CORRECTION: The Washington Examiner has updated this story to remove the suggestion that Gillette lost $8 billion due to its #MeToo-inspired advertising campaign and the statement that Proctor & Gamble's CEO's comments contradicted those of Gillette's CEO. We regret that this article did not adhere to the Washington Examiner 's normal standards and procedures.

Gillette's parent company defended the razor company after Gillette's CEO said losing some customers over its #MeToo and toxic masculinity digital advertising campaign was "a price worth paying."

David Taylor, Procter & Gamble CEO, told Cincinnati Business Courier: "Gillette is a great business. We like it." P&G purchased Gillette, the largest shaving company in the world, for $57 billion in 2005 but .

P&G spokeswoman Julia LaFeldt said the company's #MeToo digital ad had enhanced the Gillette brand. "This is by far the most viewed ad Gillette has ever had online," she said. "The vast majority of those views are organic/unpaid, which points to the natural interest and engagement that we were able to generate among consumers."

The ad released in January was a short film titled "We Believe" which took on the topics of #MeToo and toxic masculinity. The campaign was criticized by some for over generalizing male behavior and being corporate "virtue signaling."

Gillette CEO Gary Coombe had said the #MeToo ad campaign had cost the company some customers but this was a "price worth paying."

On Tuesday, P&G announced the company had taken a $5 billion loss for the quarter with Gillette, costing the company $8 billion in a noncash writedown.

In devaluing Gillette by $8 billion, the parent company blamed currency fluctuations, fresh competition, and new social norms that have led to men shaving less often. There is no evidence that the "best a man can get" ads pushing back against sexist and bullying contributed to the $8 billion figure.

Coombe said the backlash to the transgender was more "intense" than he had expected but defended the ad as "less provocative" than other version Gillette had considered.

"I don’t enjoy that some people were offended by the film and upset at the brand as a consequence. That’s not nice and goes against every ounce of training I’ve had in this industry over a third of a century," Coombe said. "But I am absolutely of the view now that for the majority of people to fall more deeply in love with today’s brands you have to risk upsetting a small minority and that’s what we’ve done."

LaFeldt said the film's impact would be felt "beyond the numbers," saying, "This includes the many stories we hear about the film being used in school classrooms, universities, churches and youth clubs to start a conversation with young people about masculinity and gender in modern society."

