Gillette Uses 'Real' Women to Reach Men's Private Parts

It's not a public relations or marketing secret that beautiful women have an undeniable influence over men. They just do. And brands would be foolish to ignore the power of attraction and human sexuality when trying to sell products to the "dude demographic." We’ve all seen the beer commercials where sleek young women can't resist men drinking glowing beers in dark bars or the mouthwash spots where guys are denied a kiss from bedmates who don’t appreciate bad breath. The women in these ads are caricatures built to play on our fantasies and fears. It’s advertising 101. Gillette, however, is taking a more sophisticated approach with its new campaign for the Fusion ProGlide Styler, which is not only designed for the traditional shaving of morning stubble but also for “manscaping” below the neckline — yes, for shaving the chest, back, abs and groin. Dudes not named Pauly D don't generally like to hear the details on this sort of thing in TV ads. But women? That’s another story. So Gillette has wisely enlisted the star power of Kate Upton, Genesis Rodriguez and Hannah Simone (that's Cici from New Girl) as spokeswomen for the Fusion ProGlide Styler marketing campaign. Are these women beyond the reach of most men? Of course they are. But they're also known as real women who will grow old and wear pyjamas all day Saturday and burn the roofs of their mouths on hot pizza. For many men, that humanity makes them more accessible than those bikinied bimbos prancing across the beach to throw their arms around the middle-aged man who managed to grow ten more hairs on his head. From a branding standpoint, these ads and the tagline “The one tool you need to get the look she wants” will probably be successful because Gillette has chosen to appeal to men through real women. That shared sense of humanity is critical when dealing with sensitive subject matter. Have campaigns used famous models and actresses to reach men before? Of course they have. Have they convinced men to use a sharp razor below their abs? No. Now that’s trust.

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Gillette Uses 'Real' Women to Reach Men's Private Parts

James F. Thompson

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James F. Thompson