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GILLETTE’S “SHAVE INDIA MOVEMENT”: RAZOR SHARP AGAINST THE STUBBLE (A)

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GILLETTE’S “SHAVE INDIA MOVEMENT”: RAZOR SHARP AGAINST THE STUBBLE (A) The situation was that Indian men were shaving just once a week. The perception was that the stubble looks cool and desirable to women! Just doing an ad was not the solution. The brand needed to ensure a nationwide public sentiment and response to change this situation. - Pritha Mitra Dasgupta, journalist1 It was April 2010 and Sharat Verma, the Brand Manager for Gillette India, was reviewing the latest report for the third year of the “Shave India Movement”. The movement was a remarkable marketing campaign that boosted the company’s Mach3 razor sales by 500%. It was a particularly impressive accomplishment given that the men’s shaving category in India had been stubbornly unresponsive. The movement began in 2008, prior to which, Verma had been concerned over Mach3’s poor customer adoption rates in India. This was quite uncharacteristic in comparison to other markets, and all the more frustrating given the immense potential for growth that India represented. Nevertheless, sales languished for Gillette’s flagship product but many still doubted if the company would ever grow their razor category beyond 20% market share. The Mach3 had a reputation for quickly capturing market share in almost all geographies. Verma said, Gillette has market leadership in almost all markets in the world except Japan. We have 70% or more market share in Australia, the US and Western Europe. That is unheard of in any other category. In late 2007, Verma wondered what it would take for a significant impact to be made on the Indian market. Traditional marketing methods had so far yielded less than average results. Conversations with colleagues around the globe further confirmed his thoughts: Gillette India would have to develop innovative tactics to raise awareness and increase adoption. He recollected, I have a great product that I want more people to experience. I want to make it more available and better known – and to give them a reason to buy it. What emerged was the “Shave India Movement”: a ground breaking viral campaign that went mainstream in 2009. It targeted upper-middle class urban men who had the discretionary spending necessary for using the relatively expensive Mach3 blade. By all accounts it was a great success, but even after the movement’s third year, Verma knew that much more had to be done. He flipped through the report. He would start by analysing the campaign, learn from it and apply those lessons to the next step… but what was that step, and how would it further grow Gillette’s presence in India?

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