Here Peter Hanley looks at the Gillette commercial, what it means to you and how you can learn from it for your marketing.
Don’t tell me you have not seen the Gillette Commercial
OK, your the only one in town or perhaps like me you are a Man and don’t give a fig over the hyped up response to a commercial.
Wait on, don’t take sides we are not here to debate the integrity of the advert we are here to judge on the effect.
So first of all find the advert and view it.
Did Gillette deliberately set out to get readership?
If they didn’t they certainly got it, everyone is looking at it and getting all in a knot over the masculinity of men.
My take is that the Gillette brand, owned by Proctor and Gamble, needed a boost into a new marketing niche.
The younger age set and this was the lever to achieve it.
They were deliberately controversial to get a Brand fixed in the mind of buyers.
Do you think it worked?
I do because when I go to buy a new razor the brand jumps up and says buy me, and I do. Why? Because of brainwashing, advertising and or promotion, whatever it is it worked.
An interesting format in the Gillette advert
The advert was deliberately made long format at nearly 2 minutes to move into Social media where most views will be seen.
It tells a story and keeps your attention to the very end and then you jump out of your chair with an opinion.
Buying a two minute Add on commercial TV is extremely expensive and in most cases avoided at all costs.
The Ad Agency (Grey Global Group based in New York) certainly should know what they are doing but being a risk taker sometimes backfires.
I see this as taking a Brand into a new demographic by targeting an age group that care.
We old blokes have been buying Gillette for years and find this mildly entertaining. Because the 20-50 age group are the buyers now they are the new target.
Lets face it Gillette is all about brand recognition
In marketing parlance, you can solve a problem, overcome a fear or put yourself in the result.
A simple version is a travel advert, they don’t show long queues or boring plane flights they show crystal clear water lapping on white sand and buff bodies strolling hand in hand down a quiet stretch of beach.
Hardly reality for most of us but we dig it, we want to be like that.
Gillette put you in the advert, you take sides, discuss issues maybe even rant and rave but hence you remember the name Gillette.
A great Advert or a misfire?
Furthermore, you should take your stand and be outraged but also remember what they are trying to achieve.
In conclusion
You will learn more about brand building and how you can advance your business into a new market in the free training at Wealthy Affiliate.
Author
I am a pioneer in business marketing based over many decades and have moved into the new millennium of Internet sales.
In conclusion, I provide coaching and an almost daily blog on a business subject
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Gillette commercial and your brand
Gillette Commercial and your brand, a discussion.
Getting Great Ideas reading your articles !!!
I have started a B2B Directory . Will implement these points.
Thanks !!
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THanks for the awesome tips once again! Keep writing these articles and I will keep reading them!
Hey Peter,
I’m a Gilette user and honestly, I bought them because of their commercials. They’re always creating new things it makes people who use Gilette look cool and up-to-date, I think it’s a great marketing method they’re implementing, kind of like the Old Spice marketing that made me buy those too lol. Now that Gilette’s brand recognition is off the charts, do you feel any different using the brand as a loyal user?
Interesting Gillette as about 62% of a very broad market with many competitors so they are doing it properly>
The question to see is the effect on the market by this latest advert.
PH
Hi Peter,
I had never seen that Gillette ad, and was at first a bit confused. This was probably due to the fact that the ad wasn’t what I was expecting. You are right, Gillette took a risk with this ad, but it certainly gets people talking about the ad, men’s attitude towards women and violence, and hence the brand.
It looks like Gillette is not only trying to appeal to men but to women as well. As many women still do the majority of grocery shopping for their families, they may have been influenced by the ad and buy the product for their man. So by appealing to women, Gillette gets a bigger slice of the market.
Good point Suzie, the proof will be in the result, from 62% market share +/-
PH
I agree. Building a brand is powerful but every advertisement is not designed to make the sale. Some are made to stay in front of the potential buyer. Some are designed to distribute information about the brand. Others can be too clever for their own good. There are those that miss the designed mark and are just BAD!