P&G calls for end to ‘toxic masculinity’ in new Gillette ad
Overshadowed by his “a world without ads” remarks at CES last week was a preview of this ad from P&G chief brand officer Marc Pritchard. The spot is a powerful reimagining of Gillette’s long-running “The best a man can get” tagline. “Gillette is now redefining masculinity,” said Pritchard. “This is not a product ad, this is a point of view ad.”
The point of view is that it’s time for men to grow up and stop behaving so badly: No more bullying, no more harassment, no more toxic masculinity, and no more looking the other way when other men are doing something wrong.
P&G is also donating $1 million a year for the next three years to non-profits that help men “achieve their personal best,” and is committing to improving how it portrays masculinity in its marketing. “As a starting point, and effective immediately, Gillette will review all public-facing content against a set of defined standards meant to ensure we fully reflect the ideals of Respect, Accountability and Role Modelling in the ads we run, the images we publish to social media, the words we choose, and more,” said Gary Coombe, president, P&G Global Grooming in a release Monday morning.
It’s a strong statement, but according to the WSJ the media push is limited to social and online. If P&G really wanted to make a statement, the Super Bowl would be the right environment for this one.
Ryan Reynolds wants gin enthusiasts to trust “The Process”
This fun online ad for American Aviation Gin debuted in mid-December, but has been getting shared a lot since the start of the New Year. One eagle-eyed observer has a theory why. But leaving aside the suspicious social sharing, it’s worth noting that this really is a good ad.
Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds—who acquired the 12-year-old company early last year—explains the American Aviation distilling process. Apparently, it includes a 4 a.m. wake-up, followed by four hours of silent meditation; a “misting” of the citrus fruits using Reynolds’ own tears; and humanely caught botanicals.
The ad slyly pokes fun at all those over-the-top claims of craftsmanship and authenticity that accompany so much modern spirits marketing. It also scores bonus points for its decidedly unconventional use of the word “asshole” (although none of the copy here tops “tastes like a sunrise had sex with a feather duster”). Bet you’d never see those muckety mucks over at Beefeater try something like that.
Clear Channels steers Stockholm’s homeless to shelter
Clear Channel Scandinavia is doing its part to help Stockholm’s homeless population by using some of its inventory to provide direction to shelters on extreme cold nights.
According to a report on Fast Company, organizations including churches and community centres begin taking in the homeless whenever the temperature in Stockholm drops below 19 degrees Fahrenheit. Problem is, the homeless often don’t know how to find these shelters, which often spring up with little advance notice. To solve the problem, Clear Channel worked with non-profit organizations to identify 53 inner-city boards located in the vicinity of homeless people.
The digital boards then begin displaying two relevant ads: The first aimed at the homeless, indicating the location of the nearest shelter; the second displaying information for volunteers, such as the most-needed items for donations.
Clear Channel says it doesn’t have numbers that demonstrate the program’s efficacy, but communications head David Klagsbrun told Co.Design, that shelters have reported seeing a lot of new faces among their users.
Marking Bauhaus 100th anniversary
You may need to bookmark this for the weekend… German broadcaster Deutsche Welle has just posted the first of a three-part documentary exploring the legacy of the now 100-year-old Bauhaus movement and it’s impact on design in the modern world.
