Harry’s Largest Ad Campaign Ever Celebrates Being an Individual
The men’s care brand is promoting a new, sharper razor blade
In an ode to individuality, men’s care brand Harry’s has debuted the biggest ad campaign in its history.
A series of 15- and 30-second spots appearing on TV, digital and streaming platforms shows men being themselves—whether that means walking around a park carrying a well-coiffed standard poodle or sitting into a truck bed reimagined as a jacuzzi.
The marketing push is tied to a new razor that comes equipped with Harry’s “sharpest blades ever.” The company’s claim to following its own path is that unlike others in the grooming industry, it’s not raising prices simply because it has a new product. Depending on pack size, razor cartridges still cost around $2 per unit.
Harry’s new campaign, “Not the Same,” was created by ad agency Mythology and directed by Jody Hill of HBO’s Eastbound & Down and The Righteous Gemstones.
In June, Harry’s released a shave kit in conjunction with a campaign titled “Design with Pride,” which paid tribute to a number of creative individuals within the LGBTQ community. The limited-edition kits came with a unique iridescent handle, three cartridges, shaving gel and a travel blade cover. The brand donated all U.S. sales to the LGBTQ nonprofit The Trevor Project.
Earlier this year, Edgewell Personal Care, which owns CPG brands Banana Boat, Skintimate and Schick, backed away from its attempt to acquire Harry’s for $1.37 billion after the Federal Trade Commission sued to block the transaction due to concerns that the merger would hurt competition and innovation.
“We are disappointed by the FTC’s decision and continue to disagree with its position,” Rod Little, Edgewell’s president and CEO, said in a statement at the time.
People have been shaving less frequently since the outbreak of Covid-19, hurting razor blade sales. The current crisis has only exacerbated another problem the industry has been facing: the growing acceptance of men sporting beards and stubble. Last year, for example, Procter & Gamble wrote down the value of its Gillette shaving business by $8 billion, citing a decline in shaving.
Despite current trends within the category, Harry’s reports that sales have grown throughout the pandemic.
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