Just for Me

I’m living on my own and though it isn’t quite a hard knock life, sometimes I do wish I was still with my momma despite some of the hang ups that can bring. To save some money I think I’d gladly wash a parental unit’s car with a toothbrush or help my granny take out her dentures! I’ve been out in this here world for the past three years and have learned a lot about myself. I am now keenly aware of how much I love a bargain! Be it a two for one special, blue light special, manager discount, going out of business sale, as is, lightly worn, slightly imperfect, barely funky (ya’ll catch my drift)-I’m on it! When it comes to shopping for the staples that help me sustain life: cereal, instant oatmeal, sugar and milk-you’ll find me at one of the finer discount stores-Target or Wally World-before you see me at a local grocer. Five plus dollars, for some dried up, over processed oat, rice or corn cereal ain’t a good look.

On a recent shopping excursion in Target (to stock up on boxes of cereal) I remembered that I had run out of lotion. Yes, my ashy butt was putting on petroleum jelly as a substitute. And I was shinin’ from my head to my toes ya’ll! Slippin’on the bathroom floor, fighting the ash all the while trying to maintain some classiness. So I moseyed over to the lotion aisle. Do not venture into such an aisle without a game plan ya’ll-the options are overwhelming. When it comes to facial cream-It’s Noxzema. When it comes to laundry detergent-It’s Gain. But with lotion, I have no brand loyalty, it’s whoever is selling themselves at the lowest dollar that I’m taking home with me. Well, I do have some standards…no generic store brand for me-because really there is a difference even if it is in similar packaging (sorry Target). Anyways, on this particular day there was a manager’s special and several lotions were on sale. I really couldn’t decide if I wanted to smell like wild flower bouquets or tangy kiwi. But in the midst of my indecision I spotted the most beautiful bottle of lotion my eyes ever spied at the end of the Vaseline lotion section. Pass the white, blue, yellow, lavender and light green bottles-sat the golden coppery brown bottle. And I just had to buy it…

Why? Because the contents inside this shiny brown bottle were made just for me.

I guess someone at Vaseline decided to tap into the colored peoples' lotion market-directly. I have used their classic yellow bottle lotion as well as others in their line and have been pleased with the results…the ash was gone. But it got me to wondering about this lotion I spotted. It was cocoa butter lotion-but I knew it was packaged with me in mind. I’ve seen other cocoa butter lotions, they are in lighter brown bottles, with Palmer's or Uncle Junies Cocoa salve scrolled across the top, products I was too proud to purchase. But it seems that the Marketeers at Vaseline learned how they could reach into the pockets of black folks without our uncles and ainties.

Marketing to Black Folks for the Politically Correct Marketeer-101 (some excerpts)

Black people love anything showing them dancing and singing…
Um, okay I enjoy Popeyes Chicken-n-Biscuits as much as the next person but this is a little ridiculous don’t you think?

Black people love anything and everything African…
African Pride, need I say more? And how many other products for us have you seen with a Kente cloth pattern and red, black and green urban style text?

Black people love Berry White’s (or something close to it) Voice…
God Bless his soul, his voice was could drive many a lady wild and wet. But come on Toyota I don’t need to be that excited to buy your car.

Black people love brown, gold and copper…
Ah the Earth hues. We love anything that resembles our skin tones. Pantene realized this. And Vaseline did as well. You’ll notice when you select Vaseline’s Cocoa line its completely different…a little bit darker…than their other products.

Haven’t marketeers learned these lessons well? They certainly know what sells. I did end up buying that bottle of cocoa butter lotion that wasn't on sale! It’s a wonderful product, I must admit. Would I have bought it if it were in a red or gray bottle? Maybe, but only if I could get two for one. Otherwise, I doubt I would have noticed it if it weren’t for shiny brown packaging that reminded me of me.


See You in Seven