So called 'tween' and younger teen boys may be one of the last untapped markets in the personal care sector, which has already successfully sold soaps, shampoos, deodorants and scents to women, teenage girls, men and older teen males.
OT OverTime, which has a licensing agreement with P&G, will start selling a line of shampoos, body washes, deodorants and other products with names like Body Slam and Pit Defense in America later this month.
"We think it is a largely untapped market that is just ripe for these products," said cofounder of OT Over Time Karen Frank, who helped develop the products for boys while working at P&G.
OT will advertise in Sports Illustrated for Kids, and CCS, an extreme sports catalog, but is to launch no television advertising in its first year.
The company plans to use Kathy Peel, an author who has written 17 books on home and the family, to push the products in television and other appearances.
The brand is to be marketed as a way for mothers to talk to their sons about personal hygine. One advertisement will carry the tag 'Grind Stink to a Halt'.
P&G choose not to bring OT to market itself despite the current market for personal grooming products for boys standing at $2.2 billion.
"It really just has to do with the strategic focus of the company, to focus on the big brands, big countries, big customers," said P&G spokeswoman Martha Depenbrock.
While Gillette does not have products specifically geared at the 9-16 age group, the company's Right Guard Xtreme Sport deodorant is a 'younger' brand than the traditional Right Guard. The company has also sponsored sporting events like the X-Games, which attract younger males.
"You want to impress them with performance at an early age, which will bode well for a lifetime of brand loyalty," said a spokesperson for Gillette.
OT and P&G would not disclose details of the licensing agreement.