#mensissues

Gillette took a big gamble with its latest ad campaign attacking toxic masculinity. Gillette—the best a man can get. This recognized slogan used to just refer to the company’s popular line of razors, but now, these words have taken on a new meaning in the company’s “We Believe” ad campaign. Gillette launched the ad a couple of days ago, and already has suffered severe backlash from conservatives regarding the ad’s message of combating “toxic masculinity.” Just as America is divided these days, so is the repsone to the ad with a “love it or hate it” outcome. Many conservatives have spoken out against the ad as just another attack in the seemingly incessant war on the male gender. They say the subliminal message of the ad is “all men are bad” -- all men are born misogynistic, and those men that have become “woke” need to stand up to those men who are not.

Toxic Masculinity

The ad portrays stereotypical behaviors often associated with toxic males — bullying, laughing at off-color jokes, physical violence and even “mansplaining” an idea to a female colleague. Then it shows men who just stand by and watch these behaviors happen, followed by men who do the right thing and jump in to defend against these behaviors. The ad says, “We believe in the best in men. To say the right thing, to act the right way. Some already are. But some is not enough. Because the boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow.” There is no promotion of any particular product – in fact, no product is ever mentioned. Regardless of how people might feel about the ad, let’s cut to the chase. Gillette is a real company, owned by parent company Procter & Gamble – and it has a real marketing team and, more importantly, real shareholders.

A Smart Business Decision?

Gillette's primary goal is to sell products, so does this ad help accomplish that? Hard to say. If awards are the goal, PG did win an Emmy last year for an ad entitled "The Talk", part of the company’s “My Black is Beautiful” campaign in which African-American parents discuss racism with their children. That ad didn’t promote a product either. The company has also been praised for other campaigns: “Like a Girl” which challenged female stereotypes and “Strong is Beautiful” which showed NFL players in more tender roles. These ads are all part of the new socially conscious playbook, and Scott Galloway, founder of the Gartner L2 research group said in a CNN interview that consumers will see even more ”woke” ads from companies in 2019 as companies try to position themselves in new markets with younger consumers who want to see strong stands on topics like racism, LGBTQ rights, guns and immigration. Market research shows that younger consumers are trying to find companies that align with their beliefs.

Did Gillette Just Alienate Its Customer Base?

The problem is that so are older, white male consumers, therefore Gillette’s campaign is risky because it alienates some of its current customers in an effort to lure new ones. Andrew Gilman, CEO of CommCore Consulting, told CNN that P&G, which acquired Gillette in 2005, has a long history of using unconventional advertising to stress its core principles. Gilman said the latest ad was a clear message to Gillette’s current and future employees. Fine, but most companies don’t run ads for their employees – after all, that is what internal training videos are for. Gilman said that P&G is trying to establish a long-term reputation for the company. Again, fine, but are they sacrificing their business in the short-term? Gillette’s ad turns their slogan on its heels, asking “Is this the best a man can get?” and saying that bad male behavior has been going on for far too long. The ad urges people to stop making the same old excuses for male behavior. Gillette intended the message to be “we get it” as a company, but did they not see that it might frankly piss off a very large part of their current customer base. Gillette seems to be making a risky but very calculated bet, that the long-term popularity of their ads with a new younger audience will outlast any short-term pressure from customers or the stock market. They’re betting that their products are so good and that their current customer base is perhaps too lazy to switch brands.

How Dare You, Gillette!

How many times have you been faced with a challenge and a little voice in the back of your mind says, “but I’m not _______?” I don’t know what goes in the blank for you, but for me it’s a number of things.

“Good enough,” “strong enough, “smart enough,” “holy,” “a saint,” have all made appearances at the end of that phrase. It’s very disheartening and I am sorry to admit has stopped me from doing a great number of worthy things.

I am telling you right here and now, it is a lie. It is one of Satan’s favorites. Satan knows that he can’t beat God, he was defeated on Calvary and Christ’s victory is final. So when you face a battle you know you can’t win, what do you do? 

You find a way to avoid the battle. In this case, convincing men to give up rather than to fight.

I don’t know what challenges you face. I don’t know what you’re being told you can’t do so don’t bother.

But I do know that we have a God who delights in making strength out of weakness. Call on him. Ask him to bless you with his Holy Spirit and power, or wisdom, or compassion, or whatever you need. He loves to empower his children. Here are just a few examples:

Abraham was a shepherd who became the father of many nations and faiths as well. 

Moses was the son of a slave, and through God’s help he won victory and freedom for his people over a major geopolitical power.

Gideon was a coward, he hid from his enemies. He became the leader of God’s army to overthrow the oppression of the Philistines.

David was a shepherd who became one of the greatest kings in history.

Solomon was his son, conceived out of wedlock, who not only built the Temple in Jerusalem but was world renowned for his wisdom.

The prophets had no worldly status, yet they counseled and commanded kings. A little girl had an unplanned pregnancy and lost her son to torture and execution and is honored by millions. Her name is Mary.

A handful of fisherman helped lead an organization that is now one of the largest in the world.