Market Yourself for Love

If you were a tube of toothpaste or a bottle of shampoo, a marketing shark would take one look at you and decide exactly how to get you directly into the hands of consumers. Too bad you can’t do the same for your love life. Or can you? We talk to the city’s marketing experts to see how the principles can be applied to the search for love.

Know Your Market

The love market is a competitive place, so it’s important to understand the current trends. Dr. Raymond Chan, Associate Professor of Sociology at Hong Kong University, believes that over the past 20 years there has been a noticeable shift in the way people perceive love. “A lot of the younger generation seem to be disillusioned by the idea of long-lasting love,” he explains. ”They have grown up in a culture where divorce is common and there are fewer models of everlasting, loving relationships. They want to believe it can happen but they are unsure how to make it happen.”

According to Chan, the empowerment of women has further compounded the situation. “When people enter a relationship now, it is difficult for them to know what role they should play. The polarity of the male and female role is no longer that obvious in today’s society,” he explains. “Women are now equally as educated as men and have equally important careers - however, they still tend to look for someone who is superior to them on a certain level, someone who has something more to offer them. This means there are a lot of well educated, young professional women that are competing for a very small group of highly successful, highly intelligent men.”

Follow the Four P’s

So the love market looks bleak, but with some cunning strategies, we all stand a good chance of finding our match. “The Four P’s” is a common business model used to market just about anything, so why not love?

1. Product

Marketing is all about highlighting the good while downplaying the bad. You’re a selfish prick? Deflect attention from your personality with dusky green eyeliner to highlight your bonny brown eyes.

Image consultants can help you do just that and Priscilla Chan at PC Image recently launched a series of workshops with her partner Sonia Samtani, entitled “How to Find a Man.” “When a client comes to me the very first thing I do is work out what their best features are and which features they would prefer to hide,” Chan explains. “It sounds so simple but it’s amazing what a difference self-awareness can make.”

While hot pants and oiled chests may seem like a perfect way to broadcast the message that you are gagging for it and would do a broomstick, Chan says it’s crucial you not lose sight of the image you want to portray, “It’s important to work out what you want to be saying with your clothes. Your choice of color, style and shape will speak volumes about the person you are. I often get people to write down the ideal person they want to be and then think about how that person would dress.”

Dress to Your Body Shape

Hourglass: Large in the shoulders, and curvaceous in the bust and hips, with a well-defined and longish waistline.
If you are slender and at least of medium height, you can wear almost any style. If you have a fuller figure, you should wear styles that minimize curves and avoid patterns.

Inverted Triangle: Broad shoulders, full bust, heavy upper arms, narrow to average hips.
You need to minimize the upper torso, while at the same time emphasizing the hips. Flattering design lines include V-necks and vertical or asymmetric lines.