Gen Z and younger Millennials represent the future of grooming consumers and the biggest long-term business opportunity for Gillette. Yet according to brand equity data, Gillette was losing relevance in their lives. With over 2/3 of Millennials and Gen Z’s expressing a preference for brands that have a point of view on an issue and stand for something, and 72% willing to pay extra for products and services from companies dedicated to social change, it became clear Gillette needed to stand for something more meaningful.

If you turned on the news in 2018, it was hard to argue that men were at their best. Allegations of sexual harassment and assault were flooding in against some of America’s most prominent male celebrities and politicians. Men’s behavior was in the spotlight like never before. While women had brought attention to the issue with the #MeToo movement, men had remained noticeably silent. So on the 30th anniversary of our tagline, The Best A Man Can Get, we wanted to give it a new meaning, one that would ultimately provoke a much needed conversation among men and force the issue to the surface. We not only wanted men to confront the issue, but help shine the way forward, instilling a sense of empowerment for each man to take positive action, while setting the tone for a new chapter, one of optimism and aspiration that’s inherent in our iconic tagline.

In speaking to men around the country, we realized that many felt a sense of vindication and apathy. They weren’t the Harvey Weinsteins of the world, so it wasn’t their problem. But chances are they had seen or knew of bad behavior occurring around them and chose to turn a blind eye to it, chalking it up to “boys will be boys” or “locker room talk”. Many mistakenly believed that “not being the bad guy ” was the same as “being a good guy”, not realizing that their inaction was contributing to a system that allowed negative behavior to flourish. Men had an opportunity to create change, to hold each other accountable, and set a new standard for how a man acts. As a leading male brand, we felt we had an obligation to take a stand and make this clear, even if it risked upsetting consumers in the process.

We partnered with renowned director Kim Gehrig to create a film that would get guys to sit up and take notice, and to trigger a dialogue on the issue. It couldn’t just be a celebration of men; we needed to address the issue head on, to make people confront the problem, even if it made some feel a little uncomfortable. We needed to do this if we wanted guys to really listen. But we also needed to present a rallying cry, one of optimism and a fresh start to empower men and make them realize not only what’s at stake, but that each man had the power to make a small difference for change. We decided to promote the film on YouTube pre-roll, Twitter and Facebook promoted posts, where we could target younger millennials and Gen Z.

The ad broke entirely new ground, sparking a taboo conversation on the role of men with toxic masculinity. It became the #1 trending topic on Twitter and generated over 15 billion impressions with only 5 hours of paid media. In the days that followed, Gillette became the 3rd most Googled search term in the US, and overnight we were catapulted from a brand no one seemed to pay attention to, to the #7 most meaningful brands of 2019. 77% of millennials and Gen Z responded positively to the spot, 65% of viewers indicated that it made them more likely to purchase Gillette products, helping Gillette stay relevant against the current competitive DTC brands by doubling its DTC business. And because talk is not enough in today’s world, Gillette committed to use their voice and resources to support men at their best.