Sunday, August 27, 2006  2:15 AM
Mane'n Tail
 I am every sales promoter's dream. At least, when they play the right cue card and mention a favourite celebrity of mine.
So I was shopping today at a local personal care store, seeing the familiar aisle of L'Oreal hair products and was about to reach out for the usual shampoo and conditioner when a woman approached me. She held up a bottle of Mane'n Tail shampoo and as she opened her mouth, she must have noticed the look of horror on my face because the first thing she said was, "Don't be put off by the picture of the horses!"
Well, a whole semester of being brainwashed by marketing definitely tells me that a picture of horses on a bottle of shampoo for humans is not such a good idea. Mane'n Tail looked like a random bottle of shampoo you'd find at a pet shop. On top of that, the name! In case you're wondering, yes - this formula was originally designed for horses, and since it worked so well on them, they thought why not try it on humans? And so they tweaked it, and these Americans came up with this range for humans. You'd think they would try to change the packaging at least. Maybe put a couple of human heads on the bottle.
The woman went on enthusiastically along these lines, "Mane'n Tail products were originally developed for horses. Horses' hair is three times thicker than people hair. People started using the products to achieve the beautiful results they saw with their own horses' manes and tails. This is where the legend of Mane'n Tail products comes from, by nourishing, conditioning and fortifying the hair and scalp to aid healthier hair growth. Mane'n Tail shampoo and conditioner maintains and helps to achieve longer, stronger, healthier more fuller looking hair. The results can be seen and felt after the first application."
I listened to her with an obligatory smile on my face, nodding after her every sentence, and suddenly my L'Oreal shampoo and conditioner never was more desirable. It seemed so out of reach even though it was just one metre away. I contemplated grabbing the L'Oreal products and making a beeline for the cashier, but the woman was so earnest my feet were rooted to the ground.
That was, until she delivered the punchline.
"Jennifer Aniston uses it."
Suddenly, I looked at the bottle of horse shampoo through new eyes. The animal aura that surrounded it faded in an instant, and visions of Jennifer Aniston's shiny long locks that made her so famous on F.R.I.E.N.D.S flashed through my mind. The bottle looked as glamourous as the ones displayed in salons, and I knew in my mind I had to get it. Why didn't she save all her earlier explanations about the stupid horses and go straight for "Jennifer Aniston uses it" from the start?
And that was how I ended up spending close to $30 on horse shampoo and conditioner.
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