Go Ask Dad: Probably the most useful advice from a razor blade brand

For more information of the campaign, click here: https://www.brandsvietnam.com/campaign/254-Gillette-Dung-ngai-hoi-bo#result

Proudly positioning themselves as the leader of the razor blade market, Gillette, for long have been regarded as “The best a Man can get” (Neff, 2016). However, Gillette’s dominance was finally called into question in 2015, as statistics have proven that the brand have been long surpassed by most competitors Dollar Shave Club, Harry's or DorcoUSA, etc. in terms of organic listing in Google. In addition to this, Gillette’s focus on functional benefits had also evoke further debates, as many consumers were deeming Gillette as a “ripoff brand” who only cares about “using new utilities as an excuse for charging more” (Brands Vietnam, n.d). On the occasion of Father’s Day 2016, the campaign “Go Ask Dad” launched by Gillette had successfully untangle the brand’s dire issue: Regaining their brand affinity once again by resolving the widening relationship gap between modern fathers and sons caused by the Internet.

From one generation to another

It’s impossible to deny the fact that all successful campaigns derive from good insight, and Gillette’s “Go Ask Dad” wasn’t an exception. The most interesting fact about this campaign nonetheless, was that its insight had not only shown Gillette’s understanding of the consumers, but also the importance of the first two stages of their decision-making journey: Awareness and Consideration. According to Brands Vietnam (n.d), it was through a son’s first shaving lesson that paternal relationships were enhanced. From a razor blade brand’s perspective, this is perhaps one of the most effective occasion to make an impression on new target customers - teenage boys. Firstly, the fact that Gillette was the razor used by their fathers in teaching them how to shave means that they’ve learned about the brand though word-of-mouth from someone they know - the most trusted source of advertising (Nielsen, 2012). Secondly, this also means that the brand will be a part of their memory, and thus create a certain kind of equity later on (Shea et al., 2018). Taking these two reasons into account, if Gillette is able to make young men ask their dads how to shave instead of the Internet, the dad, which might also be Gillette’s current consumers, will become middlemen and at least secure the brand’s a spot in the initial consideration set of their sons.

Fighting the Internet with… the Internet

In addition to a good understanding of consumer insights and product insights, “Go Ask Dad” also owes its success to the brand’s crazy, yet highly creative solution - hijacking search engines. As Brands Vietnam (n.d) has stated, the problem with modern father and son relationships was that their special bonding moment - a son’s first shave no longer exists due to the Internet. Whenever teenage boys need to make inquiries, they’d prefer to seek help from Google, or Youtube, rather than their dads. Knowing that the nature of young men is “to reject their parents”, a simple content video won’t suffice as a persuasion (Burns, 2017). As such, the only way for Gillette to convince them to “Go Ask Dad” is to first, solve the problem from its roots, or in this case, interrupt searches on Google and Youtube (by collaborating with these sites, ironically). By collaborating with Google to block out the most “how to” search terms made by teenage boys, replace them with the advice “This Father’s Day, ask your Dad for tips on [search term]” was a drastic, yet unconventional measure. Once this objective have been achieved, all that’s left for the content video was to give these young men reasons to believe while allowing Gillette to step in as a brand. On Youtube, this same tactic was applied under the form of a pre-roll video, while social influencers like BuzzFeed and AskMen were used to reinforce the campaign’s key message.

Parent-child bonding moments - a chance for brands to "touch" new consumers"

“Go Ask Dad” has been proven to be an exemplary case of how the understanding of a brand’s consumer and its own position are particularly beneficial in creating emotional benefits. However, marketers in Vietnam who were inspired by this campaign and wish to tell a similar story to Gillette’s should first take cultural elements into consideration: “Go Ask Dad” was a campaign originated from the US, where the custom of celebrating Father’s Day was common and personal hygiene practices were taught by parents. Nonetheless, brands who wish to take on the same approach as Gillette could take advantage of this and start building their own campaigns, starting with encouraging the celebration of Father’s Day in Vietnam. Alternatively, personal hygiene brands can also approach their current customers who are parents and encourage the teaching of personal hygiene to their children, suggesting that it would enhance their parent-child relationship.

References used

Burns, W. (2017). Gillette Says 'Go Ask Dad' In Smart New Father's Day Stunt. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/willburns/2017/05/25/gillette-says-go-ask-dad-in-smart-new-fathers-day-stunt/#5e3bc53918a7 [Accessed 6 May 2019].

Brands Vietnam. (n.d.). Campaign: Gillette - Đừng ngại hỏi bố. [online] Available at: https://www.brandsvietnam.com/campaign/254-Gillette-Dung-ngai-hoi-bo#insight [Accessed 6 May 2019].

Neff, J. (2016). See the Spot: Gillette Tells Teens to 'Go Ask Dad,' Not the Internet. [online] Adage.com. Available at: https://adage.com/article/see-the-spot/spot-gillette-tells/304303 [Accessed 6 May 2019].

Nielsen.com. (2012). A Nielsen Report Global Trust in Advertising and Brand Messages. [online] Available at: https://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/reports-downloads/2012-Reports/global-trust-in-advertising-2012.pdf [Accessed 6 May 2019].

Shea, A., Young, C. and Daily, E. (2018). Find Market Research Companies, Facilities, Jobs, Articles, More | Quirks.com. [online] Quirks.com. Available at: https://www.quirks.com/articles/memory-s-role-in-creating-the-future-of-brands [Accessed 6 May 2019].