What the Dog Saw

What the Dog Saw is the latest book by Malcolm Gladwell. He is an unusual writer on the staff of The New Yorker. The book is from a series of articles he wrote. Why the title? Well, Malcolm always wants to know what is in someone's head, and he got interested in a man named Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer. He can calm the angriest dog, and Malcolm wanted to know what goes on inside his head when he does this . . but then Malcolm realized what he REALLY wanted to know was, when Cesar Milan performs his magic, what goes on inside the dog's head or what the dog saw. So all of these articles are about subjects from not-the-obvious angle.

I could pretend to be super intellectual and tell you that the article about the Challenger or some other "important" topic was my favorite, but honestly, besides the article he wrote about the men/family that invented and pitched the Chop-o-matic, Veg-o-matic and Showtime Rotisserie (I actually cried at the end of it, I know, I could not believe it myself), my favorite one has been about haircoloring, and how Clairol and L'Oreal's ad campaigns for them evolved. Marketing fascinates me as equally as it repels me.

There were some pretty powerful, amazing women - who their male colleagues called "girls", this was 1956 to start with after all - behind these advertising campaigns that smacked of feminism. That part of the article was interesting - but it is the actual understanding of how to market this product - and how it has changed since 1956 - that was fascinating. Just like all that haircolor, there are shades of this, and the Clairol and L'Oreal users breakdown into categories . . . recall, L'Oreal's tag line ended up being, "Because I'm worth it" - Clairol's was "Does she or doesn't she?" L'Oreal vice president of marketing (a woman) will hold focus groups, and says she can instantly decipher the L'Oreal users vs. the Clairol users. How? She says, "The L'Oreal user always exhibits a greater air of confidence and usually looks better. Not just her hair color, but she has always spent a little more time putting on her makeup, styling her hair, and her clothing is a bit more fashionable." In contrast she says the Clairol user, "represents more the American beauty icon, more naturalness. But more of a beauty for "me", as opposed to a beauty for the external world. L'Oreal users tend to be a bit more aloof. There is a certain warmth you see in the Clairol people."

So . . . which brand do YOU use? I have actually used both at different points in my life. I currently go to a salon to have my hair colored - that probably says something about me - but given my precarious economic circumstances for a variety of reasons, when I can't afford to go to the salon anymore (and my early January visit might have been the last), which boxed product will I use? Clairol or L'Oreal? I didn't know I was going to fall into a category and be saying something about my self-esteem depending on which one I choose - and now I have a self-perception dilemma - tell me, which one should I use? (Cheshire Cat Smile)