Gillette Abandons 'Woke' Ads Following Backlash And Massive Losses
Company's virtue signalling has come to an end with U-turn on marketing strategy
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Men's razor company Gillette has announced it is "shifting the spotlight from social issues," and instead opting to feature "local heroes" in it adverts.
The company's apparent U-turn came after its controversial advert, which attempted to tap into the #MeToo movement, backfired causing a massive quarterly loss.
In January, Gillette caused an uproar with an ad that lectured men to "hold other men accountable" at the height of the #MeToo movement.
Even liberal Piers Morgan called it "PC guff" on Twitter and ranting about the ad on "Good Morning Britain."
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"Let boys be damn boys," he said.
"Let men be damn men.”
But seemingly oblivious to the backlash, the company went further into the culture wars by launching a campaign aimed at "body positivity," which saw them accused of promoting unhealthy lifestyle choices.
But the nail in the coffin came when the company took a bold step in featuring a transgender man shaving for the first time int heir ad.
The company's virtue signaling unsurprisingly failed to connect with its target demographic, which is largely heterosexual males.
CNBC reported that Gillette was "struggling," and posted a fiscal fourth-quarter net loss of $5.24 billion.
“Boys will be boys”? Isn’t it time we stopped excusing bad behavior? Re-think and take action by joining us at https://t.co/giHuGDEvlT. #TheBestMenCanBe pic.twitter.com/hhBL1XjFVo
— Gillette (@Gillette) January 14, 2019
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The outlet added:
"P&G has been trying to rejuvenate Gillette and Venus, its razor brand for women, through new marketing campaigns aimed at millennials and Generation Z."
According to Hot Air:
"P&G blamed the change on two factors: Currency devaluations and continuing competition from lower-cost rivals."
But is Dollar Shave Club and Harry’s really stuff competition?
But the firm hasn't connected its catastrophic losses with its 'woke,' marketing strategies.
But the company is going in a new direction.
The brand says it is "shifting the spotlight from social issues to local heroes," and released an ad last week profiling an Australian firefighter.
Hot Air's John Sexton called "the most traditionally masculine man imaginable."
A definite U-turn.
