Winner Marketing communications
Let's be honest, a razor just isn't all that exciting. Granted, while some of us might have reached an epiphany at sometime in our lives while shaving our legs or our chins, the razor had nothing to do with it. And unlike sportscars, beer and fur coats, razors rarely evoke passion.
But Porter Novelli would have you think differently. It took on a marketing communications campaign that could have been as dry and uneventful as many other product launches, but turned the Gillette MACH3 razor into a sensation. Armed with 90 years of research about hair removal (we'd love to see those files) and $750 million in R&D funds, PN's charge was to make Gillette's new razor a product leader.
It did. In less than six months, the razor claimed the No. 1 spot for blades and razors in every country PN courted, including the U.K. and U.S. In the U.S., for instance, MACH3 propelled Gillette's share of the blade market to 70 percent - the highest it has been in more than three decades. Before the product debuted, it was only referred to by the alias Gillette 225.
But by the time the MACH3 hit, it was much more than a razor, much more than a guaranteed close shave - it was a scientific breakthrough.
And it wasn't just a million-dollar sales motivator - it was "blades positioned in a progressive alignment that is unlike any other shaving system. While all three blades are in contact with the skin during a normal shaving stroke, the alignment balances the pressure placed on each blade."
Faced with controlling launch initiatives in 18 countries and aiming to surpass the 1990 Sensor launch (called by one analyst the "single-most successful consumer nondurable product introduction in the history of the planet"), PN had its work cut out. Its victory was keeping a lid on the April 14, 1998, product launch.
Within Gillette, employees received this company edict:
"Managing the release of information in this highly charged media environment is vital to the successful introduction of 225 as well as to the maintenance of Gillette's competitive advantage. Should you receive an inquiry from media about 225, the preferred course of action is to restrict your response to the following approved standby statement: 'It is Gillette's corporate policy not to discuss products before they are launched. I'm therefore unable to provide you with any additional details.' "
And Here It Is...
In total, more than 2,500 press kits and 400 media trial kits were sent out to promote the well-researched product (Gillette had even held segmentation studies with 3,000 men around the world to pinpoint men's attitudes about their shaving experiences).
The launch fete was a press conference in New York that 81 journalists from 68 international editorial operations attended. Many of them had prior access to senior Gillette execs (on background) to build the framework for their stories. Launch-day activities included VNRs, B-roll and newswire and satellite distribution of press materials.
And across the globe, a potpourri of PR opportunities unfolded:
- In the U.K., the company sponsored a rocket-powered motorcycle, coined the "Gillette MACH3 Challenger," that broke British land-speed records;
- In the U.S., Gillette Chairman and CEO Alfred M. Zeiein watched as NYSE President William R. Johnston shaved off his beard of 17 years with MACH 3;
- In Italy, Gillette conducted a national opinion survey about the "world of shaving" and turned over findings at a media event; and
- In France, a postlaunch event was held at the Concorde Museum so participants could take part in flight simulation.
The icing on the cake, however, came when Zeien commented about the role of PR in the product's success. After reaching No. 1 in just one week, he said, "That's a heck of an achievement...and we've done it without one penny of advertisement."
We couldn't have said it better.