by Annie Heckenberger

Last week, P & G-owned razor brand Gillette released an ad that updated their longtime positioning and tagline, “the best a man can get.” The spot brings that tagline to life by first highlighting negative male behaviors in the world today, and then pivoting to encourage positive change among men. As people often do these days, viewers had loud feelings about it, joining a nationwide debate over “toxic masculinity.”

A spot like this was probably meant to provoke debate. Thirty years after Gillette’s initial tagline debuted in the 1989 Super Bowl, the business of shaving has changed, and so has advertising.

Today, we see many brands working to ladder up to “purpose.” And there is something to that. A business should have a purpose, a truth reflecting core values or a belief system that resonates with both the organization and its target audiences. Authentically defined, purpose can act as a true north for a corporation and guide its response to events in the world in ways that differentiate a brand from its competitors.

But there’s a catch: The creative execution must be flawless.

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