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Kansas City, MO — The laundry aisle is changing. Soap makers are offering more products for men.
Consumer researchers have noticed a trend in recent years that more men are doing the laundry.
According to a survey by Mintel, two-thirds of men age 18 to 34 say they are mainly responsible for the laundry, while 60 percent of men age 35 to 54 said they were.
The laundry industry is focused on attracting those men.
For instance, Whirlpool designed a washing machine cycle that keeps colors from fading, given that many men don't sort clothes before tossing them into the washer.
Other companies like Hero Clean market their soap to appeal to men's masculine egos.
"Guys, you don't wear girly undies, do you? Then why are you using girly scented laundry detergent?" asked a young, attractive spokeswoman in a Hero Clean commercial.
She urged the men to "realize your manly potential" before urging them to purchase Hero Clean detergent.
Persil Pro Clean uses a fit, clean-cut, James Bond-type spokesman to sell their product.
In one commercial, he pulls up to a child's birthday party in a topless convertible and saves the day after a little girl gets a cupcake stain on her dress, delighting her mom and another woman.
Tucker Smith, a stay-at-home-dad in Independence, said he's noticed the advertisements geared toward men.
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— Urban Hang Suite (@Uhangsuite) March 28, 2016
He says it's nice that the laundry industry is finally recognizing that men are taking on more household work that has traditionally been done by women.
Smith's wife is a doctor who works 80 to 100 hours a week, leaving him to do many household chores, including the laundry.
But unlike a lot of men he meets, Smith is pretty good at it.
"My mom taught me how to do laundry when I was little," said Smith, a father of three.
University of Missouri-Kansas City economist Atul Kulkarni said marketers are following changing behaviors, pointing out that 42 percent of household chores are done by men, which he calls a significant increase from a couple decades ago.
"When social rules change, social trends change, it has it reflects changing consumer behavior, which is important to marketers," said Kulkarni.
Kulkarni said to expect to see more advertisers and industries reaching out to groups they have traditionally ignored, as societal norms change.
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