P&G Stock Price is down big time, heads need to roll

Gillette’s ads to feature firefighters after ‘toxic masculinity’ backlash

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Dr. Eowyn 

Early this year, Proctor & Gamble’s Gillette joined “woke” corporations like JC Penney and Dick’s Sporting Goods (whose CEO Ed Stack said he’s okay with Dick’s $150M loss from the company’s gun control policy) in mixing “progressive” politics with business:

• In January 2019, Gillette launched the #MeToo “The Best Men Can Be” ad campaign against “toxic masculinity,” portraying boys and men as prone to bullying, violence, and sexual harassment — all of which have nothing to do with shaving.
• In April 2019, Gillette launched the Venus campaign promoting obese women and so-called transgenders. (Note: Unlike other physicians and psychologists, the American College of Pediatricians speaks the truth — that transgenderism is a psychological disorder with no basis in biology.)
• In May 2019, Gillette doubled down on its promotion of “transgenders” with an ad of a dad teaching his “transgender” son how to shave.

Gillette’s ads prompted many men, including some here on FOTM, declaring they will no longer buy Gillette shavers.

To no one’s surprise except Gillette’s management, Procter & Gamble (P&G) reported a net loss of about $5.24 billion for the quarter that ended on June 30, 2019, due to an $8 billion non-cash “writedown” of Gillette — an accounting term for the reduction in the book value of Gillette’s assets whose fair market value has fallen below the book value, and thus become an impaired asset.

See “P&G’s Gillette lost $8 billion in market value since ‘toxic males’ ad campaigns promoting transgenders”

Well, unlike Dick’s Sporting Goods, P&G does appear to care about dollars and profits.

On August 21, 2019, Frank Chung, the finance editor of Australia’s News.com.au, tweeted that “Gillette is ‘shifting the spotlight from social issues’ after ‘toxic masculinity’ backlash.”

Douglas Ernst further reports for The Washington Times, August 22, 2019, that Manu Airan, associate brand director for Gillette Australia and New Zealand, told News.Com.Au about its latest efforts to “authentically connect” with consumers by “shifting” the company’s focus “from social issues to local heroes” like firefighters and personal trainers. Airan said:

“We have a very clear strategy when it comes to how we authentically connect with our consumers. We will continue to talk about what is important to Gillette and that is representing men at their best and helping men do their best. That is not changing. We will continue to do that and demonstrate it in different ways.”

Mr. Airan was coy when asked about future ads on #MeToo-related issues, “We will continue to represent men at their best. This is our purpose and has been our purpose consistently for 118 years and that is not changing.”

~Eowyn