Fact check: Gillette thought the best way to sell their overpriced razors to men was to talk down to them and lecture them. Fuck Gillette.

1. Summary of the results

The original statement oversimplifies a complex marketing campaign. The 2019 Gillette ad was indeed highly controversial, receiving an "overwhelmingly negative response on social media" ^[1] and generating 214,000 dislikes on YouTube ^[2]. However, it wasn't simply "talking down" to men - it was a deliberate attempt to reframe their classic slogan "The Best a Man Can Get" to "The Best Men Can Be" ^[3], showing both problematic male behavior and positive male intervention ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial pieces of context are missing from the original statement:

• The campaign was part of a broader corporate social responsibility initiative, including a $1 million annual donation to help men ^[1]
• The ad was strategically designed to connect with younger demographics like millennials and Gen Z, who increasingly expect brands to take social stances ^[5]
• Gillette has historically been consumer-focused, with marketing strategies designed to resonate with men, not alienate them ^[6]
• The campaign received some positive feedback, with figures like Bernice King praising it as "pro-humanity" ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement contains several biased assumptions:

• It assumes the campaign was intended to "lecture" men, when evidence suggests it was a calculated marketing strategy to engage with social issues ^[6]
• The claim about "overpriced razors" isn't addressed in any of the sources and appears to be an emotional rather than factual criticism
• The statement ignores Gillette's historical focus on innovation and solving consumer grooming challenges ^[7]

Beneficiaries of different narratives:

• Traditional marketing advocates benefit from portraying the campaign as a failure
• Progressive groups benefit from framing it as a necessary social commentary
• Competing razor brands potentially benefited from the backlash, as some consumers pledged to boycott Gillette ^[1]
• Gillette itself anticipated and accepted the controversy as part of generating broader conversation about masculinity ^[2]