A while back I thought we should boycott all Procter and Gamble products and not just Gillette. Another member thought we should just focus on Gillette. I disagreed. But focusing just on Gillette is certainly a valid option, so I did not argue any further. But, a couple of Old Spice ads have encouraged me to argue it now.
Here are the two ads:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9CT_Ffo9GQ
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/Iyz5/old-spice-closet
Of course, these ads are not as bad as the Gillette ad. But they are still bad. They highlight the old sexist axiom that “what is hers is hers and what is his is also hers.”
Bottom line: P&G has learned nothing. I think men should constantly let P&G know how ticked off we are at P&G and its ads. Otherwise, the male bashing and pandering to women will continue. Women purchase most products, probably even most men’s products—women buying for their husbands and sons. I suspect that even the offensive Gillette ad was aimed at women. Women seem to like the male bashing and maybe advertisers think that this will increase their sales. (Thank goodness, it looks like a lot of men refused to buy Gillette and the boycott has hurt P&G.)
Another way to see advertisers’ focus on women is to look at gender-specific product ads. Most ads for men’s products include women in the ads, e.g. this old viagra ad— https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIfls7Inh4. But ads for women’s products almost never have men in the ads. Advertisers are always pandering to women.
So for those of you who would like to nag P&G, here is how to email them:
Go to https://us.pg.com/contact-us/
Select “Brands and Products”
Select “P&G” “Old Spice” “Gillette” or whatever
Select Email
For those of you with multiple email accounts, I would recommend complaining every few weeks under a different email account each time. Make it plain that you will not buy Gillette, Old Spice, or any P&G products, even if this is an idle threat. Maybe this will make them think twice before more male-bashing or discounting of men. Maybe.
For those of you who switched from Gillette to Dollar Shave Club for your razors, their recent ad may remind you of “what is his is also hers.” You may consider switching brands again. Please let them know your anger also.
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/ZPHP/dollar-shave-club-our-razors-are-borrowed-for-a-reason
I realize that most all advertisers make fun of, bash, ignore, or disregard men. We can’t boycott them all. But I believe we should complain to, and at least threaten to boycott as many offenders as we can. And we should boycott the biggest offenders. Maybe our grandsons will get some respect.
