https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead In January 2019, Gillette began a new advertising campaign, seemingly contrasting their previous thirty-year-long slogan. Turning "The Best A Man Can Get" into "The Best Men Can Be", the ad featured no shaving unlike in past Gillette commercials; it instead was an attempt at combatting "toxic masculinity" and showcased scenes of various unacceptable activities such as boys fighting and men sexualizing women, and other men stepping in to stop the behaviour. What was intended to be a message to encourage men to stop poor behaviour of other men quickly turned into intense backlash on social media, mostly by men themselves, with many claiming it lumped all men - good and bad - together as one. Not everyone disagrees with the ad, however, causing an internet-wide discussion. en-us 2019-03-18 21:49:45 UTC 2024-05-23 13:25:36 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Balance.png eric_e_smith90 https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344034465 Nathan Gallagher is a student writing for the Queens Journal out of Queen's University. In this opinion-based blog post, Nathan shares his thoughts regarding the backlash against the Gillette ad, arguing that there's too much negativity. He sides with Gillette, addressing its main focus as an attempt to inspire men and bring positivity. He also argues that Gillette put out the ad during the #MeToo era purposely, knowing how debated of a topic it is and that it would generate buzz for their company.

This social media element is an excellent example of a male figure going against the majority and siding with the controversial ad, adding his own personal commentary on not only the hate, but his interpretation of the ad as well. He also brings up things not often discussed about the ad, such as the timing of its release and how it may be beneficial to the company.  ]]> 2019-03-21 23:20:44 UTC https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344034465 eric_e_smith90 https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344038583 A Twitter user under the handle @oldcheapwine weighs in her opinion on the male-driven negativity surrounding the Gillette ad in this tweet. Claiming that the men offended by the ad are actually those the ad is about, @oldcheapwine takes a bold approach calling out a large crowd of individuals. Nonetheless, she still managed to rack up just under 10,000 likes as of this writing, adding that innocent men shouldn't have an issue with an overall positive message.

This is a helpful social media element as it sees the perspective of a common Twitter user (ie. not a celebrity) as she fearlessly confronts angry men on a social media platform easily susceptible to cyberbullying and verbal attacks. It demonstrates the ad's relevance, showing that it gained enough recognition to encourage regular people to speak their risky but most honest thoughts to continue the ongoing conversation.  ]]> 2019-03-21 23:52:53 UTC https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344038583 eric_e_smith90 https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344041912 Piers Morgan, an old-fashioned, opinionated TV personality hops on Twitter to share his displeasure with the controversial Gillette ad in this tweet. After claiming to be a lifelong user of Gillette's products, Morgan then threatens to switch brands and insults Gillette's overall objective. Morgan's opinion is that the ad only aims to insult the male population, which he claims is a worldwide trend. He ends his tweet by pleading for the exact phrase the ad looks to abandon: "Let men be damn men".

This social media element is a clear example of the most common opinion among the male population surrounding the new ad; that the ad attacks every man. Likewise to others angered by the ad, Piers Morgan displays offence over the ad and contributes to the online negativity. Most importantly, as Piers Morgan is a well-known writer and public figure, others are likely to adapt the same opinion only for this reason, potentially creating hate that otherwise wouldn't exist.]]> 2019-03-22 00:14:39 UTC https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344041912 eric_e_smith90 https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344045603 A Reddit user by the username "u/spiCCy_boii" writes to a subpage titled "Change My View", sharing his opinion about the ad and challenging others to prove him wrong on this Reddit post. This user argues the opposite of those opposed to the ad, arguing that the ad's stance on masculinity is actually positive, and that neither those for nor against the ad actually see it correctly. He claims that the ad instead demonstrates positive masculinity, encouraging decent men to solve the issue the ad highlights.

This is a good social media element because this poster takes a different stance from all the rest. He opens up an opportunity for conversation about something not commonly considered, furthering the discussion. Most importantly, he doesn't seem to blatantly support nor oppose the ad, but rather looks to open eyes and shows true analysis of the ad.   ]]> 2019-03-22 00:40:26 UTC https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344045603 eric_e_smith90 https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344048526 An image posted to Instagram by a user under the handle @fourthwaveapparel shows an unofficial statistic that reveals Gillette sales rising since the ad's debut due to an overwhelming female consumer base. According to the post, a vast majority of household shoppers are women, which is causing the increase in Gillette product purchases - implying that the ad appeals mostly to women. In the caption, @fourthwaveapparel calls out the threateners of a Gillette boycott and asks men to redefine masculinity.

This is a rather interesting social media element because, whether or not the statistic is true, it raises a good point; Gillette also offers female products, and since the ad seemed to strike positive among females, Gillette sales are likely to rise despite the male dissatisfaction. This Instagram user is opening a new discussion and asks men to put aside their disagreement with the ad.  ]]> 2019-03-22 01:00:08 UTC https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344048526 eric_e_smith90 https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344061601 Rebecca Reid, a British actress, calls out men for complaining about a "negative" ad targeting them and compares their situation to the daily experience of a woman. According to Reid, women are faced with negative ads everyday from commercials targeting everything from makeup to weight loss. Reid doesn't deny the negative accusations of the ad claimed by men, but instead attempts to make men feel better about the ad by claiming that ads directed towards women are worse because they attack their personal physical features.

This social media element is a great example of a woman's perspective on advertisements by connecting it to the Gillette ad. It demonstrates that the ad is relevant even if it doesn't pertain to the targeted audience because other people are still able to make their own connections. Most importantly, this element opens up a new conversation about the ad not considered before.]]> 2019-03-22 02:26:23 UTC https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344061601 eric_e_smith90 https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344064154 A four-strip cartoon comic posted by an Instagram user under the handle @frankensteinsuperstar accurately summarizes both main sides to the Gillette ad controversy. In the comic, a personified cat takes the side of those against the ad by claiming it is responsible for the negative stigma placed on men, while a man claims that the ad is not the cause. The cat goes on to criticize the man by using female adjectives while the man supports the ad by explaining that he's been subjected to toxic masculinity all his life.

This is a really effective social media element because it demonstrates that the ad is so effective it inspired an artist to create a comic about it. Further to that, it explains both sides of the argument in one post and gives the reader accurate information about the controversy surrounding it.]]> 2019-03-22 02:42:12 UTC https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344064154 eric_e_smith90 https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344066110 A YouTube video posted to Inside Edition's YouTube channel quickly but effectively breaks down the controversy surrounding the Gillette ad in a minute and a half. A narrator summarizes the short ad while b-side clips of various opinions are shown in the video as well. The video compares and contrasts both sides while acknowledging the overwhelming negative response.

The video's extra clips are what makes this social media element so effective; it shows men taking their stand on either side of the argument, and also shows women that don't necessarily agree with the ad either. A short clip near the end of the video shows the women on The View disagreeing with each other, with one woman questing whether this message needed to be said by a shaving company. This element is effective because it does what none of the others are doing; demonstrating a disagreement of the ad among women.]]> 2019-03-22 02:59:18 UTC https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344066110 eric_e_smith90 https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344068377 Philip DeFranco, a popular YouTube personality, uploaded a four-minute video to his Facebook page where he broke down the controversy of the Gillette ad and also gave his own opinion. DeFranco believes that although the ad may come off as trying to preach, he doesn't believe it should be as debatable as it is. His opinion of the ad is that unless a man commits the negative activity the ad is trying to prevent, it shouldn't offend them.

This social media element is effective because it maturely analyzes the ad, takes from it a viewpoint that is neither obviously an agreement nor a disagreement, and maturely tries to get men not involved in these toxic activities to calm down. It is structured in a way that does not put down either side of the argument, provides a fair opinion, and contributes to further conversation by inviting it in the comments at the end of the video.  ]]> 2019-03-22 03:15:54 UTC https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344068377 eric_e_smith90 https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344072066 Kirsten Powers, a news analyst for CNN, writes an opinion piece on the Gillette ad controversy on this blog post on USA Today. Powers' opinion is that the negative reaction among men is the exact reason why the ad's message is so necessary. In other words, she thinks that men's reaction to the ad simply proves that toxic masculinity does indeed exist.

This social media element is very effective because it raises a very good argument; if men were not prone to this kind of reaction, perhaps this ad wouldn't have been necessary. This element takes the very purpose of the ad and applies it to something as simple as a negative reaction. Most importantly, it challenges men to stop and think about the reason as to why they're so upset, and implies that they are perhaps the reason the ad was made.]]> 2019-03-22 03:47:39 UTC https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344072066 eric_e_smith90 https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344079746 2019-03-22 05:15:30 UTC https://padlet.com/eric_e_smith90/gillettead/wish/344079746