ZEENAT MOORAD: The stubble bubble, beard trends and that Gillette ad
Gillette’s risky bet with its new ad referencing the #MeToo movement and ‘toxic masculinity’ is proof of the length to which brands will go to stand out
We haven’t reached peak beard yet. And men who used to shave every day are, to a greater extent, more comfortable with artfully trimmed two-day shadow as personal grooming policies in some offices (Wall Street and the City included) become more relaxed. Purveyors of razor blades like P&G’s Gillette, and France’s Bic and Schick, owned by Edgewell Personal Care, are working harder to sell their products and remain relevant. Gillette’s risky bet with its new ad referencing the #MeToo movement and "toxic masculinity" is proof of the length to which brands will go to stand out. The reaction to the now viral ad largely fell into two camps: those who applauded the brand, and those who said Gillette was "dead" to them. Either way, if Gillette’s intention was publicity (and by extension profit) through commercialising a social and political movement, it succeeded. Research increasingly shows millennials and baby boomers (um … older generations) want brands to stand for something and to make ...
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