A fresh face

摘要

A representative from Qfact, a product research company, approaches a modest duplex apartment in Pleasant Ridge, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, for an appointment. The professorial-looking guy with white hair introduces himself as Alan George and follows the resident, a married mother of two, up a flight of stairs to talk about household products. Speaking softly, he coaxes his subject to talk about such things as her daughter's prom, the laundry detergent she uses (Tide or Gain, whichever is on sale) and where she shops. George skillfully moves the interview from the living room to the bathroom―the real locus of his interest. Sitting on the side of the bathtub to get a better view of the cabinet, he spots an unfamiliar shampoo, called Breakthru. As she explains that she found it at a small salon―and that it conditions African-American hair better than other brands―he tries to read the manufacturer's name (it's a division of L'Oreal) and memorize the ingredients. Climbing into his Lexus an hour later, George makes a note that he must call Ravi and Eric, the heads of Procter & Gamble's hair-care group. He wants to check on the improvements that they are making to Clairol's line of products for African-Americans, Textures & Tones.