“On race day, you don’t leave anything to chance,” the gravelly commercial-voice admits in Gillette’s latest series of commercials. Whether swimmer Ryan Lochte is diving into the water, tennis player Roger Federer is spinning his racket in contemplation, or sprinter Tyson Gay is bursting off the blocks, their pre-race/match prep includes shaving with a Gillette razor.
It’s hard not to love focused, determined athletes flexing their muscles, especially as Olympic fever starts to rise. And these men are also blessed with extraordinarily well-sculpted faces. When the distraction of attraction fades, however, the spots feel generally formulaic. Dramatic narration, handsome men, razor-cutting-hair animation…these spots include factors present in every traditional men’s grooming promotion. When the Olympics start and this ad plays for the fiftieth time, I for one will not tell my bar-mates to be quiet, lest they miss some stunning creative work. Nice eye candy, but ultimately these spots are uninteresting.
Check out the other two spots from the campaign after the jump: