Gillette boss: Alienating some consumers with #metoo campaign was a price worth paying
Six months on from Gillette’s controversial ad, the brand’s CEO discusses the intense fallout and why taking a stand is a “necessity” to connect with younger consumers.
Gillette’s CEO and president, Gary Coombe, says that angering some consumers with its #metoo campaign was a “price worth paying” if it meant the brand could increase its relevance among younger consumers and turn around its falling market share.
In January, the shaving brand launched a campaign in response to the Me Too movement that urged men to hold each other to a higher standard and to step up when they see fellow men acting inappropriately. The video received intense criticism on social media, with some even calling for a boycott of the brand
Gillette made the decision to launch the campaign in a bid to target the millennial market. Coombe said the 188-year-old brand, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, was “gently slipping away for [this] generation” as disruptors such as Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club grabbed attention.
But Coombe admitted Gillette’s strategy hadn’t helped. He explained: “The worst thing during through that period was, we also lost connection with the millennial generation. Gillette quickly became the brand of the millennial generation’s dads.”
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