‘Be Friendly’, ‘Respect Women’, ‘Don’t Fight’, ‘Be Kind to Others’, ‘Don’t Bully Others’ and ‘Spread Love’ are some of the first moral lessons every boy and girl gets at home, school, and religious places. These lessons are meant to make us better human beings such that we help make world a better place.
As we grow up, we also learn a few other lessons that help us in coining a judgement about others such as ‘How to treat people who are weaker than us’, ‘How to treat the ones who are stronger than us’, ‘How to pretend/impose seniority’, ‘How to bully others with hands or words’, ‘How to only look at own interest and leave others’, or ‘How individual good is more important than greater good’. We learn these lessons not necessarily by choice but forcibly (most of the times we don’t even realize learning them) to keep our heads high or prevent self-esteem in a cut-throat environment.
Today, we hear a lot about several disturbing subjects such as #MeToo, Gender Bias, Sexual Assault, Bullying, Workplace Trauma, and Rapes which affect us. If we dig a bit deeper into these issues, most of them percolate from a single point agenda of establishing superiority over another person. The worst part is that the perpetrator does not even care.
Now, Gillette released its latest campaign putting all these issues at the centre of it and that made a lot of people angry. But, why are people angry about it? I believe there are a few reasons why people could get angry – ‘How can a Corporate Brand talk about the reality of life?’, ‘A brand does not have the right to take away my liberty of assaulting people or imposing my superiority’, ‘A brand should stay away from complex and controversial subjects, focus only on selling’, ‘What Right Does a brand have to ask me to change my ways of life (adapting correct way of life)’, ‘Brand is just cashing on a trend or Why doing it now, where were you all this while’, ‘Brands can’t show me a mirror about my character sketch’.
The new Gillette ad has evoked very similar sentiments. It asks people to stop laughing at sexist jokes, stop bullying, stop harassing women, and be the change they really want to see in the world. It simply urges people (who have not been following this practice) to be on high moral ground and make world a safer place for everyone.
Now what is wrong in asking all this. Is this not good positioning? Will this not sell products? Will it not generate social conversations? Will it not inspire other brands to take up responsible advertising?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koPmuEyP3a0
Positioning
I have grown up seeing the Gillette’s ad tagline ‘The Best a Man Can Get’ with a beautiful girl sliding hands on the cheeks of a masculine guy and finding it to be very smooth. The films have done well for the brands but in this day and age, consumers want the brands to stand for something. And, I think Gillette has very cleverly chosen it. There seems to be nothing off with the positioning of the new ad. The tag line ‘The Best a Man Can Get’ still stands tall as the brand is challenging men to be ‘the best’. The ad is challenging them to change their ways of dealing with situations in a better way (not if they are already on the right track) and in no way attacking men or masculinity. Do we criticize or troll the people who ask us to do the right thing or change our ways of life for better? If not, then why attack Gillette?
Taking a High Moral Ground
There is no right time for taking a high moral ground and saying that we stand for it. People will ask why a brand is doing this now and it will be a legitimate question. The brand may not have an appropriate answer but I think its ok if there is a long-term vision attached to it. Gillette has done it and there is no going back now. However, if the plan is just to cash in on a #MeToo trend, then the brand should be prepared for a severe backlash going forward. I hope the Gillette’s marketing team is listening. They can take a learning from Tata Tea ads ‘Jaago Re’ in India on how a tea brand has taken a high moral ground for over a decade and has been following the practice ever since. Had they done something of this sort, people would have accepted it because it has been their ways of doing things.
Impact Gained
The new ad has gained the attention of people. The film has been able to evoke a reaction, people are either liking it or trashing it. So, there is no dearth of attention or social conversations. Today, Gillette is trending on Twitter, Facebook and across online sites. People are either praising the brand or boycotting it but they are engaging with it.
Responsible Advertising
Most of the ads that we see are about a product with a celeb dancing around it. While brands across all categories try to break clutter, be relevant but like to play safe by keeping it around the product and not pushing the creative boundaries. One should give full marks to Gillette for atleast trying to push the envelope. Can you remember how many brands have to tried to do the same thing. I am sure the number is very small.
Will it Decline Sales?
No brand can always get its marketing strategy right. There are some days when it gets trolled or have to pull back. However, it does not necessarily mean that sales will fall and consumer will stop buying the product. When people are at stores, they remember the quality of the product and not ad (especially if they have used the product before) and the latter does not form a base in the intent of purchase.
I believe the new ad film has opened countless opportunities because if a brand like Gillette can risk it, then smaller brands can definitely take such risks and move towards responsible advertising.
Written by Devesh Gupta, Head of Corporate Communications, DCMN India.
(The views and opinion expressed are completely of the author’s. He enjoys reading about marketing and brands, and is still learning about them everyday.)