Peter Vander Wall uses Gillette's 2019 ad and Harry's transgender stance to show how Jeremy's Razors built a brand by leading with why. The company positioned itself as an alternative for customers who disagreed with those brands' values, proving consumers will choose products aligned with their beliefs.
So here's an example of a business leading with their why. Now, let's zoom out for a second. Back in 2019, Gillette released a pretty woke commercial targeting toxic masculinity. In early 2021, Harry's went woke on trans issues. Now this prompted the creation of a new men's shaving brand called Jeremy's Razors. Jeremy's used the wokeness of Harry's and Gillette as a selling point.
They condemned our views as inexcusable, and they dropped their ads from our network because of what they called values misalignment. You're damn. Our values are misaligned. And it's not just Harry's either. Gillette Razors used to be the best a man could get. Then they decided that men are too toxic.
Instead of giving your money to a brand that goes against your values, why not give your money to a brand that aligns with your values? Now, whatever you think of the politics of it, you have to admit the marketing is pretty genius. People want to feel aligned with the brands that they do business with, and that's not going away anytime soon.
