The razor brand’s new ad is the latest in a wave of campaigns that use a social message to try to sell a product. But cynics aren’t buying it

All publicity is good publicity – unless, perhaps, you’re head of a multibillion pound global brand that has released what has been dubbed “the year’s worst marketing move” by one industry magazine, and an affront to masculinity by an apoplectic Piers Morgan.

In 1989, Gillette launched its Best a Man Can Get campaign during the Superbowl. One of the most memorable slogans in advertising was projected onto soft-focus vignettes of male American life: strong men playing sport, brave men hurtling into space, dashing men kissing beautiful women. All set to a rousing 1980s power ballad. It did what advertising has been built to do: prop up a fantasy vision of manhood – one that relies on smooth abs and smouldering eyes to sell products.

This week Gillette made a dramatic pivot to air a new campaign in response to #MeToo that challenges men to be better, less macho and to stop excusing bad behaviour with “boys will be boys”. The ad shows a father intervening in a fight, a friend stopping the street harassment of a woman, and a woman being mansplained to in a meeting. A company spokesperson denied the ad was set to air at next month’s Superbowl.

Led by a male creative team in the US and directed by female A-list commercial director Kim Gehrig – who has inevitably shouldered a volley of abuse – a shaving brand has co-opted a social movement; Gillette became “woke”. Thousands may have complained and threatened boycotts, but the ad also earned much praise and has been described by celebrities as “beautiful” (Elijah Wood), “moving” (Jessica Chastian) and a “must-watch” (Arianna Huffington). According to Sprout Social, a media analytics firm, 63% of tweets to @Gillette have been positive.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest #LikeAGirl advertising campaign for Always.

Gillette is not alone in commercialising a social, political movement for profit; parent company Procter and Gamble saw huge success with its #LikeAGirl campaign, which debuted during the 2014 Superbowl. Commodifying feminism has been a feature for the advertising industry for at least five years – brands have insisted that women feel “empowered” by everything from their shampoo (Pantene), their maxi pads (Always) and their moisturisers (Dove) to their energy bills (EDF).

In 2015, Lynx took gender equality on board and swerved away from using semi-naked women to sell deodorant to men. Lynx (sold as Axe elsewhere in the world) now promotes a sensitive, inclusive take on masculinity, urging “find your magic”. A momentum was built. Just two years later, however, Pepsi spectacularly misfired with a tone-deaf ad starring Kendall Jenner in which the model was depicted as a social activist who managed to bring peace and unity to a rowdy protest by handing out cans of cola to police.

So how did making a political stand become a profitable move?

“We live in a world where brands think they need ‘purpose’,” says Dan Cullen-Shute, chief executive and co-founder of independent advertising agency Creature London. “Research continually shows that millennials want brands that do and mean something.” He is, however, scathing of Gillette’s execution – and cynicism. “Just selling their five-bladed whatever won’t cut it now,” he says. “That’s why they had to do something bold. I have an admiration that they tried, but as a piece of communication [this ad] is clumsy, self-important and badly put together. It is possible to think #MeToo is incredibly important and support a world in which men are more respectful and kind, but at the same time not believe it’s really Gillette’s space to talk about it.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nike’s 2018 ad campaign starred American football player Colin Kaepernick and embraced civil rights, Black Lives Matter and activism.

Charles Olive, a cultural strategist who worked at Grey (the advertising agency which has the Gillette account), and Eliza Williams, managing editor of Creative Review, agree. “It looks like a Saturday Night Live skit or South Park parody,” says Olive. Williams adds: “It’s patronising and preachy – it’s not the best of this kind of advertising.”

Both compare Gillette to the Nike campaign last year featuring Colin Kaepernick, which embraced civil rights, Black Lives Matter and activism with a portrait of the American football star strap-lined: “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything”.

“By being bold and divisive and taking on a subject they knew would be politically conflicted, it’s become the gold standard,” says Williams.

“It was an elegant way of tapping into the conversation,” says Olive. “And companies now are continually asking: ‘How can we be meaningful, effective and impact change?’ They have a bottom line to protect but it’s interesting and positive that that now means there is money to be made in being socially responsible. ”

But this form of “woke washing” – corporations adopting the veneer of progressive values for profit – leaves some uncomfortable. “We’re going to see more brands trying to take on social issues,” says Williams. “They’re taking the view thatbeing politically divisive is worth a risk and being at the heart of a debate where you come out as the good guys is positive.” But, she says wearily, “it is also a trend”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The This Girl Can campaign developed by Sport England in 2015, promoted sport among women in a bid to close the gender gap.

Rebecca Stewart, a reporter at marketing magazine The Drum, says companies can no longer afford to be circumspect: campaigns must be dramatic talking points to capture attention in an age where “the average consumer is exposed to 10,000 ads a day”. And selling razors is a cut-throat business: a decade ago Gillette controlled 70% of the market in the US, according to Euromonitor, but this fell to under 50% last year after the arrival of razor subscription services. Gillette was forced to shave 12% from its retail price.

Cullen-Shute says brands are taking a gamble and hope to be on the right side of history – and the profit margin. “It’s too early to tell how successful this will be for Gillette,” he says. “But when the US government has shut down and all everyone’s talking about is Gillette...” He groans. “I just wish such an important conversation wasn’t reduced to an ad for shaving.”