Known as being one of the fastest selling razors in the
world, Gillette’s marketing strategy was one of the most aggressive and risky.
They cannibalised their original razor to make their current product the
favourite; a bold move considering how difficult it is to establish a brand
(they’d been working at their brand image since the creation in 1900’s) and
openly trashing their first razor could send the image that their brand isn’t
one of quality. They had focused their market on their existing customers, not
new ones; a smart move considering that trying to gain new customers is the most
expensive method. They were encouraging their customers to upgrade (a 40%
higher price) and yet, the loyal Gillette users did.
We’ve all seen the
Gillette advert. A strong powerful male sports figure shaving happily for the
smoothest shave to be top of his game (if you haven’t, see the video below).
Seems like a straightforward advert? It
more than that through using celebrity endorsement. Men idolise these
celebrities, who are seen as the perfect male so of course they want to be
them; and at the price of a razor they could get the closest shave just like
their idols do. In this way they believe that if they use the same products as
their favourite sporting personalities then they are closer to being them, and
ultimately happier.
It is found that if a kid uses the razor only twice, they
are 92% likely to stick with it for life: big bucks for Gillette (part of the
P&G company) so their marketing is extensive. This includes sending out
‘welcome to adulthood’ to young lads in America when they reach a certain age.
Clever? Extremely.
Overall, Gillette uses a combination of different methods to
be top of their game; physical freebies, powerful adverts and a direct appeal
to current customers are just some of their tactics and they work. They work
well. For their marketing strategy Gillette would have to have a solid 9.5/10.
Why not a 10? Because marketing is about alert and never being compliance, they
should always feel like there’s at least another 0.5 to go.
References:
http://news.gillette.com/about/history
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