Changing face of Brand Ambassadors?

Following the topic of brand ambassadorship, Gillette 'the best a man can get, has launched a new promotion campaign for its razor the Gillette Fusion ProGlide. as part of the campaign two college students won the ultimate summer job by winning the rights to promote Gillette (and $25,000!) by travelling around the U.S. to sporting events and public venues and setting up a mobile sink, proceeding to invite male passer by's to 'try' the product. Their stories are then promoted by blogging, tweeting and YouTube(ing).

This has been a first for parent company Proctor & Gamble as it steers away from its usual strict branding guidelines into the unchartered territory of social media. Another big first for them is the use of two normal males to promote their product which is a big diversion from their usual celebrity ambassadors. The reason they stated for it, is that it helps them connect with their target market, especially a more younger, socially aware demographic. It also helps improve the product's credibility as its being promoted by 'ordinary people'. By using social media they are slowly learning to give up control (gasp!), and allow their users (real men) to share their own experiences and create brand meaning. 

While this may be a first for P&G, it sounds strikingly familiar to Dove's campaign for real beauty by their main competitor Unilever, which was launched a few years back. 

While similar, you have to question whether this promotion affects the image Gillette has been building up over the years. They have always promoted their razors  using celebrities who are extremely successful in their chosen sport, and by extensions this success would be transferred to the endorsed product, in the hope that the common man will emulate their 'heroes'. But now using average college students and promoting the product on the street is a radical shift from a position of prestige, class and style to what seems a desperate appeal to the target market to buy the product. The image of the razor has changed from an aspirational one to that of simple functionality, where they are trying to push the product rather than create a demand for it. 

So are now common people the new brand ambassadors? Or is it a reflection of P&G's declining ambassadorship list with Tiger Woods & Thierry Henry no longer promoting Gillette due to their deteriorating public image? Are celebrity ambassadors just to difficult to maintain with the product's image and values?    

More about Gillette's new promotion can be read in Silverstein's article  "Gillette's razor guys", fans turned ambassadors 

The latest Gillette ad now only using Federer can be viewed here Gillette taps Federer's sensitive side 

Speaking of Federer there is a viral video going around of him striking off a bottles of a man's head with a tennis serve? Freaky? yes? Accurate definitely! True? hmm.......

This video was posted by Gillette on YouTube, and while people are questioning its authenticity you have to admit that Federer cannot affect his own brand image by allowing a 'false' trick to run around, especially knowing Gillette's reputation for ditching celebrities with negative images. While certainly a marketing ploy, its motives have to be analysed, maybe its' to prove that Federer, their last clean guy, still has what it takes? Or to increase his brand image and by extension this will rub off on the Gillette brand as well? Will wait and see...

To see the amazing shot check out Federer cheap shot or marketing ploy?