Question

CASE STUDY

This case study discusses the campaign launched by Gillette, a safety razor and personal care brand of FMCG major Procter & Gamble Company (P&G). The ad which was released in January 2019 was based on the theme ‘toxic masculinity’ that pushed men into resorting to sexual harassment and bullying. It portrayed different scenes of men intimidating other men and women. It ended urging all men to be role models for the boys who will become men in the future. The ad attracted lot of criticism from consumers, who posted negative comments on social media websites like Twitter. Some of them even posted pictures of their throwing away their Gillette razorsand vowed never to use them.

Gillette noted that the ad was part of its ‘we believe: the best men can be’ campaign in the context of the #MeToo movement. Gillette also pledged to donate US$ 1million per year till 2022 to non-profit organizations implementing awareness programs in the US asking the men to find their best trait. Some consumers felt Gillette intended to leverage the #MeToo movement and released the ad and praised its efforts as a good attempt to deliver the message about toxic masculinity, while several others criticized it. Observers said that ultimately the ad had achieved its objective of popularizing the brand.

QUESTION: IF YOU WERE THE MARKETING MANAGER HOW DIFFERENTLY WOULD YOU HAVE PROMOTED THIS NEW PRODUCT?

Answer 1

If I were the marketing manager, instead of showing toxic masculinity, I would have chosen to highlight the positive aspects of the best male role models around the world. From being the best friend to lending supporting hand to others, I would have focused on highlighting the good qualities of men and then would have used the tagline "The best man deserves the best razor".

This would have not received the sharp criticism which the mentioned ad drew and would have increased the popularity of the brand among its targeted consumers-men without offending female population.