After going woke and losing $8 billion, Gillette embraces masculinity again

It may just be a total coincidence. Or maybe not. Proctor & Gamble’s $8 billion writedown last month in the value of the 118-year old shaving business company, Gillette, that it purchased for $57 billion in 2005, followed closely upon the release of a highly controversial ad, which had little to say about the great shaves men could expect when using a Gillette razor, and a great deal to say, in scolding tones, about toxic masculinity. Social Justice Warriors hailed it as a great message. Ordinary men and a surprising number of women were revulsed by it.

In any case, the fact is that the ad was brutally misandric, the backlash against the ad was fierce, and P & G is taking a huge financial hit. Yeah, there are all kinds of other possible reasons for the nosedive—a shrinking market for shaving, increased competition—but it seems that just in case it wasn’t a coincidence, Gillette has decided to step off the “woke” corporation train, and go back to basics in their marketing.