Gillette Series Line To Have a New Addition: ‘Wild Rain’ Will Be Backed by $27 Million, More Money to Go to Sensor as Well

NEW YORK – Gillette will shell out $27 million in media support t…The new fragrance, Wild Rain, will join the Gillette Series’ Cool Wave line and will be available in the same 12 stock keeping units (SKUs), including clear gel and stick anti-perspirants and deodorants, shaving preparations and aftershaves.An TV and print advertising campaign created by BBDO/N.Y. will break in January 1994. During the remainder of this year, 15.4 million samples and 350 million coupons will be issued nationally. Next year those numbers will be raised to 17 million samples, and 405 million coupons will be issued. The coupon drops will occur in January, March, June and September and January 1995.Gillette claims that Wild Rain will make the Gillette Series available in the two most popular fragrance families: Cool Wave belongs to the Chypre family; Wild Rain, to the Fougere family.The Gillette Series line has made inroads since its debut last year, garnering 4.2% of the $341.8 million men’s shaving preparations category in food and drug stores. But analyst said that they’re skeptical about the number of SKUs being rolled out all at once.’I think the introduction of another 12 SKUs is a little aggressive,’ said Laura Kenny, a securities analyst with A.G. Edwards in St. Louis. ‘The series line hasn’t been that successful.’The impact of the Gillette Series line thus far, Kenny said, has been boosted by an aggressive marketing campaign. Gillette committed $125 million in total global media support, the largest marketing program the company has ever implemented to launch a toiletries brand.In the men’s shaving preps category, Edge ranks No. 1 with a 17.7% market share; Old Spice holds an 8.8% share; Gillette Foamy, 8.1%; Colgate, 6.8%; Mennen, 6.8%; and Barbasol, 6.4%, according to market research firm Towne-Oller, an Information Resources subsidiary.Copyright Adweek L.P. (1993)