P&G’s Gillette unveils new campaign We Believe, sparks debate about gender
New Gillette men portrayed as a community that is concerned about who they are than what they can acquire
Procter & Gamble, the maker of Gillette, has come up with a new campaign "We Believe", challenging the image of masculinity as it was once promoted.
The ad has sparked a debate about gender and cultural branding, and the power exercised by multinational corporations in shaping ideas about family and relationships.
“Boys will be boys”? Isn’t it time we stopped excusing bad behavior? Re-think and take action by joining us at https://t.co/giHuGDEvlT. #TheBestMenCanBe pic.twitter.com/hhBL1XjFVo
— Gillette (@Gillette) January 14, 2019
- Gillette (@Gillette) January 14, 2019
"Bullying. The #MeToo movement. Toxic masculinity." The headlines resound as men - black and white, young and old - peer at themselves in the mirror. "Is this the best a man can get?" asks the narrator of the ad. The scenes that follow show the answer will be no and talks about "The Best Men Can Be".
The new Gillette men have been portrayed as a community that is concerned more about who they are than about what they can acquire.
However, in some adverse reaction, Piers Morgan, the TV presenter, criticised the ad saying, "This absurd virtue-signalling PC guff may drive me away to a company less eager to fuel the current pathetic global assault on masculinity.
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.
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. https://t.co/Hm66OD5lA4
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 14, 2019
The nearly two-minute spot has been created by New York-based agency Grey and directed by Kim Gehrig of Britain’s Somesuch.
On Twitter, the video drew about 70,000 likes and 19,000 comments by early Tuesday.
As per media reports, the video was accompanied by a pledge to donate $1 million per year to a non-profit organisation working in the US.
