• by Aaron Baar , January 12, 2010

Gillette looks to connect with its core young male demographic through a digital documentary series program called "UNCUT."

The films, which will make their debut at a premiere event in Los Angeles later this month, will feature several acclaimed musical artists, including will.i.am (of the Black Eyed Peas), Tim McGraw, Mark Hoppus (of Blink 182) and Tyson Ritter (of the All-American Rejects). The films, shot by Danny Clinch, give a look backstage as each of the artists prepares (including grooming) before taking the stage.

"Music has always been a platform as an opportunity to connect with guys," company representative Mike Norton tells Marketing Daily. "There are things that guys are passionate about and music is one of them."

(The others, he said, are sports and video games -- both platforms that Gillette has been actively involved with in the past.)

Trailers of the series, already running on a dedicated microsite, www.shavelikearockstar.com, feature the musicians talking about the fears and thoughts they have before they go on stage. "My biggest fear is about losing touch," says will.i.am. The comments are interspersed with them walking up to the stage and shots of the crowds.

"All guys show moments of doubt before they do something," Norton says. "If we were going to get an authentic look backstage, we needed to express that."

The films were intentionally created not to look like traditional advertising. Enlisting Clinch, who has filmed documentaries and videos of artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and The Foo Fighters, was key to that approach. "The format we came together with is not a commercial format," Norton says. "[Clinch] is so authentic in the music space that he keeps it very real."

But the program is not all serious. When it goes live later this month, the Shave Like a Rock Star site will also have videos featuring each of the artists giving a tongue-in-cheek shaving tutorial, such as getting the Tim McGraw look, Norton said.

Gillette will promote the series through print ads in Spin magazine as well as through online partnerships with Spin.com, Pandora.com, Last.fm and YouTube.com. In addition, Gillette has partnered with Fuse TV to air the videos on the network sometime in the future, Norton says.