INSTITUTE OF

MARKETING
MANAGEMENT

ADVERTISING BRAND

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

Professor Smita Lal Abhinav Bhardwaj

(Strategic management) 020-I-108

Another call-out to the classic ad, Gillette to re-idealized its old campaign “The
best a man can get” and turned it into “The best a man can be”. This ad too had to
face little backlash from the audience and was tagged as anti-male. Machismo has
been a huge part of brands associated with products for men. Even Gillette’s
product shares a huge part with masculinity. The strategy of the brand was to
redefine masculinity amidst the hot climate of the #MeToo movement. The ad
cleverly presented the flaws in carrying forward the traditional “toxic masculinity”
and how men need to rethink the phrase men will be men. The brilliant line “The
boys of today will be the men of tomorrow” made it clear that we need to rework
the concept of masculinity and not present the age-old cliché to the new-gen

Gillette targeted a broader initiative, and the main aim was to promote positive,
attainable, inclusive, and healthy versions of what it means to be a man. Threats of
boycott emerged after the ad but it did not affect the sales of the product. The only
statement the officials released was
  TARGET AUDIENCE

Evenly targeted at men and Women

 TAG LINE

The best a man can be

 PRODUCT

Razors

 AIM OF THE CAMPAIGN

It’s only by challenging ourselves to do more, that we can get closure to our best

 LEAP OF FAITH

If we closely inspect the commercials have fairly developed throughout the

decade. The age-old toxic and demeaning ad strategies’ have been boycotted and
rooted out of the system. Today, the brands have understood that if they want to
appeal to the millennial crowd they have to take a stand against the bias and refrain
from offending the crowd. Famous Ads such as Gillette’s “A best a can be” and
Nike’s “Dream Crazy”; may not have received praise universally, but had a
positive effect on the millennial. Today in the age of social media brands do not
have to wait for a campaign to put out their thoughts or condemn an act. Social
media platforms are used to share their opinions on an issue or take a stand.
Advertising reflects society and this new age of advertising will surely have a
positive impact on the crowd.

 SOCIAL MEDIA

Gillette is a leading brand dealing in safety razor blades, personal care products
and shaving gels etc. In July 2007 all the assets of Gillette Company were
integrated into a P&G unit which was named as “Global Gillette”. They have their
offices all around the world. But nobody can deny the fact that a well-strategized
marketing is required to make a brand reach consumer’s market.

Social media platforms are playing a very important role in marketing of various
brands. These days’ social media platforms are widely used by various brands in
order to reach more and more people. Gillette had used the social media platforms
quite well.

VIDEO SHORT MOVIE LINK

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koPmuEyP3a0

(This is describing #MeToo movement)

 https://www.campaignindia.in/video/gillette-sings-a-tune-to-those-afraid-of-
shaving/454322

(Love your skin as you do. Gillette has rolled out a campaign for its recently
launched Skin Guard razor. Conceptualized by Grey Group, the campaign
consists of a film which features men with shaving foam going about their daily
chores. Through a song the men put out their wish - a razor that could treat their
skin right. It ends with the men taking to shaving and beginning to 'love shaving'
thanks to Gillette's Skin Guard razor.)

RESULT OF ADVERTSMENT

According to Kantar Media's Reputation Intelligence service, reaction to the ad has

been mixed, but more unfavorable than favorable, with 36% of commentary from
all sources negative, to just 16% positive and 48% balanced. Men have a slightly
higher tendency to criticize the ad and account for 55% of all negative comments,
but also 49% of positive remarks. While many lauded the ad’s message, there was
also a considerable backlash from those who felt it went too far, portrayed most
men as bad actors and maligned traditional masculinity. Online and offline, it
generated significant media attention, including discussion on CBS This Morning,
Fox News, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, and The Tonight Show
with Stephen Colbert. As would be expected, conservative outlets and
commentators tended to respond less favorably than those on the more liberal end
of the spectrum.
Twitter has dominated discussion, with over 100,000 posts specifically naming the
ad, and comments many more times that amount. A critical tweet by conservative
commentator and political activist Candace Owens, who is known for her pro-
Trump views and criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement, has been the most
shared, with almost 16,000 retweets and over 52,000 likes.

In addition to criticism about the ad’s message itself and Gillette’s decision to
enter into the debate – which some framed as an attempt to capitalize on the
#MeToo movement – some also blamed the brand itself for not practicing what it
preaches in terms of gender inequality and respect. A number of commentators
referenced the “pink tax”, where prices are higher for women’s products then for
virtually identical products for men.
The company has thus far defended the ad, releasing a public statement saying, “If
we get people to pause, reflect and to challenge themselves and others to ensure
that their actions reflect who they really are, then this campaign will be a success.”
With many posting photos and videos of themselves throwing out Gillette products
and the hashtag #BoycottGillette trending on Twitter (#5 of all hashtags relating to
the campaign), it remains to be seen if the ad will hurt the brand more than help it.