The world’s shaving men collectively chuckled at the news: After a series of obnoxiously “woke” ad campaigns, Gillette has reported an $8 BILLION devaluation.
Gillette turned heads in January 2019 when it lectured the world about the “toxic masculinity” supposedly turning men everywhere in to leering catcallers and bullies. The ad was widely panned, leading many to boycott the company.
In April, Gillette again tried to pander to the woke 20-somethings it so badly needs to win. The socially conscious message? Morbidly obese women in bikinis are awesome! But why not go the whole way and get completely “woke”? In May, Gillette pressed forward with an ad showing a man teaching his transgender son to shave.
People took notice of Gillette’s woke stunts.
But not the 20-somethings. They already favor Harry’s and the Dollar Shave Club. It was the Baby Boomers who paid attention. The plan backfired. Instead of winning the young generation, Gillette lost major credibility with existing customers: mature men.
The Washington Examiner reports: “Gillette CEO Gary Coombe admitted the #MeToo ad campaign had cost the company some customers but this was a price worth paying.”
The staggering $8 billion loss (the company was last purchased for $49 billion in 1999) should not entirely be chalked up to Gillette’s misstep into “woke” territory. The official story is:
“In devaluing it by $8 billion, the parent company blamed currency fluctuations, new competitors, and new social norms that have led to men shaving less often. There is no evidence that the “best a man can get” ads pushing back against sexism and bullying contributed to the $8 billion figure.”
While some of that story is likely true, Gillette itself is in the best position to decide whether the stunts paid off. They didn’t. That much is clear from the new direction the company now (half-way) admits it is taking.
News.com.au reported:
“Razor brand Gillette says it is shifting the spotlight from social issues to local heroes after an ad delving into “toxic masculinity” caused a customer backlash.”
Now instead of tame beta-males, Gillette ads will feature manly firemen.
Fads come and go. The “woke” fad is an alternative gospel.
“Wokeness” is a form of social gospel that provides a false picture of what is wrong with the world and what will fix it. Those who follow Jesus Christ have no need to follow such fads. Our identity is not primarily a matter of our physical descriptors, such as weight, height, gender, beard-status, or ability to signal Hollywood-style virtues.
Let the men of the church be the first to echo Paul’s words:
“If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:9b-10).
