Cutting Edge

Gillette fixes up, looks sharp

Will.i.am, Tim McGraw, Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 and the All-American Rejects are all set to appear in a forthcoming Gillette campaign. The Gillette Uncut series will feature a series of digital documentary shorts – created by renowned music filmmaker/photographer Danny Clinch – showcasing the artists backstage and some of their pre-show rituals.

“Gillette Uncut shows a side of artists that’s rarely, if ever, seen – going backstage to show how they prepare, including styling and grooming, and the moments of doubt they experience before taking the stage,” said Steve Fund, Gillette global marketing director.

In addition to the documentary Gillette will host ‘Shave Like a Rock Star’ a selection of tongue-in-check shaving tutorials featuring each artist. Both elements will run consecutively on a dedicated website.  The campaign will have online media partnerships with SPIN, Pandora, Last.FM and YouTube in addition to print and TV ads.

So what?: A global survey by Music Matters and Synovate recently stated that one in five people would do “absolutely anything” to meet their music idols. This campaign, with its headline ‘a lot goes down before the lights go up’ goes some way to making that a reality, giving fans an intimate glimpse at the acts they love. The alcohol brand Absolut also embarked on a similar documentary following Australian band Wolfmother in 2009 as part of its ‘You’re With The Band’ campaign. Gillette has historically gone for clean-cut sportsmen, and the shift to music – albeit only in the US – should position them better with a younger audience.

“These backstage ‘rockumentaries’ add a striking new dimension to an increasingly familiar brand story. I love the elasticity of the overall campaign approach too, one minute playing the credible, stylized ‘gateway’ to artist proximity, the next riffing around tongue-in-cheek tutorials inviting you to “Shave Like A Rockstar”
Jack Fryer, Strategist, FRUKT

www.gillette.com/shavelikearockstar