Gillette Razor Ad: Tank Testing Took A Lot Out, Shaving Romance ! from 1930's

Description

This is an
Gillette Razor Ad
.
Hard to Find Early Pages!
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This
was cut from the original newspaper Sunday comics section of
1930's -1950's.
Size
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Gillette
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gillette
Product type
Safety razors
Owner
Procter & Gamble
Country
Boston, Massachusetts
, U.S.
Introduced
September 28, 1901
; 115 years ago
[1]
Markets
Worldwide
Previous owners
The Gillette Company
Tagline
"The Best a Man Can Get"
Website
www
.gillette
.com
The logo of Gillette used from 1989 to 2008.
Gillette
is a
brand
of men's
safety razors
and other
personal care
products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation
Procter & Gamble
(P&G).
Based in
Boston
,
Massachusetts
,
United States
, it was owned by
The Gillette Company
, a supplier of products under various brands until that company merged into P&G in 2005. The Gillette Company was founded by
King C. Gillette
in 1901 as a safety razor
manufacturer
.
[2]
Under the leadership of Colman M. Mockler Jr. as CEO from 1975–91, the company was the target of three
takeover
attempts, from
Ronald Perelman
and Coniston Partners.
[3]
On October 1, 2005, Procter & Gamble finalized its merger with the Gillette Company.
The Gillette Company's assets were incorporated into a P&G unit known internally as "Global Gillette". In July 2007, Global Gillette was dissolved and incorporated into Procter & Gamble's other two main divisions, Procter & Gamble Beauty and Procter & Gamble Household Care. Gillette's brands and products were divided between the two accordingly. The Gillette R&D center in Boston, Massachusetts as, and the Gillette South Boston Manufacturing Center (known as "Gillette World Shaving Headquarters"), still exist as functional working locations under the Procter & Gamble-owned Gillette brand name.
[4]
Gillette's subsidiaries
Braun
and
Oral-B
, among others, have also been retained by P&G.
In some languages, the brand has become the
genericized trademark
for all razor blades, for example in
Czech
(
žiletka
),
Estonian
(
žilett
),
Latvian
(
žilete
),
Macedonian
(
žilét
),
Polish
(
żyletka
), and
Serbo-Croatian
(
žilet
).
Contents
[
hide
]
1
Product history
1.1
Double-edged safety razors
1.2
Discontinued products
1.3
Current products
2
Criticism
3
Net worth
4
Promotions
5
In popular culture
6
Canadian headquarters
7
References
8
Further reading
9
External links
Product history
See also:
King Camp Gillette
Double-edged safety razors
Gillette Razor and Packaging, Circa 1930's
The first
safety razor
using the new
disposable
blade went on sale in 1903.
[4]
Gillette maintained a limited range of models of this new type razor until 1921 when the original Gillette patent expired. In anticipation of the event, Gillette introduced a redesigned razor and offered it at a variety of prices in different cases and finishes, including the long running “aristocrat". Gillette continued to sell the original razor but instead of pricing it at , it was priced at , making a Gillette razor truly affordable to every man regardless of economic class. In 1932 the Gillette Blue Blade, so-named because it was dipped in blue lacquer, was introduced. It became one of the most recognizable blades in the world. In 1934 the "Twist to Open" (TTO) design, was intuitionistic. It featured butterfly-like doors that made blade changing much easier than it had been, wherein the razor head had to be detached from the handle.
Razor handles continued to advance to allow consumer to achieve a closer shave. In 1947, the new "Super Speed" model, also a TTO design, was introduced. This was updated in 1955, with different versions being produced to shave more closely—the degree of closeness being marked by the color of the handle tip.
In 1955, the first "adjustable" razor was produced. This allowed for an adjustment of the blade to increase the closeness of the shave. The model, in various versions, remained in production until 1988.
[5]
"Old type" Gillette safety razor set, made between 1921 and 1928
The Super Speed razor was again redesigned in 1966 and given a black resin coated metal handle. It remained in production until 1988. A companion model, "The Knack", with a longer plastic handle, was produced from 1966 to 1975. In Europe, the Knack was sold as "Slim Twist" and "G2000" from 1978 to 1988, a later version known as "G1000" was made in England and available until 1998. A modern version of the Tech, with a plastic thin handle, is still produced and sold in several countries under the names 7 O'clock, Gillette, Nacet, Minora, Rubie and Economica.
Discontinued products
Techmatic
was a single blade razor introduced in the mid-1960s. It featured a disposable cartridge with a razor band which was advanced by means of a lever. This exposed an unused portion the band and was the equivalent of five blades.
Adjustable Techmatic
was a version of the Techmatic dating from 1970. The adjustable version featured user-selection of shave closeness on the cartridge. The adjustable version was interchangeable with the non-adjustable version. Both versions of the Techmatic and their cartridges have been discontinued.
Trac II
was the world's first two-blade razor, debuting in 1971. Gillette claimed that the second blade cut the number of strokes required and reduced facial irritation.
Trac II Plus
was an identical model but adds a lubricating strip at the top of the blade. The blades and handles were interchangeable.
The European versions of the Trac II and Trac II Plus were known as the
GII
and
GII Plus
respectively.
Atra
(known as the
Contour
,
Slalom
,
Vector
in some markets) was introduced in 1977 and was the first razor to feature a pivoting head, which Gillette claimed made it easier for men to shave their necks.
Atra Plus
featured a lubricating strip, dubbed
Lubra-Soft
.
Current products
Good News!
is a currently produced first disposable, double-blade razor, released in 1976.
The Good News! comes in three forms: the "Original", the "Good News! Plus", which includes a lubricating strip, and the "Good News! Pivot Plus", which features a lubricating strip and a pivoting head.
Gillette Sensor
debuted in 1990, and was the first razor to have spring-loaded blades. Gillette claimed that the blades receded into the cartridge head, when they make contact with skin, helping to prevent cuts and allowing for a closer shave.
Gillette Blue II Razor, Circa 2007
The
Sensor for Women
was released around the same time and was nearly identical, but had a wider cartridge head.
Sensor Excel
was released in 1993. This featured "Microfins", a piece of rubber with slits at the bottom of the cartridge and Gillette claimed this helped to raise facial hairs, making for a closer shave.
Sensor 3
had three blades instead of two. All Sensor handles can use all Sensor cartridges.
Blue II
is a line of disposable razors. In
Latin America
, it was marketed as the
Prestobarba
.
Blue 3
is a line of three-blade razors, cheaper version of Sensor 3 (Sensor compatible). It's only available also in disposable variant.
Custom Plus
is a series of disposable razors
The Custom Plus comes in many varieties: the "Fixed Disposable razor", the "Pivot Disposable razor", the "Custom Plus 3 Sensitive Disposable", and the "Custom Plus 3 Soothing Disposable".
Mach 3
- the first three-blade razor, introduced in 1998, which Gillette claims reduces irritation and requires fewer strokes.
The Mach 3 featured five improved microfins and spring blades, a pivoting head with greater flexibility and a blue lubrication strip that faded with usage to encourage users to change their blades more frequently.
Mach 3 disposable
- the Mach 3 with a plastic handle.
Mach 3 Turbo
- this razor was released in late 2001. It had ten microfins as opposed to the five on the original, a new grip and claims improved lubrication and "anti-friction" blades.
All Mach 3 blades are interchangeable between the three products in the range, so it is possible to use the Mach3 Turbo blades on a Mach3 razor.
Mach 3 Turbo Champion
has a slightly different handle design.
Gillette Mach 3 Razor, Circa 2015
Mach 3 Power
is a battery-powered version of the Mach3 Turbo razor which can also be used with the power switched off. The blades differ from Mach 3 Turbo with a new coating which Gillette describes as "PowerGlide".
Mach 3 Sensitive
was awarded a 2012
Best New Product Award
after being voted 'Best in Show' in the program's awards in Mexico.
[
citation needed
]
The lubrication and microfins are identical to Mach3Turbo. The
Mach3 Power Nitro
has a slightly different handle design.
Venus
is a version of the Mach3 for women. Mach3 blades can attach to a Venus handle and vice versa.
Venus Divine
is a version of the Mach3 Turbo for women.
Venus Vibrance
is a version of the M3Power for women. Venus blades are interchangeable across the line.
Venus Embrace
is a five-bladed razor with a ribbon of moisture surrounding the blades.
Venus Breeze
is a three-blade razor with shave gel bars built into the head of the razor.
Another version of the Breeze, the
Venus Spa Breeze
, is essentially the same as the Breeze, but with a white tea scent to the shave gel bars.
[6]
Venus ProSkin Moisture Rich
, launched in January 2011 in the United States, is an updated version of the Breeze, featuring Moisture Rich shave-gel bars that are enhanced with a triple blend of body butters.
[7]
Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power
Gillette Fusion
is a five-bladed razor released in 2006. The Fusion has five blades on the front, and a single sixth blade on the rear for precision trimming. Its marketing campaign was fronted by the sports stars Roger Federer, Thierry Henry and Tiger Woods.
Gillette Fusion Power
is a motorized version of the Fusion. The Fusion Power is battery-powered and emits "micropulses" that are claimed to increase razor glide.
[8]
Fusion Power Phantom
- the Fusion Power Phantom (Stealth in UK) was released in February 2007 and features a redesigned handle with a darker color scheme than the original.
[
citation needed
]
Fusion Power Phenom
was released in February 2008. It has a blue and silver color scheme.
[9]
Fusion ProGlide
and
Fusion ProGlide Power
were launched on June 6, 2010, in North America.
The ProGlide series feature re-engineered blades with edges that are thinner than Fusion and are finished with low-resistance coating which the company claims allow the blades to glide more easily through hair.
[10]
Fusion Proshield Flexball
released in November 2015: the blades have lubrication before and after the blade so that it protects the skin while shaving.
Fusion Power Gamer
(known as "Cool White" in some markets)
Fusion ProGlide FlexBall
released in June 2014
The ProGlide FlexBall has a handle allows the razor cartridge to pivot. Gillette claims that it means 20% fewer missed hairs, the ability to cut hairs 23 microns shorter, and 23% increased skin contact.
Criticism
The desire to release ever more expensive products, each claiming to be the
best ever
, has led Gillette to make disputed claims for its products. In 2005, an
injunction
was brought by rival
Wilkinson Sword
which was granted by the
Connecticut District Court
which determined that Gillette's claims were both "unsubstantiated and inaccurate" and that the
product demonstrations
in Gillette's advertising were "greatly exaggerated" and "literally false". While advertising in the United States had to be rewritten, the court's ruling does not apply in other countries.
[11]
Procter & Gamble
(P&G) shaving products have been under investigation by the UK
Office of Fair Trading
as part of an inquiry into alleged collusion between manufacturers and retailers in setting prices. According to the
Daily Mail
newspaper, an industry insider claimed that the Fusion range of blades cost only £0.05 each to manufacture, yet sold for up to £2.43: a mark-up price of more than 4,750%.
[12]
Gillette was fined by
Autorité de la concurrence
in France in 2016 for price-fixing on personal hygiene products.
[13]
Net worth
In 1999, Gillette, as a company, was worth US billion, and it was estimated that the
brand value
of Gillette was worth US billion. This equated to 37% of the company's value, which was the same as
DaimlerChrysler
, one of the world's largest car manufacturers at the time.
[14]
Gillette Advertisement Flyer, Circa 1953
Promotions
Gillette has a long history of promotions for its products, especially towards young men. Current promotions include sponsorship of sports events such as
Major League Baseball
(since the 1940s, when it was the only sponsor for
World Series
television broadcasts) and the
England national rugby league team
, along with the
Rugby League Four Nations
. Gillette ships a razor to males in the United States around the time of their 18th birthday; as of 2010 Gillette has been sending the Fusion ProGlide. Athletes such as
Roger Federer
,
Tiger Woods
,
Shoaib Malik
,
Derek Jeter
,
Thierry Henry
,
Kenan Sofuoglu
,
Park Ji-Sung
,
Rahul Dravid
, and
Michael Clarke
are sponsored by the company.
[15]
There were calls to boycott Gillette products given their association with
Thierry Henry
, after a handball by Henry went undetected by referees and allowed France to knock Ireland out of
qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
. Marketing experts have highlighted "the curse of Gillette", given the mishaps that happen to sports stars associated with the brand.
[16]
In popular culture
Saturday Night Live
featured a triple-blade razor in 1975, 23 years before the Mach3, with the slogan "The Triple-Trac. Because you'll believe anything". Not to be outdone, satirical newspaper
The Onion
printed a mock-commentary by Gillette's president after Wilkinson/Schick introduced their Quattro razor in 2004, three years before the Fusion was introduced, entitled
**** Everything, We're Doing Five Blades
.
[17]
Mad TV
also featured a parody poking fun at Gillette's Mach3 line of products. Mad TV called the product the "Spishak Mach 20".
Gillette continues to hold the naming rights to
Gillette Stadium
, which is home to the
NFL
five-time
Super Bowl
champions
New England Patriots
and the
MLS
New England Revolution
.
Eh Joe
(1965), an avant-garde screenplay for television penned by the minimalist writer
Samuel Beckett
, references Gillette razors several times in its script.
The
James Bond
film
Goldfinger
features a Gillette Slim 195 Adjustable twist to open (TTO) razor which contains the homing device Bond used while aboard the title character's private jet.
British comedian Michael McIntyre made jokes parodying the brand's adverts during his
Mock The Week
appearance, saying: "Our closest shave yet. In fact, it's too close. It acts like a bacon slicer. Go back to using the previous one."
In
laser
research and development, a "Gillette" is a
non-standard measurement
used as a rough estimate of a particular device's penetrative ability; a "four-Gillette laser", for example, can burn through four Gillette safety razor blades.
[18]
Canadian headquarters
Until the late 1980s, Gillette Canada's headquarters were in the
Montreal
suburb of
Mont-Royal, Quebec
until they moved west to another Montreal suburb in
Kirkland
. The Kirkland offices were closed in 1999 and Gillette Canada moved to
Mississauga, Ontario
, a
Toronto
suburb following the Gillette acquisition of
Duracell
. The Mississauga offices were closed in 2005-06 after
Procter & Gamble
acquired Gillette, and Gillette's Canadian headquarters are located in downtown Toronto with parent Procter & Gamble on Yonge St.
*
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