Watch: Ritson on how Gillette convinced consumers to switch to a more expensive razor

Gillette is one of the most successful brands in history, maintaining its dominant position in the razor category over more than a century.

However, when it launched the Gillette Fusion it struggled to convert current Gillette customers to the new, more expensive model. A combination of consumers hit by the impact of the financial crash in 2008 and therefore looking for ways to save money, improved own-brand offerings and a lack of understanding of how Fusion was better, held people back.

In this video, Marketing Week columnist Mark Ritson explains how, in 2010, Gillette used a combination of mass marketing that built on its brand image as ‘the best a man can get’ and targeted advertising to grow sales. In particular, it focuses on the campaign it launched to reach men aged 18 to 34 who shopped in Walmart by linking up with the most popular game that year, Madden 10, and tapping into an audience that over-indexed on sports and video games.

This video is the latest in a series where Ritson reveals the stories and strategy behind some of the most effective campaigns ever based on case studies from 50 years of the Effies. Brands featured include Tide, Gillette and Lidl, as we examine what makes marketing more effective.

You’ll be able to see more in the series on our dedicated marketing effectiveness page.

Mark Ritson teaches the Mini MBA in Marketing. For more information go to https://mba.marketingweek.com/