The Gillette Company Debuts New 'Gillette. The Best a Man Can Get'

(Newstream) — The Gillette Company on January 26 announced a return to aspirational advertising with the debut of a new “Gillette. The Best a Man Can Get” campaign during Super Bowl XXXVIII. The 60-second commercial for the MACH3Turbo shaving system is the first Gillette advertising on the Super Bowl in 10 years. The spot will be broadcast during the third quarter of the NFL championship game.

“This campaign builds on our aspirational signature — ‘Gillette. The Best a Man Can Get’ — that we introduced so successfully in 1989,” said Peter K. Hoffman, president, Blades and Razors. “The Super Bowl offers the ideal venue for Gillette to reintroduce this powerful theme and strengthen its emotional connection with millions of men during one of the most highly charged sporting events of the year.”

The campaign, which includes 60-second and 30-second spots created by BBDO NY, engages men through the strong and broadly appealing themes of inspiration, confidence and masculinity. Powerful imagery, copy and music convey these themes, featuring sports and lifestyle vignettes that resonate with men.

The Super Bowl advertising kicks off a Gillette branding campaign that will reach men throughout 2004. Following the debut during the Super Bowl, the new advertising will appear on prime-time, late-night, sports and cable entertainment programming.

Gillette is also teaming up with football legend Steve Young and Sports Illustrated magazine for a national consumer contest, called “The Best Game Face a Man Can Get.” Men who submit a photo of their “Best Game Face” either on-line at www.mach3turbo.com or in-person at one of three “Game Face Stations” on Jan. 30 and Jan. 31 in Houston are eligible to appear in Sports Illustrated and win prizes worth more than $20,000.

“Gillette. The Best a Man Can Get” Evolution

The company introduced “Gillette. The Best a Man Can Get” in 1989 and used it extensively in launching the Gillette Sensor shaving system. This campaign continued to create a strong emotional connection with men throughout the early- and mid-1990s, enhancing Gillette’s longtime position as the leader in male shaving.

With the introduction of Gillette MACH3 in 1998, Gillette shifted to advertising that was more focused on product features, benefits and shaving performance superiority.

The new, updated campaign strengthens the emotional connection that made the original “Gillette. The Best a Man Can Get” advertising so successful. At the same time, the Company will continue its strong, product-focused campaigns for MACH3Turbo and other male shaving products.

(NOTE: For an advertising fact sheet and Gillette sports marketing timeline, please download the full press release from the Assets column on the right.)

About Gillette

Headquartered in Boston, MA, The Gillette Company is the world leader in male grooming, a category that includes blades, razors, and shaving preparations. Gillette also holds the number one position worldwide in selected female grooming products, such as wet shaving products and hair epilation devices. In addition, the company is the world leader in alkaline batteries and manual and power toothbrushes.

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