,
12 tweets,
3 min read
Read on Twitter
So many hot takes flying around about the new Gillette campaign. Let’s look at the data that might have influenced P&G’s choice to talk about #TheBestMenCanBe / inevitable thread...
First up, Gillette faces some existential challenges. 42% of British men have facial hair (YouGov, 2016.)
And Gillette’s share of the razor market has fallen from 70% in 2010 to 54% by 2017 (Source: Euromonitor, quoted in @wsj.)
In that time, Harry’s and Dollar Shave have taken 12% of the razor market from a standing start. Younger customers are jumping ship for purpose-led competitors with a different approach, and lower prices.
Gillette has struggled to maintain a price premium. It slashed prices in 2017. Product superiority alone wasn’t enough to sustain premiums.
Now let’s look at the upcoming razor buyer. 48% of Gen Z are minorities (Pew 2018) and 34% identify as less than completely straight (Ipsos Mori 2018.) Tradtional displays of masculinity are going to be less relevant to new razor buyers.
And let’s look at what is happening to traditional masculinity. 20% of men experience depression in any year. Suicide is the second biggest cause of death for young men (Source: CDC). A bit more emotion could save the lives of customers who Gillette hopes to win over.
It’s so, so easy to make fun of brands trying to discover a sense of purpose. David Brooks joked about brands of ice cream having their own foreign policy in Bobos In Paradise 20 years ago.
And it’s so, so easy to mock upcoming generations who have different outlooks and different values. Reagan joked about hippies looking like Tarzan and acting like Jane. Now the older generation is losing its shit about @AOC dancing in college.
I worked in British ad agencies for 14 years before I moved to New York and saw the tidal wave of social change in the US. British and Australian marketers don’t see how profound it is.
Anyone concern tirolling the execution or laughing at the ambition: it doesn’t matter if change isn’t your preference, because it is your profession. The business world is now a binary of people upholding the status quo and people figuring out the future. Thank you.
Concern trolling, not concern tirolling. I would love an edit function on Twitter. Also, no disrespect to the Tirol region of Austria.
