Gillette's new heated 5-blade razor. Available soon for just $160.

[KW Driver]

This part from the article is the most ludicrous part to me:

“Fortunately for Gillette, it knows there's stubbly customers interested in the product. It already ran a sell-out Indiegogo campaign, raising 492% of its goal in October 2018. The team behind it took roughly 24 months to build the device, with the backers likely to receive their razor in February. For the non early adopters like you and I, release date is still TBA.”

They actually got their consumers to pay for the R&D, preserving the profit margin.

A. They have a brilliant marketing department.

B. Consumers can be amazingly stupid.

 

[andromeda673]

Gillette should just come back out with their line of double edge safety razors, and then sit back and watch it unfold. Pretty dumb that they think this will actually sell.

 

[Adam18]

Ya' know what Gents ..... the funniest thing about this is that Gillette will indeed sell millions of these razors,
their profit margins will increase, any 401K mutual fund that owns Gillette stock (and many of them do) will
see a rising value which will help our retirement plans, and we will all still enjoy our sublime wet shaving with
safety razors - DE blades experiences. So no matter what we discuss here in this thread, what Gillette is now
doing is simple Capitalism Economics 101 ---- as was so profoundly stated by Gordon Gecko in the classic
film "Wall Street" ..... GREED IS GOOD ! All of us Gents here on B&B will obviously not buy this razor, and that's
just fine, ..... but for all the countless millions of men out there who do not appreciate this wonderfully happy
wet shaving hobby that we all obviously hold dear, these guys may love this new razor. And, .... good for them !
And the countless numbers of Gillette employees will still have jobs and be able to feed their families, support
their children, and pay their mortgages. So, .... is that a bad thing ? I think not.

Okay, so now I'll get off of my soapbox, and enjoy a delightful evening shave with my Stirling Bay Rum soap,
face lathered with my Yaqi Chianti brush, stubble cleaned smooth with my Timeless Bronze razor and a Feather
blade, and finished off with Lucky Tiger splash and Proraso Blue balm. Yes indeed my friends .... Life is Good !

 

[Carson West]

At least one of you guys must be a PR man for Gillette.

 

[John Rose]

From the FAQ:

Can I use my existing Gillette cartridges on the GilletteLabs Heated Razor?
No. While GilletteLabs cartridge refills are made with the same great blades as in Gillette Fusion ProGlide, the attachment to the handle is designed differently, so current Gillette cartridges will not attach to the GilletteLabs Heated Razor.
​

So, once they decide to discontinue or redesign the cartridges, the $109 USD razor becomes landfill.
I fail to see why they could not just add the heater strip to the handle, allowing you to use existing carts that do not depend on the success of future sales of the razor.

That's the reason why I gave up on Braun electrics. They kept changing the replacement foil and/or blade designs, and my last razor was orphaned after only two years.

 

[Bogeyman]

...That's the reason why I gave up on Braun electrics. They kept changing the replacement foil and/or blade designs, and my last razor was orphaned after only two years.

Perhaps you knew this, but P&G (who owns Gillette) also owns Braun. Just sayin'...…

 

[John Rose]

Perhaps you knew this, but P&G (who owns Gillette) also owns Braun. Just sayin'...…

Hah ... I knew it!

Spoiler

"Kids In the Hall" recurring characters Simon and Hecubus, out of The Pit of Ultimate Darkness.

 

[Adam18]

At least one of you guys must be a PR man for Gillette.

Not me ..... simply a believer in the free enterprise system ! Happy Shaving !

 

[Villalobos]

This could be called a “heated”’discussion

 

[Adam18]

This could be called a “heated”’discussion

And isn't it a lot of fun ?

 

[Esox]

Are you on Kickstarter? Put me down for $5!

There may be liability concerns I'll need to get the legal team on lol.

Fill with hot water. Dip razor. Save $100.

A heated razor is such an absurd idea that my mind reels trying to understand it. My last shave with my Brit Old Type clone I was rinsing it in hot water in my sink and the razor was so warm it got my attention and remained warm, Brass holds heat pretty well, through a full pass.

This type of RD and marketing idea doesnt help my faith in the human species. Imagine if they put this much thought into actually making a good razor instead of thinking up more ways to suck money out of people. Greed will, one day, be the downfall of civilization as we know it. The dumbing down of society is a big step towards that, but I digress .

 

[Carson West]

There may be liability concerns I'll need to get the legal team on lol.


View attachment 942015

Fill with hot water. Dip razor. Save $100.

A heated razor is such an absurd idea that my mind reels trying to understand it. My last shave with my Brit Old Type clone I was rinsing it in hot water in my sink and the razor was so warm it got my attention and remained warm, Brass holds heat pretty well, through a full pass.

This type of RD and marketing idea doesnt help my faith in the human species. Imagine if they put this much thought into actually making a good razor instead of thinking up more ways to suck money out of people. Greed will, one day, be the downfall of civilization as we know it. The dumbing down of society is a big step towards that, but I digress .

+1

 

[Scaramouche]

And then there's The Commercial:

 

[Wolffer Montauk]

And then there's The Commercial:

Gillette is losing global market share.
Even in the US alone, they went down from 70% to 50% in 5 years.
Men generally buy good products in bulk at a cheap price.
Gillette is trying to be the Apple of shaving by constantly releasing "premium" products to survive.
But, alas, even Apple knows that this model fails in the long run unless you enter a new market.
Beards have become popular.
But, more importantly: Men going for online shopping and research will make them obsolete.
This is why they're releasing the SkinGuard along with their subscription model.
I guess this marketing campaign is their attempt to stay relevant and get publicity.
Just you wait: soon enough, someone in Gillette's upper management will be outed for sexual harassment.

 

[Scaramouche]

Gillette is losing global market share.
Even in the US alone, they went down from 70% to 50% in 5 years.
Men generally buy good products in bulk at a cheap price.
Gillette is trying to be the Apple of shaving by constantly releasing "premium" products to survive.
But, alas, even Apple knows that this model fails in the long run unless you enter a new market.
Beards have become popular.
But, more importantly: Men going for online shopping and research will make them obsolete.
This is why they're releasing the SkinGuard along with their subscription model.
I guess this marketing campaign is their attempt to stay relevant and get publicity.
Just you wait: soon enough, someone in Gillette's upper management will be outed for sexual harassment.

About an 80% negative response, by report, from the male persuasion on the planet. I believe that still represents the majority of their professed target market. Probably not the best marketing strategy to insult or patronize - or be perceived as insulting or patronizing - the group to whom you wish to sell things.

 

[Wolffer Montauk]

About an 80% negative response, by report, from the male persuasion on the planet. I believe that still represents the majority of their professed target market. Probably not the best marketing strategy to insult or patronize - or be perceived as insulting or patronizing - the group to whom you wish to sell things.

They could've literally made a commercial that said "REAL MEN DON'T HURT PEOPLE" and people would've said "OK" and left with a positive view of Gillette.
Instead they went with this corny sob story that makes it obvious that they are trying to get in on the political action to score market share.
They failed.
It's this kind of BS that makes people skeptical of today's marketing campaigns.
They must have a marketing department stuck in the 1980s.

 

[Canadian Mountain Man]

They must have a marketing department stuck in the 1980s.

Don't know where they're stuck but I'm certain there's a few of them dusting off their CV's tonight.

Did they learn nothing from Starbuck's "Lets Talk" campaign? No one looks a commodity vendor to be their moral compass.

 

[jaybird210]

Just you wait: soon enough, someone in Gillette's upper management will be outed for sexual harassment.

or God forbid... outed for shaving with a straight razor!!!

 

[Toothpick]

I’ve got a blow dryer...I’ve got a hot water heater. I’ve got a brain.
I just saved myself $140. Until I have to start buying replacement cartridges. Then I’ve taken a 2nd mortgage on the house.

 

[Carson West]

Thanks guys. Now I don't feel so alone.