The economic downturn has already hit the sales performance of many beauty and personal care companies and those operating in the middle market have been worst affected.
To preempt slowing sales Gillette has employed NASCAR star Carl Edwards to front adverts that deliver a value for money message.
Only $1 a week money saving claim
The cornerstone of the campaign is the claim that men only need spend $1 a week on Gillette Fusion blades.
Drawn from data on average national retail price and consumer consumption of refill cartridges, this figure, Gillette tells us, is less than most men spend on a cup of coffee every morning.
With shots of the Gillette Fusion razor and the sound of revving engines in the background, the ad asks “in the world of high performance, what machine can you run for as low as $1 a week?”
Edwards then moves in to tell viewers that at $1 a week Gillette Fusion blades are “money well spent”.
Billion dollar brand
Gillette Fusion is a crucial brand in the Gillette stable. According to Procter and Gamble (P&G) CEO A.G Lafley, Gillette Fusion is also an illustration of how the two companies are stronger together than apart.
Since P&G acquired Gillette two years ago Fusion has become the fastest P&G brand to reach one billion dollar sales.
“Gillette Fusion was launched in 2006 and has become P&G's 24th billion-dollar brand amid the largest acquisition in the history of the consumer goods industry,” said P&G’s chief financial officer Clayton C. Daley.