The Shave India Movement

Gillette famously ignited India’s “Shave or Not” debate in 2008, to raise awareness of the need to shave. The male population had taken that on-board, almost. Although men appreciated the importance of being clean shaven, they reserved making the effort for special occasions.

Gillette wanted to persuade men to stop using traditional double edged razors and switch to the Mach 3 brand, and use it more regularly. Success would depend on positioning Gillette as a ritual grooming tool, instead of being part of an unwelcome chore.

A specially commissioned AC Nielsen survey revealed that 90% of Indian women preferred clean shaven men. This statistic formed the lynchpin of Gillette’s new campaign to convince men that is was important to always be clean shaven, and that when it came to shaving, nothing was better than Gillette Mach 3.

A movement was formed – Women Against Lazy Stubble (WALS). Famous women were enlisted to reinforce the message that women preferred a clean shaven man.

The powerful statistic from the AC Nielsen survey was picked up by the media and kick started the campaign. Gillette announced a competition to find the most clean-shaven man, and leading actresses spread the message that women desired clean shaven men in their home towns. The search for India’s most clean shaven city was on!

Shaveindia.com contained news and information on the WALS movement, and the media tracked the activities of the movement across all platforms. Publications began to carry out their own polls on the subject, and consumers were encouraged to trial Mach 3 in malls and cineplexes. In a record breaking attempt, 2,000 men were persuaded to take part in a “shavethon”.

Enlisting women to communicate the Mach 3 message was an effective way to reach it target market. Mach 3 sales experienced a 5 time increase during the campaign period. The overall Gillette razor franchise volume share reached 58.1%, a new high for the brand. “Shavethon” entered the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest shaving event in history.