Lesson #2: Who Said Shaving And Sports Do Not Go Together?

In a memo Gillette sent out to all of his company directors in 1912, he wrote, “The whole success of this business depends on advertising.” Indeed, Gillette did not only popularize the modern razor and usher in a new culture of disposable commodities. He also introduced a new way of thinking when it came to advertising.

In the company’s early days, Gillette focused his ads on the uniqueness of his razors compared to those that had come before. He devoted 25 cents per razor to advertising. But as the company’s sales grew, so too did its advertising budget, and with that, its advertising strategy as a whole.

In 1905, Gillette doubled his company’s advertising budget. He also began to hone in on the message he wanted to convey with his ads. In a few years, Gillette ads were no longer focused on comparing their razors with the old ways of shaving. After all, how much longer could they tout the new and improved aspect of their product, especially as their competition flooded the market with knockoffs?

Instead, the company decided to begin cultivating a number of brand associations. For instance, Gillette began running ads that featured testimonials from the likes of baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner. Although this tactic might seem commonplace today, at the time it was one of the very first links between shaving and sports.

Gillette had started a new trend in men’s grooming products, and one which continued long after his departure from the company. With Gillette out of the picture, the company continued to turn to the strong promotional relationship between shaving and sports. In 1939, the company received exclusive sponsorship rights to the radio broadcast of the World Series – a trend that continued into the 1950s.

Gillette also began to associate itself with sporting events such as the Kentucky Derby, professional and college football, and boxing. In 1942, all of its sporting sponsorships were collected under the title “Gillette Cavalcade of Sports.” It was meant to be an umbrella brand that assured the company’s connection to sports. Soon, the Cavalcade was broadcasting its own radio and television shows of sports it had sponsored. It became so popular that one only had to say the words “Cavalcade of Sports” for most people to know that the event was sponsored by Gillette.

Gillette started a new trend in the world of advertising. No longer did an ad only speak to the product’s benefits. Instead, Gillette began to associate his products with an image of the lifestyle he wanted to convey. He understood that people were not just buying a product; they were buying into an idea. Under Gillette, shaving went from being a mundane morning ritual for most men, to being an important experience; with the right razor – a Gillette razor – shaving could transform you into a powerful, athletic and attractive man, just like the sports figures in its ads. That was Gillette’s idea behind the ads, and that was the idea that took Gillette from being just another razor company to being one of a kind.



Lesson #2: Who Said Shaving And Sports Do Not Go Together?

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