What happens when a billion dollar company decides to man hate and man shame their clients?

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Gillette Dumps Campaign Against ‘Toxic Masculinity’ After Losing Billions by Holly Matkin

Procter & Gamble reported a net loss of $5.24 billion following an $8 billion write-down.
Boston, MA – Gillette has announced that it is “shifting the spotlight” of its advertising campaign, after backlash following their recent progressive ads about various social issues contributed to an $8 billion write-down for parent company Procter & Gamble.

The 118-year-old razor company tackled the issue of “toxic masculinity” in January, when it released an ad that showcased the negative stereotypes of traditional masculinity.

The ad depicted men fighting, bullying, and harassing and groping women, while an endless line of men standing shoulder-to-shoulder behind grills blew off their behavior while repeating the mantra, “Boys will be boys.”

“’Boys will be boys?’” the company tweeted. “Isn’t it time we stopped excusing bad behavior?”

“Is this the best a man can get?” the narrator said in the ad, before it credited the #MeToo movement for taking a stand against “toxic masculinity.”

“There will be no going back, because we believe in the best in men,” the narrator continued. “To say the right thing. To act the right way.”

Despite backlash, Gillette doubled-down with other social-issue centered ads in the months that followed.

In April, the company released a Venus razor ad that featured bikini-clad, plus-sized Instagram model Anna O’Brien playing in the surf, The Blaze re
ported.

“Go out there and slay the day,” the company captioned the image of O’Brien.

Many critics slammed the ad as a promotion of unhealthy lifestyles, according to The Blaze.

“Venus is committed to representing beautiful women of all shapes, sizes, and skin types because ALL types of beautiful skin deserve to be shown,” Gillette tweeted the following day. “We love Anna because she lives out loud and loves her skin no matter how the ‘rules’ say she should display it.”

The following month, the company released an ad that showed a father helping his female-to-male transgender son to shave for the first time.

“Now don’t be scared – don’t be scared,” the father said in the ad. “Shaving is about being confident. You are doing fine.”

“It’s not just myself transitioning,” the son explained during the clip. “It’s everybody around me transitioning.”

Procter & Gamble reported a net loss of $5.24 billion as a result of the $8 billion impairment charge, CNBC reported in late July.

The company blamed the write-down on global currency devaluations and the fact that growing beards has become more of a trend.

Competitors who sell their products for less have also been an issue, CNBC reported.

The company did not mention alienating a large number of its customers as a potential reason for the downturn.

The company recently announced that has begun “shifting the spotlight from social issues to local heroes,” and released an ad featuring Australian firefighter and personal trainer Ben Ziekenheiner, News.com.au reported.

“We have a very clear strategy when it comes to how we authentically connect with our consumers,” a Gillette spokesperson told the news outlet. “We will continue to talk about what is important to Gillette and that is representing men at their best and helping men do their best. That is not changing. We will continue to do that and demonstrate it in different ways.”

 

 

  • flybynight

    Hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha

  • Hi_estComnDenomn

    But there’s np connection between the campaign and them losing money. Even this article says that. This article didn’t even mention Gillette’s failed mail-order razor service from just last year. Razor companies have been facing setbacks for years due to guys not shaving as much and younger generations not willing to pay Gillette prices. For a pack of 5 Gillette blades, I can get 100 safety blades through Amazon. I buy razors once a year now instead of once a month.

  • Anomie88

    They would rather have men shave their legs instead of women shaving their armpits.

  • diakrioi

    Gillette discovers that being a cool social justice warrior comes with a price.

  • HumanToo

    Stop The Man-Hate & Shaming… celebrate The Best Qualities In Others ..End the promotion of toxic political pathologies…Good Men built most all of the world around you… Mens Lives are just as important Too …Get a Clue

  • ccimeyers

    Well deserved loss. Continue pc bs and continue to fail

  • Wish505

    Live and learn, again I will repeat, they me as a customer period. I don’t buy there smoke screen.

  • SavvyD

    It’s not limited to razors by Gillette for me, I do my best to avoid all P&G products now.

  • Cduncanf

    This is what happens when you put socialist millennial moon bats in your marketing department to create stupid virtue signaling campaigns. I haven’t bought a single P&G product since the first time I read about the campaign. Apparently, I am not alone. And who the f— wants to see a commercial about razors with some messed up transgender pussy?

  • magege

    Gillette, the landwhale razor