Gillette's controversial advert

slapo

It's... alive!
It's the first time I'd heard of and seen the advert.
While I think it raises valid points, it seems to me like a fairly shameless abuse of the notions by their marketing department to make their employer look better.
 

Benz3ne

Forum GOD!
The message is good, the vehicle for the message is confusing - i.e. razors/personal care company. I can understand why Gillette though with their eternal 'the best a man can get' thing, especially if they start tending away from that ideology and market 'for all genders'.
The backlash seems unnecessary in my opinion. Why not just accept the message and promote it throughout one's life to pave the way for younger generations? Unless, of course, those giving the backlash don't agree with the message?
 

les24preludes

Forum GOD!
The message is good, the vehicle for the message is confusing - i.e. razors/personal care company. I can understand why Gillette though with their eternal 'the best a man can get' thing, especially if they start tending away from that ideology and market 'for all genders'. The backlash seems unnecessary in my opinion. Why not just accept the message and promote it throughout one's life to pave the way for younger generations? Unless, of course, those giving the backlash don't agree with the message?
Message? What message? This is pure fiction. It's been dreamed up by a team of professionals whose daily job is to produce a storyboard that will sell a product. You could use this same ad to sell lawnmowers, cars, laptops, hi-fi, insurance....

Don't imagine for a moment that the guys who produce ads like this have any connection with those genuinely working in the social sector. For those people attitudes matter. In the case of ads like this the only bottom line is sales, plus of course industry awards for the design team. That's it.
 

Benz3ne

Forum GOD!
Message? What message? This is pure fiction. It's been dreamed up by a team of professionals whose daily job is to produce a storyboard that will sell a product. You could use this same ad to sell lawnmowers, cars, laptops, hi-fi, insurance....

Don't imagine for a moment that the guys who produce ads like this have any connection with those genuinely working in the social sector. For those people attitudes matter. In the case of ads like this the only bottom line is sales, plus of course industry awards for the design team. That's it.
Of course the ad is fiction but the message is real to some. Bullying exists, sexual harassment exists (albeit both ways). If this gets through to one person to stop someone else bullying/harassing then I'd say that's useful, personally. I'm sure they don't work in the social sector, but that's not the aim here surely? Despite the ad being fiction, it does feature non-fiction cases such as Terry Crews' speaking out for being sexually harassed by a male executive.
Yes, there are ulterior motives (sales, awards, end-of-year bonus etc.) but at least it's broadcasting a good message (again, to educate against bullying/harassment). If lawnmower manufacturers/distributers, car salesrooms, tech giants decide to weigh in and broadcast the same message then happy days, the more the merrier I reckon.
Legitimate question: What is wrong with a national television advert to demote bullying/harassment?
 

les24preludes

Forum GOD!
If lawnmower manufacturers/distributers, car salesrooms, tech giants decide to weigh in and broadcast the same message then happy days, the more the merrier I reckon.
Nah, it's been done now so design teams won't get awards for repeating the same message. Next time it'll be homeless families, famine in Africa, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, global warming, tsunamis, post-Brexit national trauma........
 

Dr Watson

James
What a load of bull shit and just what I would expect coming from the USA at the moment. Why be so defensive about something that has to be talked about and changed. It is not a left vs right political thing but a human thing.

Bob
Please don't think me posting it was an endorsement Bob :laugh:

This video from a fellow Canadian may give you some genuine insight from "the other side" - *Trigger warning* Anyone of liberal/progressive persuasion will be triggered every 30 seconds or so, viewer discretion advised :wink:

 
I don’t know how anyone can bothered about such things.
I find this modern pseudo outraged society more galling than the advert I couldn’t care less about that I haven’t even seen the whole way through.
If your moral compass is going to be swayed by a 30 second TV advert and alter your judgment of what is right and wrong and your ability to act accordingly then I’m afraid you are so impressionable it matters little, because as soon as you are back in group situation of ‘toxic masculinity’ your impressionable brain is probably simply going to default to acquiescing instead of challenging people’s behaviours and nothing will change.
 

les24preludes

Forum GOD!
H..H..H..H.. HancocksHalfHour

Scene 1. A sitting room in 23 Railway Cuttings, East Cheam.

Sid James: I don’t know how anyone can be bothered about such things.
Tony Hancock: I find this modern pseudo outraged society more galling than the advert... I couldn’t care less about that - I haven’t even seen it the whole way through... (with added emphasis) If your moral compass is going to be swayed by a 30 second TV advert and alter your judgment of what is right and wrong and your ability to act accordingly then I’m afraid you are so impressionable it matters little, because as soon as you are back in group situation of ‘toxic masculinity’ your impressionable brain is probably simply going to default to acquiescing instead of challenging people’s behaviours and nothing will change.
 
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R181

Grumpy old man
Please don't think me posting it was an endorsement Bob :laugh:

This video from a fellow Canadian may give you some genuine insight from "the other side" - *Trigger warning* Anyone of liberal/progressive persuasion will be triggered every 30 seconds or so, viewer discretion advised :wink:
Interesting counter points. It is easy to make fun of/satirize the ad and after all it is only an ad. Motivated by an attempt to increase profit the ad does attempt to shine a light on societal issues long swept under the rug. Even if done in an inept manner does not diminish the problems the size of which have grown over time. As an ad it has more than done it's job. Gillette is getting talked about and so are the ad's messages.

Bob
 
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