Why Gillette's New Ad Campaign Is Toxic

Forbes ^ | January 15, 2019 | Charles Taylor

[C19fan]

As Gillette has come under increasing competition from low priced competitors such as Dollar Shave Club and Harry's, along with a resurgent Schick who is offering refill cartridges that fit Gillette razors, its market share has dropped from 70% to 50% over the past decade. Gillette has been forced to drop the price of its razors by about 15% over the past few years and is on the verge of losing master brand status.

It is within this competitive context that Gillette debuted its “We Believe in the Best in Men” ad campaign on its website yesterday, part of an overall shift to the slightly modified tag “The Best a Man Can Be.” The 1:48 length video starts out with images of remarkably troubled looking men as a narrator makes reference to bullying, sexual harassment, and toxic masculinity. It then poses the question “Is This the Best a Man Can Get.” The viewer then sees depictions of a series of very ugly and negative behaviors, including bullying, fighting, sexual harassment, and blatantly interfering with a woman speaking in the workplace. The ad goes on to state it is time for men to stop making excuses and to renounce the idea that “boys will be boys.” Gillette concludes that concludes by calling for and showing images of men holding other men accountable and emphasizing that the boys of today will be the men of tomorrow.

[L,TOWM]

Maybe gillette wants men to use there product to neuter themselves?

Dude, don't give these phreaks any more ideas!! Do you really wanna tune into a NASCAR race in another year or two and see the commercial for the Gillette Castration Clippers? Or the Home Eunuch Kit? You know, for the Soy Boy that REALLY wants to make a statement?

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Logic would suggest it’s the advertising agency / industry behind all this: gotta be one of the gayest industries in America aside from selling fruit, flowers, and Broadway musicals. They ain’t gonna be happy until we’re all sashaying down the street and the Red Chinese make sex robots of us all.

[Mr Rogers]

I stopped using Gillette razors 15 years ago. Now I’ll stop using their shaving cream. But I’ve recommended any time a discussion starts that guys switch to double edge razors or Trac 2 inserts for years - 10 to 12 cents a razor, better performance. So I can’t do much more to ruin their business.

But if I ever hear someone say they use Gillette, I will now ask them if they have stopped raping women. Because I guess that is what Gillette customers do.

[Agatsu77]

I am done with these idiots. I’ll grow back my graying beard before I ever use another one of their products.

[elcid1970]

It’s gonna be toxic for Gillette, for sure. They jumped the shark big time.

[OpusatFR]

Gillette won’t be in our household anymore.

Opus
Mother of three good men and wife of one good husband.

[rbg81]

I went generic long ago.

[Openurmind]

Lol... I did that years ago, stopped caring what everyone else wants me to be.

[Magnatron]

Keep in mind that corporations never, ever create their own ad campaigns. These are invariably handled by ad agencies that compete to land the largest and most desirable accounts.

While this may be true, this ad was still vetted by Gillette corporate marketing -- if not higher.

[basalt]

i know some dont always agree..but Rush Limbaugh at times is amazing...4 or 5 years ago, he said that this “chick-a-fication” of America would be coming...man, was he right.

[Openurmind]

I am hoping so... But so far it’s trending up...

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Watch out for the generics. Some could be made by Gillette.

[G Larry]

bye bye Gillette...

You've come a long way since sponsoring "Friday Night at the Fights".

[Mouton]

PandG from toxic shock to toxic razors in 25 years.

[nikos1121]

I use Schick. But this is good to know, as sometimes I’ll pick up what’s on sale.

Wish I could go somewhere and register my disapproval.

[Da Coyote]

“Do not buy from Harry’s. One of the two founders (and probably the other one, too) openly (on Twitter) supports Obama, DACA, “Pride” month, gun control and who knows what else.”

Thanks. Didn’t know that. Will not buy from them.

[Openurmind]

They just now updated and posted the ad controversy on the market watch page a day late.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Guess I’ll be going generic as well.

You could always go with double-edged razors. If any good can come out of this Gillette jackassery, it's the opportunity for more men to turn their backs on Gillette's outrageously priced multi-blade cartridges and start using inexpensive DE razors that provide a much closer and smoother shave.

There are plenty of name-brand quality DE blades made in Israel, Russia and elsewhere. I recommended Astra yesterday, but someone pointed out that Astra was acquired by Gillette. But there is Feather, made in Japan. There is Personna, made in Israel. Voskhod, made in Russia.

Double-edged razors worked for the men of the '40s, '50s, and '60s - they work just fine now, too. Far smoother and closer than the 5 blade nonsense that Gillette charges $4 a cartridge for.

[HamiltonJay]

Because when I want advice on how to be a man, I take it from corporations preaching to me.....

Stupid....

They had a loyal Mach 3 owner for life... guess I am off to Harry’s...Stupid

[ConservativeStatement]

Many TV ads are anti-male, specifically white men. It is one of the reasons why I cut my cable. Liberal women are in positions of power at many ad agencies and this is the result. I recall about 10 years ago reading an article where one woman stated that TV ads are based on her (and her staff’s) experiences and how she wants to promote a female agenda. It was that blatant.

Many ads have shown the liberal female element. I recall one about 2-3 years ago for a female product (hair-related I believe) where it instructed women to stop saying sorry to men in daily activities. I know a few good-natured females who contacted the company at the time and complained about the theme. In it, women were told not to say sorry to men (example: a man and woman accidentally bump in a supermarket. The result: only the woman says sorry). A stupid premise that can only hurt females not based on anything realistic. To sell a product.

Bye bye Gillette products though I usually get competitors but that will be universal now.