Gillette Razors, in a fit of political correctness, decided to lecture American males on their terrible toxic masculinity habits, while trying to sell them razors.This Blog is an update on how that campaign of lecturing and hectoring stands.
FIRST, the-BACK STORY-
"….the new “We Believe” ad — a 48-second spot that Gillette shared on its social media accounts on Monday — plays on the company’s tagline of “Is this the best a man can get?” to address issues like bullying, sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement.
“Is this the best a man can get? Is it?” a voiceover says in the ad. “We can’t hide from it, it’s been going on far too long. We can’t laugh it off, making the same old excuses. But something finally changed. And there will be no going back. Because we…We believe in the best in men. To say the right thing. To act the right way. Some already are, in ways big and small. But some is not enough. Because the boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow.”….TIME.’
QUARTZ magazine ran an interview with the female executive responsible for the lecture campaign; the following is excerpted from that interview.
“Undeniably, the controversial ad was a bold commentary on negative masculine stereotypes and,importantly, offers a different model of masculinity. Before, popular media portrayed problematic behaviors like sexism and aggression for men, which helped normalize such “hyper masculine” behavior in real life, but Gillette’s campaign urges men to challenge the stereotype and provide a better example for the next generation. The ensuing discussion from Gillette’s ad also showed that brands could have a significant impact on conversations around masculinity and gender equality.
Gillette, is owned by US consumer goods corporation Procter & Gamble…
Carolyn Tastad … As the group president of P&G’s $30 billion North American business, Tastad oversees some of the world’s largest brands with ads exploring gender equality…. Tastad recently spoke to Quartz about the contentious Gillette ad, why advertising must tackle concepts of masculinity…
Quartz: In recent years, numerous brands have started approaching conversations about masculinity, or what masculinity means, in their marketing. Is it important for brands to do this? And if so, why?
Carolyn Tastad: We believe that advertising has the power to change mindsets. In many cases, it really influences popular culture because it’s seen so many times and with such frequency. And so a very big part of our gender equality effort is really focused on leveraging our voice in advertising and media. The Gillette campaign, which I’m so proud of, takes on this other important conversation about modern masculinity….
QUARTZ:Tell us more about the thinking behind the Gillette ad. What was really the impetus behind it?
TASTAD:I think there are a couple of things. Certainly, we encourage all of our brands to find their authentic voice in how they want to communicate with consumers and stakeholders. So while it can be motivated by current events and current conversations that are happening, it still has to be what’s right for the business, for the brands, and for the consumers they serve. Otherwise it’s unsustainable, or even worse, it shows up as artificial. But when [brands do it successfully], it can really be a force for good and a force for growth.
The reality is today, stakeholders of all kinds, whether it’s consumers, investors, or employees, they expect more from brands than just selling products. They want to know what they believe in. They want to know their values. They want to know the people behind them and the actions they’re taking on important issues. And that was the impetus for Gillette. They were saying, ‘We are a brand that for many years has shaped perceptions of masculinity and we’ve helped create what it means to be the best a man can get.’ And the shift that the brand team made is going from ‘the best a man can get’ to ‘the best a man can be.’
QUARTZ:The Gillette ad caused quite a stir. What do you think about the public’s reaction to the ad, both the good and bad?
Tastad: Honestly, it goes to a couple of things. It goes to my first point that says the brand has to have an authentic voice, right? You can’t jump onto something because you think it’s popular or in any way that’s not congruent and consistent with what the brand believes. And so the Gillette team knew very well that this campaign would spark dialogue, and it certainly did. But importantly, as we went through the campaign, the sentiment became much more positive than negative.
And we got tremendous kudos. If you think about Generation Z, millennials under 30—those consumers expect brands not to be silent on important issues. They expect brands to take these on. And so we got very positive comments. I mean, the role of men matters in this space, right? Men need to play an equally important role as women in eliminating bias, promoting equality, demonstrating positive social and cultural behavior. ….NINE out of ten consumers say they have a more positive view of a brand when it supports a social cause. And more than half of consumers say that a brand that has shared beliefs with them influences their purchase decisions. So we know finding voice is important, and to my point on authenticity, it’s got to be done in a way that connects with the brand origin or it doesn’t have the same impact…..QUARTZ”
American Males have recorded their responses, emphatically, to the Tastad lectures, lectures from their razor company.
“Procter & Gamble recorded a big net quarterly loss after writing down the value of its Gillette shaving products business by $8bn. This was in part because of a “lower shaving frequency” in developed markets, as the fashion for beards grows ever more popular among younger men….THE ECONOMIST.’
There is a lesson here, Gillette should do this-make a good product and shut up about the behavior of its male customers, or those same male customers will go medieval, and grow beards.
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