Gillette Mach3's Shaveathon brings 'smartness' into the open

As part of the Gillette Mach3 Shave India Movement, close to 2000 men gathered to shave outdoors - and enter the record books

What would your reaction be if you saw some 2000 men coming together to do something they did everyday within the confines of their bathrooms? We're talking about shaving. As part of the Gillette Mach3 Shave India Movement, these 2000 men shaved their faces in public, using the new Gillette Mach3 razor.

And by participating in the Shaveathon, the men also created India's first shaving record in the Limca Book of Records - for the most number of men shaving in a day at the same place. Bollywood actresses Neha Dhupia and Mugdha Godse were also present at the event, lending their support to the Shaveathon participants.

Gillette Mach3's Shaveathon brings 'smartness' into the open

The movement, ideated by BBDO India and held on December 14 in Mumbai's Chitrakoot Grounds, was conceptualized on the basis of a survey conducted across the cities of Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Patna by Gillette, in association with The Nielsen Company. Around 1000 men and women in the age group of 15-45 years, belonging to SEC AB, were interviewed to gauge the preference for the clean-shaven look.

Men were asked whether they liked to shave or not along with the reasons for their choice. Also, they were asked about the feelings they experienced after shaving, and the features they look out for in a razor. The questions thrown at women included the kind of personality they associated with the clean-shaven look, celebrity associations with different looks and whether the choice of razor their men use matters.

The survey revealed that 86 per cent men and 90 per cent women prefer the clean-shaven look, clearly indicating the preference over the stubble look.

Speaking about the event, Sharat Verma, marketing manager, Gillette India, says, "Today is truly an exciting moment for Gillette Mach3 and the Shave India Movement to create India's first shaving world-record. Helping men look, feel and be their best is the sole motive of Gillette. Studies have proven that clean-shaven men are more confident, which leads to success, and that is what Gillette stands for."

The company chose not to disclose spends on the BTL activity.

Incidentally, at Cannes 2009, Gillette Mach3 won the Peoples Award for its work titled 'India Votes: To shave or not'. In this case, the challenge facing the company was that although Gillette Mach3 was liked as a product, Indian men found shaving to be a chore, and hence did not prefer to buy this product as it is more expensive than regular razors. To tackle this, Gillette, armed with a research done by AC Nielsen, started a national debate on whether clean shaven men were more successful or whether the nation preferred clean shaven celebrities.

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