Gillette: Handle With Care

Handle With Care: Gillette’s New Assisted Shaving Razor, a commercial created by the advertising agency Grey, New York.

It’s time for the shaving industry to take their piece of the grey dollar. Here, we go over Gillette’s extended TV advertisement for it’s assisted Shaving Razor, dealing scores out of 10 for key advertising criteria. Read through our take on this touching commercial for a quick evaluation of its effectiveness as a means to tackle this growing market.

Memorability – 8 / 10

The target market for this campaign is the growing population of senior men who are having to care for a rapidly expanding segment of the highly dependent elderly. As the ad covers such a sentimental topic, the shave; it really will resound in the minds of those that can relate to the situation portrayed by the characters in the story. It’s a masterful concept building a realistic scenario that even viewers outside the target market will appreciate and cling to.

Effectiveness – 8 / 10

We believe many of us with elderly parents or grandparents will be checking the razor isle for this product the next time we’re shopping with caring in mind. Gillette users that are already purchasing premium razors to shave others will certainly be incredibly intrigued to try this new specialized product. For those that don’t yet have a need for such functions, the ad acts as a branding communication commenting Gillet’s supreme reputation for superior design. For those actually in the scenario depicted, the ad certainly appears to have an effective call-to- action effect.

Style – 8 / 10

Light, uplifting with a bright story soundtrack and aesthetic; these elements depict the “career” situations as positively as possible. It feels like an approach which targets a man’s sense of duty and honor to “do the right thing”, by, of course, buying the right razor. The length of the ad ensures the full story can be told. The length also acts as a symbol of authority. Trusted brands create long ads. A dutiful tear stuck son and well-groomed elderly father are the images the directors want us to remember. This precise objective has been well met.

Heart or Humor – 10 / 10
The sequence entails close-ups of intimate scenes. A monolog from the son narrates the soft touching truths that the imagery can’t. Most male men that have had positive relationships with their fathers are very likely to feel a very strong tug at their emotions by this story. It’s supremely relatable, very well handled and does not need humor to attain its place in your memory.

Execution – 8 / 10

Very few men would consider shaving products to be a purchase governed by emotion; until now. Now there is a product that stands for doing the right thing and giving the people you care about the shave they deserve. The campaign is based on a concept that is touching as well as increasingly relevant. As you would expect from a market leader, the production quality is flawless, the scenes are warming and beautiful, and the core principle behind the product is clearly highlighted.

Could the ad be shorter and show the new product in more detail? Some would argue a shorter piece would be easier to digest and deter less impatient viewers from passing it up. The story is the primary weapon of this clip, so overall, the extended length feels more like an advantage than a setback.