Gillette - Knobhead Marketers?
Gillette ups the ante, unveils 5-blade razor - U.S. Business - MSNBC.com
Seth reminds me of a story i've been meaning to post all week, I think you'll find it most fitting for a Friday afternoon. Gillette just went to FIVE blades* to beat a rivals 4 blade razor. Wankers, clearly.
The Onion did a piece over a year ago predicting this, and it's well worth the read, right to the end: Fuck Everything, We're Doing Five Blades
Would someone tell me how this happened? We were the fucking vanguard of shaving in this country. The Gillette Mach3 was the razor to own. Then the other guy came out with a three-blade razor. Were we scared? Hell, no. Because we hit back with a little thing called the Mach3Turbo. That's three blades and an aloe strip. For moisture. But you know what happened next? Shut up, I'm telling you what happened—the bastards went to four blades. Now we're standing around with our cocks in our hands, selling three blades and a strip. Moisture or no, suddenly we're the chumps. Well, fuck it. We're going to five blades.
It's hysterical, probably because it's so spot on. It's a shame Seth only decided to "sigh" on this, i'd love to have read his take - some suggestion on what they could/should have done rather than get childish about it.
Really, it makes you a little embarrassed for them doesn't it?
* I've no idea why, but that msnbc link is making FF go NUTS! It's hogging all my memory (1gb) and forcing me to shut down the browser - be warned...
spinal tap
this one goes to 11
hahah! Perfect :)
hahah!
Perfect :)
Saturday Night Live foresaw this in 1975...
Saturday Night Live foresaw this ins 1975 or thereabouts. They used to do mock television commercials, and one of them was for a three-blade razor (at the time, there were only two-blade razors). The tagline for the commercial was, "Because you'll believe anything."
SNL
If my memory serves my right I think Will Ferrell did one of those fake SNL commercials for a Mach 12 a few years back as well.
I got a Mach 3 sample from
I got a Mach 3 sample from my local drugstore when they were introduced. Felt like I was shaving with a ping pong paddle.
Now five blades? A blurb on the announcement in the (I think) NY Times said something along the lines of "How much of a better shave can a man possibly want?"
And the turbocharged version? Sure, the first thing I'm going to do each day is put a five-bladed electric knife in my hand and hold it next to my face!
I use the 3 blade electric
I use the 3 blade electric jim and have not cut my self once. Admittedly i never cut myself shaving, im not heavily bearded but...
I agree on the paddle thing though eh? It's already a little cumbersome to do your upper lip, make that thing and thicker and we'll all have moustaches!
2,3,4 and 5 blades? But
2,3,4 and 5 blades? But still won't shave any closer, just more often...
3 for me
I use the 3 blade electric one too. The thing that gets to me is how often I have to buy blades, and how bloody expensive they are!
Cheap blades
I use the 3 blade electric one too...
Yup, hear that! The other day I decided to buy the cheaper non-electric blades to see if they worked with the electric version. I've nicked myself once or twice but on the whole, so far, so good.
The equivalent to a pint of Stella less in price too :)
Gillette blades...
Are also apparently the most stolen item in the UK!
I just showed that Onion article to someone and he said:
"That onion article is just about the funniest thing ive read from a company president. In fact thats made my day."
I don't think he's ever seen The Onion website before!
Striped up
Are also apparently the most stolen item in the UK!
Can't say Im surprised at all.
Considering the prices are close to daylight robbery strikes me as kind of ironic really, poetic justice even.
>>Are also apparently the
>Are also apparently the most stolen item in the UK!
US too. Razor blades are like gold.
I gave up on razors (half the time I couldn't buy blades because they had all been stolen) I bought a Norellco electric shaver on Amazon and I'll probably have to change the blades on it once a year which means I'm saving lots of money.
Beards
Beards are the answer. I have a Braun electric (cheapest one they make) and I only need to use it on the spots I don't want covered with fur. And considering what I do for a living doesn't involve leaving my house very often, I don't even have to do the little touch-ups on most days.