The numbers on YouTube are very telling. Over 4 million people have already viewed “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be” a new Gillette marketing video which takes on “toxic masculinity”and his been viewed 4 million times since it was released 24 hours ago.
The video has earned 99,000 likes — and 371,000 dislikes.
The hashtag #BoycottGillette is already very popular on Twitter and commentary and news coverage, for better or worse, is heavy.
“So nice to see Gillette jumping on the ’men are horrible’ campaign permeating mainstream media and Hollywood entertainment. I for one will never use your product again,” tweeted actor James Woods.
“I’ve used Gillette razors my entire adult life but this absurd virtue-signalling PC guff may drive me away to a company less eager to fuel the current pathetic global assault on masculinity. Let boys be damn boys. Let men be damn men,” tweeted columnist and broadcast commentator Piers Morgan.
“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,” Gillette advises in a new designated website which offers the video, along with an online shop for products, shaving tips and coupons.
News organizations also weighed in.
“Why Gillette’s new ad campaign is toxic,” wrote Forbes while The New York Times noted that “the Gillette ad “with a #MeToo edge attracts support and outrage.” The Irish Times proclaimed that the ad has caused an “uproar with men’s rights activists.”
Advertising agencies are monitoring both the negative and positive aspects of the hybrid Gillette outreach.
“The resultant backlash has not only seen a huge amount of negative feedback on the video itself, but calls for men to boycott the Proctor & Gamble owned Gillette. I think the negative reaction is harsh. So long as Gillette doesn’t confuse what they say they’ll do, with actually doing what they say,” wrote Andrew Davies, a strategist with Bigdog, a British ad agency which counts Duracell, Harley-Davidson and Mazda among its clients.
“Power brands today are building their success on what they do, not what they say. Behaviors count for more than anything and they want us to judge them on those terms. Fine. So let’s do that. Gillette may have overreached by attempting to tackle so many issues in one message, and have diluted their endeavor in doing so, but the most important words in that whole video are ’there’s no going back.’ Being fast and loose with campaign slogans is one thing, but meaningless unless you act on your promises,” Mr. Davies said on his online commentary.
He noted that Gillette has partnered with the Building A Better Man Project, which seeks to curb violent behavior, and The Boys and Girls Club of America.
’Let’s hold them accountable to the actions they take with their partners. Judge them on that,” Mr. Davies advised.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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