Before approaching the problem,
I set up a place where the internal team could understand each other’s relationships.
As we talked, I realized again that our mental models, directions, and interests were different.
And I understood there were more things than I’d expected that had not yet been made concrete, or that needed to be made concrete.
First, I spoke about our current situation, our position, our awareness, understanding, direction,
our competitors and our position against them, and the places where we fall short,
while also mentioning the strengths and competitiveness that are genuinely ours.
But I pointed out clearly that even to a third party this is definitely a game with very uncomfortable odds.
Like any industry, the men’s cosmetics market too
is one overflowing with expensive cosmetics, reasonably priced ones, foreign luxury brands, Chinese knock-offs, PPL, and
all kinds of companies and products.
Furthermore, what we have in hand is
only about 2 of the 10 items in total (production, marketing), I said.
And even those, I said, we have to admit are not at 100%.
Therefore, I said, we need a full rethink of this business. The probability of failure is 90%.
It was a bit strong, but I believed more urgently than anything else we needed to understand
the will and intent of the investor and the understanding processes of the people around him.
Thanks to that, I heard that although no one had said it, this had been felt by the team as well, and people around them were worried too,
that no one had been putting on the brakes and the pace had been too rushed,
and I was able to understand other internal relationships.
Even so — if, having understood and accepted the facts, with belief and will intact, they still want to proceed,
I said I’d make one suggestion. And if they agreed, I asked that they build it that way.
So I shared the insights and the main BM elements I’d been thinking about. The content was as follows.
1. Offer not merely a beauty product for men, but a full service-design experience made up of experiences, content, and so on.
(+ Express not a “reasonable price” but a “reasonable attitude,” projected both inward (to self) and outward (to others).)
2. Sustainable, useful design — package design.
(Refillable containers; easy returns with a prepaid stamp; recycled and re-entered into service.
: Existing packaging, if you sell 5,000 units, just means producing 5,000 units of trash.)
(+ Flip the shelf-life constraint of packaging material on its head! : guidance and campaigns about cosmetic expiry dates.)->patent
* Reference example → use an unfolded silhouette and material of a box-style pack like Nesquik or Santé.
* + Add material that maintains and adjusts temperature based on outer and inner environment.
* + Color, and the finishing and rounding of outer edges, give a feel like that of a smart device.
( + Express the optimal window for use via color or a fixed marking that changes over time.)->patent
3. A stylish new design pattern (a flat form so men can always carry it in a suit).->patent
4. Usefulness.->patent
(Via suction bumps at the corners, stick it to glass (bathroom) or a wall for easy storage and efficient use.)
(Use foil as a portable mirror.)
5. Increase the branding and value of the investor’s original artwork (packaging as artwork).
6. Platformize the design service leveraging “democratization of art” (participation by indie artists and the general public), and turn it into a fixie (DIY)!
(Platformize the design service — gateway for indie artists, open calls, revenue sharing, incubating, saving on fixed costs.)->patent
(Fixie-style — customize packaging with couples’ photos or messages.)
7. Still, when all is said and done — men and cigarettes. (Sustainable design with nothing to throw away! + campaign.)
But with the line “Rather, quit smoking!” package it in a cigarette-case shape.
(Include a men’s basic grooming set inside the cigarette case (each item designed thin).->patent
( + Package design that lets you link cigarette cases together (like a café takeout carrier!) ).->patent
I continuously raised the hurdle factors to understand the investor’s firm and lasting thinking,
and on the other hand, shared new alternatives like the ones above that I was thinking of.
From here, either we wrap up, or we push forward with a new proposal.
In addition, I said I don’t want future work to stop at just men’s cosmetics;
I want everyone to look in the same direction, treating our role as a design factory or group.
I also mentioned that if we have relatively few products, it’s better to go with a shop-in-shop or a micro-branding site rather than an individual mall.
> Other memos I was thinking about
