Proctor & Gamble’s Gillette Brand Receives Backlash For New Anti-Bullying And #MeToo-Centered Ad Campaign

It seems as though any company that speaks up and advocates against things we ALL know are wrong, they get backlash. First, Nike for supporting Kaep, and now Gillette for campaigning against sexual harassment and bullying while urging men to make a change.

The reputable shaving razor company switched up its 30 year tagline “The Best A Man Can Get,” for the revised “The Best Men Can Be” in the campaign, which features almost two-minutes of men intervening to stop fights between young boys and berating others men for saying/doing sexually inappropriate things to females in public. 

Gillette said in a news released announcing the campaign that the company has a “responsibility to make sure we are promoting positive, attainable, inclusive and healthy versions on what it means to be a man.” The company also included a pledge to donate $1 million annually for the next three years to a nonprofit devoted to helping men “achieve their personal ‘best.'” According to #Adweek, The Boys and Girls Club of America will be the first recipient of the donation.

Just like the controversial #Nike ad campaign featuring former NFL star #ColinKaepernick, Gillette’s “The Best Men Can Be” campaign received ample backlash on social media and many have called for a boycott of its products. However, there is a significant difference between the two overall reception of both ad campaigns.

First, the Gillette advertisement video on #YouTube reports 352,000 likes and 738,000 dislikes as of Wednesday, and it was released Sunday. Compare that to Nike’s 2018 ad campaign, which was released in September and has garnered 152,000 likes and only 20,000 dislikes on YouTube, causing a stock and sales surge after the ad was released. But the reason Gillette isn’t receiving the same outcome as Nike is clear, Nike’s message to customers was uplifting towards its customers rather than accusatory.

Although the message is there, the marketing behind Gillette’s advertisement may not have been the best strategy according to #Intelligencer. The publication made the analysis that, “Nike’s campaign appeals to customers — and drives Nike’s sales — to the extent it reflects customers’ existing values back at them. That does not mean companies have the cultural capital to do what Gillette is trying: asking customers to reflect on and change their own behavior.”

What do you think about the ad? How do you think the backlash differs between the two companies?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koPmuEyP3a0&t=35s