When Gillette debuted “The Best a Man Can Get” during Super Bowl XXIII in 1989 with a BBDO campaign promoting its Atra razor line, ours was a different America. George H.W. Bush was president, the Cold War was an ongoing concern and sexual harassment in the workplace was an all-but-foreign concept.

Now, the task of communicating a brand’s message is far more complicated, as is evident in Gillette’s latest attempt to explore what its now-iconic slogan means today.

“We Believe,” created by AOR Grey New York, turns the classic statement into a question: Is this the best that we, as men, can be? Its answer is a somewhat hopeful “no, but …”

The 90-second spot touches on a series of issues bedeviling men of all ages today like real and virtual bullying, sexual harassment and misogyny, and the persistence of gender imbalance in corporate America.

Ultimately, the ad posits, this all comes down to how men see themselves.

Many men are locked in a catch-22 as they attempt to be the best they can be while still satisfying society’s ever-shifting but restrictively narrow definitions of masculinity.

“Gillette believes in the best in men,” said Gary Coombe, president, P&G Global Grooming, in a statement. “By holding each other accountable, eliminating excuses for bad behavior and supporting a new generation working toward their personal ‘best,’ we can help create positive change that will matter for years to come.”

In a series of surveys preceding the work, P&G and the research division of Omnicom PR firm Ketchum found that men and women in the United States believed the following four attributes define a “great man”: honesty, moral integrity, hard work and respect of others.

Participants listed the most popular things men could do to be considered “great” as being a good father, setting a good example and taking unprompted action to help those in need.

Gillette promised to donate $1 million per year over the next three years to U.S. nonprofits that share its mission of helping men be their best; the first such organization is the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

It’s a small sum, but it’s a start.

The ad was notably directed by U.K.-based Kim Gehrig, whose recent work includes Sport England’s acclaimed “This Girl Can” series and “Viva La Vulva,” a female empowerment anthem for Swedish brand Libresse that was one of Adweek’s favorite spots of 2018.

CREDITS

Agency: Grey New York

Client: Gillette

Campaign: “We Believe”

Worldwide Chief Creative Officer: John Patroulis

Deputy Chief Creative Officer: Jeff Stamp

Executive Creative Director: Joe Mongognia

Group Creative Director: Asan Aslam

Creative Director: Patrick Conlon

Planning Director: Kristian Henschel

EVP, Global Account Director: Brian Weston

SVP, Global Account Director: Marie Massat

VP, Global Account Director: Robert Chedid

Account Supervisor: Julie Ressler

Account Executive: Lindsay Auerbach

Project Manager: Joey Scarillo

Executive Production: Townhouse

VP, Executive Producer: Katy Hill

VP, Integrated Producer: Rondell Wescott

Music Producer: Kurt Steinke

Casting Supervision: Nina Pratt

Talent Manager: Alice Lambrides

Business Manager: Suzanne Voss

Production Company (location): somesuch

Director: Kim Gherig

Director of Photography: Adam Arkapaw

Executive Producer: Nicky Barnes

Line Producer: Saul Germaine

Editorial: Cosmo Street

Editors: Joshua Berger + Tom Lindsay

Head of Production: Anne Lai

Executive Producer: Maura Woodward

VFX, Picture Finishing, and Telecine: Moving Picture Company (MPC)

VFX Supervisor: Thiago Porto

Colorist: Mark Gethin

Creative Director: Alvin Cruz

Flame Artists: Joey Deady + John Shafto

2D Lead: Rob Ufer

Executive Producer: Matthew Loranger

Color Executive Producer: Meghan Lang

VFX Producer: Aiste Akelaityte

Color Producer: Rebecca Boorsma

Sound Design: Heard City

Sound Engineer: Keith Reynaud

Asst Sound Engineer: Tom Morris

Executive Producer: Gloria Pitagorsky

Music: Future Perfect Music

Composer/Artist: John Connolly, Adam Hochstatter, Ben Pacheco

Arranger: Victor Magro

Song title: “Reach Out”

Executive Producer: Maxwell Gosling