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What Gillette Got Wrong That Super Bowl Advertisers Can’t Afford To

Gillette’s recent “The Best A Man Can Be” ad has caused a lot of controversy.  Most people seem to be relying on their own personal opinions and preferences to criticize (or praise) the effort. But I thought it would be more helpful to examine the ad from an advertising strategy perspective and try to identify takeaways that would help other advertisers.  Given that the biggest day of advertising in the U.S. is coming up on Sunday, Super Bowl LIII, and past Super Bowl advertisers have used the platform to make a social statement, I’ve gleaned three lessons for Super Bowl advertisers from Gillette’s mistakes:

  1. Don’t make your customer the villain.
  2. Understand that today’s brands are partners, not dictators.
  3. Deliver the message through meaningful action.

To learn more about these recommendations, check out my new Forbes column. And I’m sure you’ll have a response, so I look forward to reading your comments below, on Forbes, or on social media (my accounts are: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.)

related:

Super Bowl Ad Round-Up
The Super Bowl’s Intended Receivers
Super Bowl Ads vs. Super Brands

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