appliances and follow a few simple tips, it suggests, and you too can get the girl of your dreams. The hero lost his girl (?) because he didn’t have the right appliances (the pun is intended) or may be he didn’t know how and where to use them…
"I'm sick of being your personal slave," she says. "I don't want to cook your meals every night. Nor is it my job to make sure the house is clean, the shopping's bought and the laundry's done."
Not a great read for the reader but they certainly steer the wayward Dan in the right direction, at least from an appliance-maker's standpoint.
In one heart-to-heart, for example, Dan asks how often he ought to change his sheets.
"Once a week, minimum," one of his male friends says. "And twice a week in summer if the weather's hot."
This sick men!!!.... my wife is gonna say
Chapters end on steamy cliffhangers like these, at which point the description gives way to practical hints about tidiness, obligingly provided by Electrolux.
After the discussion about bed linens, for example, the chapter-end tips include this suggestion: "Pick a washing machine with a big capacity, such as the 8 kg Electrolux Maxi Load and you can even use it to wash your duvet."
It is just a clue or a hint as to what new routes can the marketer adopt…
Soon we may get to read The three Nokia e 65’s in my life, or the Airtel connection …
If they refuse to see you, go to where you can see them .. simple!!!
