The Brief

PROBLEM: 400 million Indian men shave with the double edge razor. They are used to nicks and cuts that they get from the DE razor. CHALLENGE: How to convince these men to change their shaving tradition and switch to the modern day Gillette Guard - the razor that promises no nicks or cuts. INSIGHT: Over time you lose a lot of blood when you shave with the double edge razor.

Creative Execution

DE razor users were immune to nicks and cuts. Not only did this make them lose blood, but also made them indifferent towards Gillette Guard, the razor promising the safest shave. Meanwhile, Indian hospitals and blood banks are always facing a dearth of blood. Gillette decided to turn this into a win-win situation. They realised that regular advertising would not stir their disinterested target audience. That's why they created awareness about the importance of blood and how DE users waste it. This direct consumer involvement not only increased number of blood donors, but also the number of Gillette Guard users.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

You don't get nicks and cuts when you shave with Gillette Guard. Please donate the blood you save. Thus was born the 'Shave to Save' program. In association with the Indian Red Cross, Gillette set up blood donation camps. Here, donors were introduced to Gillette Guard – the new way of saving blood. They experienced the Gillette Guard razor first hand. The message spread through word of mouth. Social media does not reach the tier 3 and 4 Indian towns where Gillette operates. Soon blood wasters became blood donors.

Results

The program is travelling and is now being carried out in over 45 small towns of India. wasters are now becoming blood donors.