By Alexandra Bruell
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (January 15, 2019).
One of the manliest brands in men's products has hit on an
unusual strategy for divided times: Questioning "toxic
masculinity."
Gillette, the Procter & Gamble Co. brand that for three
decades has used the tagline, "The Best A Man Can Get," is building
a new campaign around the #MeToo movement, a risky approach that
will be the latest test of how successfully big consumer brands can
navigate tricky social movements.
The ad, created by the brand's ad agency Grey and titled "We
Believe," opens with audio of news about the #MeToo movement,
bullying and "toxic masculinity." A narrator goes on to dispute the
notion that "boys will be boys," asking, "Is this the best a man
can get? Is it? We can't hide from it. It has been going on far too
long. We can't laugh it off, making the same old excuses."
"This is an important conversation happening, and as a company
that encourages men to be their best, we feel compelled to both
address it and take action of our own," said Pankaj Bhalla,
Gillette brand director for North America, in an emailed statement.
"We are taking a realistic look at what's happening today, and
aiming to inspire change by acknowledging that the old saying 'Boys
Will Be Boys' is not an excuse."
But in a sign of the risks Gillette is taking, the ad quickly
provoked passionate rebukes online.
"The video is sad and depressing while putting ALL men in a bad
light," one Twitter user wrote. "Men aren't just waking up to bad
things that are going on. There have always been good men. Bad ones
too, yes, but the same can be said about women."
The new Gillette ad was meant to inspire positive behavior but
spends too much time exposing the behavior that men have been
criticized for, said Susan Cantor, chief executive of branding firm
RedPeak. "Men are saying, we feel marginalized, criticized and
accused rather than feeling inspired empowered and encouraged."
P&G said it has no plans to pull the spot in the face of
some negative reaction. "We recognize it's sparking a lot of
passionate dialogue -- at the same time, it's getting people to
stop and think about what it means to be our best selves, which is
the point of the spot," Mr. Bhalla said.
P&G is among the companies that in recent years have used
advertising as a platform to promote their stance on topics such as
gender equality, immigration and gun control. The company is
perhaps best known for its lauded "Like a Girl" ad campaign for
feminine-care brand Always and "Stress Test" for deodorant brand
Secret.
But brands diving into charged social issues risk turning off
customers who don't agree with their stance, don't believe it is
authentic or consider it poorly handled. Last year, many Twitter
users slammed Dodge Ram Trucks for using audio of a Martin Luther
King Jr. speech in a Super Bowl ad for its Ram pickup truck that
promoted public service, seeing it as a sales stunt.
Dodge has said it was celebrating Dr. King's words and had the
approval of his estate.
The new Gillette ad is risky, said Dean Crutchfield, CEO of
branding firm Crutchfield + Partners. It "creates a credible,
believable, and upfront conversation that takes brutal honesty and
tough decisions," he said.
As a result, it could appeal to millennials who care about what
companies stand for, he said. "There's a demand for this, for
purpose, for brands to be tackling tough issues in the moment."
But the ad could backfire and alienate Gillette's base, Mr.
Crutchfield cautioned. "Does the customer want to be told they're a
naughty boy? Are you asking too much of your consumer to be having
this conversation with them?"
Nike Inc.'s ad campaign featuring former NFL quarterback Colin
Kaepernick, who had led player protests for racial justice during
pregame national anthem ceremonies, generated both praise and
boycott threats when it debuted last September.
Nike appeared to weather any backlash from the effort, which was
part of the 30th anniversary of the footwear giant's "Just Do It"
campaign. The company last month reported sales rose 10% in the
latest quarter, driven by growth in both shoes and apparel. Nike
Finance Chief Andrew Campion said in a conference call with
analysts that the campaign "reignited brand heat in North
America."
The Gillette ad takes a different approach, according to Ms.
Cantor. "The difference between this ad and Nike's controversial ad
is that Nike is saying, 'Believe in something even if it means
sacrificing everything, '" Ms. Cantor said. "It's an endorsement of
conviction, but not telling you what to believe. They weren't
explicitly supporting a certain behavior or admonishing a certain
behavior."
While misfires could hurt brand reputations in the short term,
they don't usually have long-term effects.
A 2017 commercial in which Kendall Jenner joins a protest march
and hands a Pepsi to a cop was accused of trivializing the Black
Lives Matter movement. PepsiCo Inc. pulled the ad from its official
YouTube channel and stopped running it on TV. "Pepsi was trying to
project a global message of unity, peace and understanding," a
PepsiCo spokesman said then. "Clearly we missed the mark, and we
apologize."
But the ad didn't have an evident impact on sales. In subsequent
quarters, PepsiCo blamed sluggish demand for its sodas in North
America on the company's focus on healthier drinks. The company's
soda sales have improved in recent quarters after the company
ramped up advertising and returned more shelf space to its
sodas.
In October, P&G reported its strongest quarterly sales gains
in five years, snapping a stretch of lackluster growth during which
the maker of products from Pampers diapers to Crest toothpaste has
struggled to adapt to rising competition, higher costs and a
consumer shift toward smaller brands. Sales in the grooming
business that includes Gillette rose 10% in the U.S.
But Gillette has been losing market share to online upstarts
like Dollar Shave Club and other smaller brands. To compete,
Gillette has been cutting prices and coming up with new ways to
attract customers, such as personalized 3-D printed razor
handles.
--Aisha Al-Muslim contributed to this article.
Write to Alexandra Bruell at alexandra.bruell@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 15, 2019 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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