Conscience branding has officially jumped the shark.
Gillette, known for their razors and shaving products, is celebrating the 30 year birthday of their slogan “the best a man can get” by shaming all decent men for the actions of sleaze bags.
Take a look, just be sure to have your barf bag handy:
From Gillette’s website:
Thirty years ago, we launched our The Best A Man Can Get tagline.Since then, it has been an aspirational statement, reflecting standards that many men strive to achieve.But turn on the news today and it’s easy to believe that men are not at their best. Many find themselves at a crossroads, caught between the past and a new era of masculinity. While it is clear that changes are needed, where and how we can start to effect that change is less obvious for many. And when the changes needed seem so monumental, it can feel daunting to begin. So, let’s do it together.It’s time we acknowledge that brands, like ours, play a role in influencing culture. And as a company that encourages men to be their best, we have a responsibility to make sure we are promoting positive, attainable, inclusive and healthy versions of what it means to be a man. With that in mind, we have spent the last few months taking a hard look at our past and coming communication and reflecting on the types of men and behaviors we want to celebrate. We’re inviting all men along this journey with us – to strive to be better, to make us better, and to help each other be better.From today on, we pledge to actively challenge the stereotypes and expectations of what it means to be a man everywhere you see Gillette. In the ads we run, the images we publish to social media, the words we choose, and so much more.As part of The Best Men Can Be campaign, Gillette is committing to donate $1 million per year for the next three years to non-profit organizations executing programs in the United States designed to inspire, educate and help men of all ages achieve their personal “best” and become role models for the next generation.Our tagline needs to continue to inspire us all to be better every day, and to help create a new standard for boys to admire and for men to achieve… Because the boys of today are the men of tomorrow.We’ve all got work to do. And it starts today.Gillette. The Best A Man Can Get.
“And when the changes needed seem so monumental, it can feel daunting to begin.”
I enjoyed the emergence of socially conscious branding when it was about saving sea turtles and sustainability within reason, but when you start shaming men, telling them they have to kowtow to toxic feminism in order to make the world a better place, you’ve lost me and a heckuva lot of other consumers.
No one asked Gillette to step up and be another megaphone for insecure, Daddy-issue-laden, developmentally stunted women, and yet…
Gillette’s apology campaign is not progressive or edgy or even bold. It’s ignorant, juvenile, and quite frankly, disappointing.
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