Differences in Gillette's Old and New Advertisments Essays

Advertising remains within a perpetual state of change but the 1960s saw a significant change in the approach advertisers took to target consumers. Automation allowed for mass production of goods which meant that advertisers had to convince a consumer that a mass-produced item could be made personal and contribute to their individuality. Consumers were trying to be seen as individuals, this caused demassification as consumers began to be grouped into more and more refined categories. Advertising became less about what the product did and more about how the product contributed to individuality and advertisers used the counterculture and anti-consumerism as a way to target consumers. “The message in the new ads was quite simply, ‘buy this good to escape consumerism.’” (Reading, 7). This may be considered deceptive towards consumers as the advertising takes advantage of insecurities and consumers desperate want for social acceptance and individuality. There were multiple shifts in advertising formats the product-information format, product-image format, personalised format and the lifestyle format each targeting consumers in a different way, the final shifts were more effective in targeting those with an anti- ad mind-set

From IPhones to new cars to discounted food, advertisements and the desire for the newest or cheapest items surround humans every day. Socially we are held responsible to not only “keep up with the Joneses” anymore, but also the Kardashians, Gates, and Walton families. Today’s society has proven that the desire to have the newest items for the most affordable prices stands more important than our true happiness. Joseph Turow provides in his article, The Daily You: How the New Advertising Industry Is Defining Your Identity and Worth, which the advertising industry has greatly affected your consumption habits and the prices you look for. James A. Roberts grows on that idea, in that with the help of these advertising firms, you continue to run

In the article “Commodify Your Dissent”, Thomas Frank argues about his point that is based on the American cultural ideas in the 1950s. There are a lot of differences between two lifestyles, such as education, technology, and fashion. I strongly agree with Thomas Frank that marketing no longer promotes conformity, but, rather, promotes “never-ending self-fulfillment” and “constantly updated individualism”. Because humans’ interest and trend are changing over time, humans’ needs gradually increase. Back then, people only use magazines and TV to advertise their products. Nowadays, the technology is developed significantly, so advertisers have to change to match the society’s trends to get customers attention. Moreover, they have a lot of good

Beginning with the analysis of the competitors in the domestic grooming and shaving market, there are two major categories to be examined; competitors which offer the traditional ‘wet shave’ razors and those which offer electric or other forms of razors which are categorized as ‘dry shave’. Skarp Razor falls under the category of ‘dry shave’ razors as there is no needed application of shaving cream for use. When examining the two major categories of dry and wet razors, Skarp Razor will market to consumers who already purchase another competitor’s dry razors (competitors such as Phillips or Braun) as well as consumers who will make the switch from wet (competitors such as Gillette or Bic) to dry razors, followed by those who are purchasing or entering the market for the first time as new consumers.

* Customers: Male consumer products have been trending upward in the last decade. The customer segments are broken up into three areas; social/emotional, involved razor users, and uninvolved or maintenance users. Social/emotional are responsible for 39% of Nondisposable razors, Involved is for 28%, and maintenance users account for 33%. In 2009 consumers razors and replacement cartridges at a higher rate than ever before.

“Ideal culture” is a set of values, knowledge, and beliefs we hold as a society. For many people, the disposable product represents the values of freedom of choice, cleanliness, and convenience. Finally, the disposable phenomenon has been promoted to us through mass marketing and advertising tactics. Ritzer explains the reasons for our country’s “hyper consumption” in his piece Enchanting a Disenchanted World. One of the explanations he gives for the increase in consumption is the marketing geared toward people to buy more and more products. In this respect, the companies that produce disposable products engage in mass marketing tactics to convince consumers to buy their products. The attractive features of the disposable product are highlighted, such as its efficiency and ability to make life easier. For example, the television commercial for Swiffer depicts maids and butlers from popular television sitcoms and shows them relaxing and having fun at a tropical resort. The ad claims that “cleaning doesn’t have to be a full-time job” and tells viewers to “Stop cleaning. Swiffer.” The marketers hope the audience will buy a Swiffer to make cleaning easier and less time-consuming. Thus, marketing influences our society a great deal and contributes not only to our “hyper consumption” but the popularity of disposable products.

The Gillette Company was founded in 1901 in a small office in Boston. Since its departure, Gillette has positioned itself as one of the most recognizable brands not only through their safety razor blades, but also through corporate diversification. This included the acquisition of a number of major companies, most recently Duracell. Prior to this acquisition, the Duracell Corporation had been the leading producer of alkaline batteries in the United States and maintained consistent growth in revenues from 1991-1996. Since their purchase of Duracell, their stock price has fallen 45% to a low of $34. The issue for Gillette is to determine if they can promote the profitable growth of their acquisition.

For years razor blade buyers have been subject to an irritating shopping experience. Mainstream brands like Gillette charge little or nothing for razor handles, then overcharge for the blades, to the point where stores keep them in locked cases.

Paramount studies showed that consumers purchased razors and replacement cartridges more frequently than ever before in the history of Non disposable razors. Also, Paramount’s consumer research indicated that one category of consumers called “Maintenance users” that made up 33% of consumers were not interested in Superior technology. A very important finding that cannot be ignored for Paramount. Based on the data in the case and my analysis, below are my alternatives that can be used to develop a market strategy that will position Paramount as a market leader in Non Disposable razor category with “Clean Edge” product launch:

In 2001, Jim Kilts became the first non-Gillette person in history to be named the Chairman and CEO of Gillette. Kilts had a very successful change effort. By the beginning of 2005, Gillette had $11 billion in revenues and sold products in over 170 countries. Gillette generated $2 billion in cash compared with $400 million when Kilts first arrived. Before Kilt’s arrival at Gillette, the company had fifteen consecutive quarters of below budget earnings. Once the turnaround started though, things changed such that by the end of 2004, Gillette posted six consecutive quarters of record profits. According to Kanter and Bird 2008, employees who once worried about an imminent takeover at the turn of the millennium, exuded a new confidence in themselves and in their teams. The stock market rewarded the effort; Gillette’s shares

Prince had been market leader in the non-disposable razors since the 50’s and held the #1 position in terms of retail dollar sales in 2009, with a 26.2% of Market Share. Products: Cogent and Cogent Plus – super-premium products. (Quelch, J. page 4).

however because Paramount only have the budget totaled $ 48.3 million on advertising and promotion in 2010 it means Randall require 42 million to use mainstream strategy to promote clean edge razors, the expenses will account for 87 % of the company's annual marketing budget which will definitely squeeze the budget of paramount's other cash cow products, and it cause the serious potential risks on other product's competitiveness in moderate and value

Marketing promotional tools Gillette used in 2007 compare to the ones they used in 2012.

Gillette has been successful in convincing the world that more is better, in regards to the number of blades and other features of a razor. To be successful in the

While evaluating the product innovation at Gillette throughout its history, it is easy to relate to the companies ups and downs, as well as its struggles. Especially in the younger developmental years, we see the resilience of the company and the drive that was necessary in order to continue operations. These hardships pushed the company to continue to refine its product and mine for new innovations. It was stated that the Gillette Company lead the personal care and grooming industry