• The New York Times, Tuesday, March 4, 2008 12:15 PM

Jamie Leventhal told a buyer for Target last year that he was spending nothing to advertise his new shaving gel targeted to 18-to-24 year old men. Then he showed a prototype of NXT, which is packaged in an arresting triangular container that lights up from the bottom, illuminating air bubbles suspended in the clear gel. Every 15 seconds, a light-emitting diode (LED) in the bottom of the container flares on, stays lighted for a few seconds, then fades out.

The novelty of the light-up container worked. NXT's shaving gel--as well as similarly packaged after-shave and face wash--will hit the shelves at Target this month. It will also arrive at other retailers like Wal-Mart, CVS, Duane Reade, Winn-Dixie and Fred Meyer.

Leventhal, whose privately held company, Clio Designs, has manufactured a line of women's electric shavers since 2002, believes the packaging of NXT (pronounced "next") is powerful enough to speak for itself. "Why spend $100 million on advertising that's speculative at best?" he says.

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