The Best an Ad Can Get?

While on a date night at a sushi restaurant, I noticed a Gillette ad on the TV over my boyfriend’s shoulder that caught my attention. It was a little boy without a hand playing football who grew up to be the linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks, Shaquem Griffin. Later, I searched for the ad again on YouTube since the TV was muted in the restaurant. I am not a huge sports fan so I was unfamiliar with who Shaquem Griffin was, but the story of the commercial intrigued me. Due to the story nature of the Gillette ad, I would say its purpose was more for entertainment and commerce rather than information or service. Through an inspiring story, Gillette wants the consumer to remember their name.

Due to the fact that this ad intrigued me without sound and when I was not previously staring at the screen, I was very engaged with the ad. The videographer purposefully shows the boy pretending to be a football star in the mirror before revealing his disability to the audience. It shows him becoming a man as he learns to shave from his dad, and tirelessly training until he’s picked for the Seattle Seahawks. I genuinely felt inspired. I wouldn’t guess you could play football without a hand since it is crucial to the game, but Shaquem Griffin found a way around it and beat his competition. Gillette portrayed the story in an eye-catching way with brief clips of Shaquem Griffin’s milestones – one even being a real clip from his training years ago.

After looking up the ad again once I got home, I played around on their YouTube channel wondering if all of their commercials had meaningful messages since the Toxic Masculinity Gillette ad is going viral right now. With their motto, “A best a man can get,” most do with this ad pointing out at the end that “the best never comes easy.” These interactions with the brand has earned my respect positively influencing my perception of the brand. I appreciate ads that have messages, stories, and do what no one else is doing like taking a stand on Toxic Masculinity. I discussed the ad with my boyfriend at dinner since he knows of Shaquem Griffin and sent it to a friend after as well. I was going to say I most likely will not interact with Gillette again since I am brand loyal to Venus razors, but with a quick google search just discovered Venus is basically Gillette’s razors for women! So yes! I will be engaging with this brand again (I need to go buy more today actually) and will now look out for more Gillette ads because as a consumer of theirs, I want to know what I’m supporting.