#Gray razer blade skin skin#
#Gray razer blade skin tv#

Gillette has a bigger market share that Schick, especially in men’s razors. Schick just positioned itself in millions of men’s minds as *sexy*. It works on men, who happily ogle the imagined poon and maybe turn and say, “Hey babe, you should, uh, trim down there.” A sale may or may not happen (and I’m sure Schick has a pretty good idea what the number is) but something more important happened. And then there’s the big twist: it was a contest! Whoever trimmed their lil bush the best is the winner! The colors are vibrant, lush, and green, the pool tranquil–everything ideal and fantastical. Three scantily clad, underfed, idealized young women dancing around as they flirtily trim their lil “bushes.” Tee hee. You describe the Schick ad as “flirty and fun.” Looking at the ad I can see that. I think I have this right: the Schick ad is ok, but the Gillette is not.

#Gray razer blade skin skin#

What do you think of this commercial for Gillette’s Venus Pubic Hair and Skin razor? Share your comments below. See all Cranky ad reviews | Go to blog home page In other words, advertisers, use your heads and keep your junk in your pants.Ĭranky Ad Review rating: One stubbly star out of five. If creatives have one job left, it is to find clever and imaginative ways to sell these kinds of products while being polite and respectful guests in people’s homes. This is not what good advertising is supposed to do. Worse, this ad has incensed Gillette buyers of both sexes who swear they’ll stop buying the brand altogether. Based on my own online research and an informal survey of people in my circle, this ad for Venus seems to be divisive even among women in the target audience. I suspect that the people who complained loudest about this ad were not in the target market and would not have bought the product anyway.īut the uproar over this Gillette ad is different. The reason I like Schick’s “trimming bushes” ad so much is because it is fun and flirty - perfect for its target audience. Gillette’s Venus for Pubic Hair and Skin commercial: The Cranky Ad Review verdict It may sound cynical, but it’s really no more profound or complicated than that.

#Gray razer blade skin tv#

By pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable in national TV advertising, Gillette and its ad agency have ensured that more people will talk about this ad, that it will get more press, that it will make a much bigger splash than an ad that merely met societal norms.

The “brave” strategy at work here is simply for shock value. Gillette did not create this ad to empower anyone. If you are someone who thinks Gillette created this ad because it is a champion of women, allow me to disabuse you of such illusions. Of course, some online are cheering this commercial for “telling real women’s stories” and “celebrating positive body images”: “Bu- bu- but pubic hair speaks to women’s truth” When it fires, anything near the target is caught in the spray.” - Bob Garfieldīelow: A far superior UK ad for a similar Gillette product, the modestly-named Venus Bikini Precision Trimmer: Television is a mass medium, and advertisers have a responsibility to ensure that their work is appropriate for all audiences to whom it is shown. (Not to mention, the ad employed a clever visual metaphor to show how the product works - and compared to this Gillette ad, it was positively adorable.)īut Garfield is right. That ad too drew plenty of criticism, but to the best of my knowledge, it only aired after prime-time viewing hours or during shows intended for mature audiences. You may remember how rigorously I defended the “trimming bushes” ad for Schick’s Hydro Silk TrimStyle razor - also a product for women who shave down there. With this ad for Venus, Gillette has broken that compact. This is advertisers’ unspoken compact with viewers. TV spots simply appear, and in exchange for viewer indulgence advertisers owe a measure of restraint and respect for the sensitivities of everyone in the room. We do not need to see live demonstrations of these products in our living rooms.Īdvertisers, as our uninvited guests, have a responsibility to know better - and to behave better.Īs famed former ad critic Bob Garfield pointed out in his book, And Now a Few Words from Me …: What’s next? Shall we have equally explicit ads for toilet paper? Tampons? Menstrual pads? Viagra? I’m no prude, but honestly, it’s a bit much. In case you missed it, the ad literally shows a closeup of a woman’s crotch while talking about shaving pubic hair.

What is not subjective is that this ad is shown on national TV at all hours of the day - morning, afternoon and night. I’m not even going to discuss whether I like this ad or if I think it’s effective.