The best a brand can get? How Gillette’s sound can reach higher notes

Thirty-five years ago, Gillette launched its ‘The Best A Man Can Get’ slogan at the 1989 Super Bowl. 

Talking directly to men through an incredibly memorable sonic brand, it was bold, impactful and very 80s – just watching it back makes me yearn for my Sony Walkman and Filofax.

Through simple, razor-sharp lyrics, Gillette found a way to talk to men which felt personal and emotional.

Through simple, razor-sharp lyrics, Gillette found a way to talk to men which felt personal and emotional. It moved from a position of dictating how to ‘be a man’ to one of raising men up. “You’re looking good! You’ve come so far! We know how to make the most of who you are!” 

And they did it with a tune that played in our heads over and over again. 

Above: Tom Grennan was recently charged by Gillette with rerecording the brand's iconic song. 

This was marketing at its finest, and it was incredible to see an FMCG brand investing in sound and music so strategically and so early. With a new cover, sung by young English singer/songwriter Tom Grennan, Gillette is hoping to create that association with new generations. It’s gone back to the original song, positioning itself as knowing and understanding men, and motivating them to ‘be the best.’ But does that sentiment work today?

The best a brand can be 

Choosing Grennan reaches a younger audience using the equity of the classic sound. He’s a talented and popular artist, but I wonder how many people being targeted remember the 90s, or were even born? And those that do remember, do they have any emotional connection with Tom Grennan? There’s no denying ‘The Best A Man Can Get’ remains an iconic piece of sonic branding. But should Gillette have tried something new? 

Gillette had a dilemma: how could it keep its established audience - and iconic sound - while reflecting modern thinking about masculinity in its advertising?  

The tune works as well as it does because it’s on a pentatonic scale, giving it that ‘singable quality’ that means you can’t get it out of your head. However, the longevity of this signature is the result of Gillette’s ability to link it to the attributes of its traditionally male audience. The original ads from the '80s and '90s use synth sounds made popular by films like Top Gun with montages of ‘masculinity’. Cue images of well-shaven men in suits. Wall Street. Sports. You get the idea. 

Add to this the cultural notion of passing down the act of shaving from ‘father to son’, and what Gillette had was a genius and long-lasting marketing strategy. But, as ideas of masculinity have evolved over the last 30 years, and important questions about gender politics are being asked, Gillette had a dilemma: how could it keep its established audience - and iconic sound - while reflecting modern thinking about masculinity in its advertising?  

Above: The original 'Best a Man Can Get' spots from the 80s and 90s were reflecting a different cultural era. 

The best a man can be 

A recent report by cultural transformation agency BBD Perfect Storm shows that men have realised that traditional ideas about success are damaging to their health and wellbeing. Success is meant to make us happy. But success, or what men have been raised to think of as such, is no longer having that effect. 

Traditional images of masculinity aren’t relevant anymore in a more diverse and inclusive media landscape. Those ideas of ‘father and son’ have been challenged, as we accept more non-traditional definitions of family.  Even the way we shave has changed, with beards becoming more fashionable. Gillette, once the market leader in razors, has been massively disrupted by internet-first brands like Harry’s and Manscaped. 

It was a bold swing and, however admirable, received intense criticism on social media.

All this culminated in its controversial 2019 The Best A Man Can Be campaign. In response to the #MeToo movement the ad literally has a young boy smash through the original Gillette ad from 1989, followed by men standing up to other men over perceived toxic behaviours. 

It was a bold swing and, however admirable, received intense criticism on social media. Gillette had been burned for seemingly not tackling the issues around masculinity with enough nuance and upsetting its established audience.