It was summer 2010; "razor fatigue" lay over the minds of men everywhere. Guys were satisfied with their current shaving system, seeing no reason to trade-up. This was the challenge we faced when Gillette wanted to launch its new Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor (GFPG). The most effective way to overcome the enormous skepticism and lethargy was to create "real men" advocates, letting them endorse the razor and convert their peers, laying the foundation for our two-pronged campaign. During "pre-launch," we engaged key influencers by hosting an event to introduce GFPG to long-lead editors, providing bloggers with a social media widget offering readers free samples, and hosting a blogger forum to seed the product innovation story. In the "launch" phase, we created the "Ultimate Summer Job" (USJ) contest, selecting two regular guys as brand ambassadors to travel cross-country and attend VIP events while encouraging guys to try GFPG. This led to the most successful razor launch in Gillette’s history; GFPG became the number one razor in the category in its second week. We exceeded our goal of 50% awareness, reaching 56% awareness by the end of May – one week before broad retail availability and mass advertising.

Pre-launch:• Created a "VIP Sampling" program encouraging bloggers to write about GFPG and to post a "widget" on their sites offering readers free samples• Allowed a "multi-logue" where guys could share samples with friends through a digital widget• Hosted a P&G Male Grooming Blogger Forum to heighten brand awareness among influencers while encouraging discussion• Initiated a Community Manager-led effort to connect with prospective consumers through crowd sourcing initiatives (i.e. leveraging Gillette talent such as Derek Jeter) and Facebook giveawaysLaunch:• Rewarded Facebook loyalists by extending invitations to attend the "Ultimate Summer Job" contest event; tweeted during the event to share news with those unable to attend• Developed targeted communications, sampling contests and other events for advocates and influencers• Addressed consumer questions via Gillette’s social media channels

GFPG is the most successful razor launch in Gillette history, and became the number one razor in the category in its second week. We exceeded our goal of 50% awareness, reaching 56% awareness by the end of May – one week before broad retail availability and mass advertising. Awareness of GFPG continued to grow: 66% through June and 72% through July.Pre-launch:• After taking the temperature of our online community in February, signs of conversion were visible by June: 86% of social media comments surrounding the new razor were positive (“believers”); 14% were negative (“skeptics”)• Distributed 81,000 samples via social media widget • Generated more than 7.3 million Twitter impressions • Increased Twitter followers by 176% and Facebook fans by 47% during the pre-launch phaseLaunch:• Secured more than 151 million impressions • Maintained 93% of SOV, compared to Schick (7%) • Secured 28,000 Facebook “likes” and added 2,900 Twitter followers