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Gillette Taps Matt Ryan As MVP For Fusion

Gillette Fusion ad spot MVP

Gillette is embarking on a new ad campaign to introduce its latest five-bladed shaver, the Fusion MVP. The campaign follows a multi-year deal that P&G signed with the NFL that, among other things, makes Gillette Fusion MVP an "Official Locker Room Product" of the NFL. The push includes online, print and TV ads starring Matt Ryan, quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons.

The TV spot, via BBDO New York, starts this week on network and cable television programming. It touts the razor as a solution to sensitive skin by making Ryan's mug the poster-face for skin abuse. The ad has Ryan getting pummeled on the gridiron under a harsh sun, in a downpour, in the snow and in wind while it extols the virtues of the shaver's multiple-blade surface.

P&G's multi-year sponsorship deal with the league also gives NFL Official Locker Room Product shelf space to brands like Old Spice and Febreze. As part of the deal, which makes P&G one of 21 marketing partners, the brands can use the NFL logo on packaging.

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The company also signed a deal with Major League Baseball that extended for a 70th year and beyond -- the longest sponsorship deal in history, the relationship between Gillette and MLB.

A Gillette spokesperson said print ads show the whole Gillette razor lineup. He says the TV ad will run on NFL broadcasts plus network and cable sports programming and other male-skewed programs.

Disposable razors, power shavers, and non-disposable razors are the top three segments in the shaving category, which is dominated by Gillette, Schick and BIC Corp., per Chicago-based marketing firm Mintel.

The firm says competition is from spas and salons offering old-fashioned barbershop shaves, and up-market shaving products. The firm says growth opportunities may lie in introductions of natural/ organic/environmentally friendly products with marketing that touts green qualities.

Mintel's most recent segment study, conducted last year, found that triple razor blades are used by more than half of the respondents who use razor blades, and Gillette is used by 84% of the respondents.

For those men who use electric shavers, Norelco is the preferred brand, reported by 52% of respondents, followed by Remington and Braun. Men with lower incomes are more likely to report using disposable razors. When it comes to disposable brands, Gillette is used by 45% of men, BIC by 31%, and Schick by 15%.

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