case study part 3

The controversial marketing ad, "we believe: The best men can be," made rounds all over Gillette company's media. The ad intended to support the goals of the "#Me Too movement" campaign and discourage toxic masculinity. Shockwaves created by the controversial ad were far-reaching. Various backlashes were depicted locally in different states, nationally, in the whole of the United States of America (USA), and all over the world. Gillette company is a multinational institution with a famous brand name that contributed significantly to the spread of the somewhat controversial message. As much as the company's intention was purely selfless and intended to discourage toxic masculinity, different perceptions of the message created controversies that led to an uproar in the media and people in different places worldwide.

Media coverage was different in different localities. The New York Times newspaper coverage of the issue was rather neutral. Both sides of the message implied by the ad were addressed and contrasted. The message's implication was not meant to be offensive to any party; instead, the company was striving to reach out to society (Hsu, 2019). The company's move was intended to create a similar reaction to a previous ad, #LikeAgirl, launched by the company to support women. The Washington Post supported the message conveyed by the ad. There was nothing wrong with redefining what is wrong for boys (Honea, 2019). In support of the ad, the message conveyed was meant to open a discussion of what is useful and healthy for young males' development. Unlike most media that criticized the ad for its biasness and irrelevance, this newspaper took a different path in acknowledging the bold step that the ad took in addressing a pertinent issue in society. Similar mixed media coverage was depicted in different countries all over the world.

In the United Kingdom, The Independent newspaper considered the ad constructive in fighting against toxic masculinity and supporting the #Me Too movement. Proponents of the ad and the critics of the ad were both featured. According to the newspaper, the ad was misinterpreted, yet it has good intentions of addressing the social ills that surround the male gender in society (Barr, 2019). In Africa, A South African newspaper, The South African, defended the ad. According to the newspaper, the ad was creative and addressed toxic masculinity (Roux, 2019). The message portrayed by the ad was clear and straightforward. Men's behavior was put on the spot by the ad, and addressing it would require society to check on what young males go through.

Each of the media coverage portrays a different impression of the controversial ad. Some of them support the ad, while others have a contrary opinion to the ad. Most of the media coverage portrayed controversies linked to the ad to have emerged from a misinterpretation of the communicated message's intention. This is one thing that is common to most of the media coverage over the issue, including those criticizing the ad for its biasness. The newspapers sampled different comments from the consumers of the product, and everyone had a different comment. In each of the countries, some consumers commended the company for taking an active role in addressing issues facing society. On the other hand, some disapproved of the ad claiming it was uninformed and biased. The impact of these comments was depicted by a reduction in sales of the company's product and an increase in sales of other competitor brands such as Dollar Shave Club (Hsu, 2019).

The controversies associated with the ad did not cause movements to sprout and campaign against the ad or the company. The mixed reactions from different people could be used to explain the failure of the emergence of these movements. The ad was also designed to support another movement's campaign, the #MeToo movement, making it difficult for other movements to rise against the ad. The #MeToo movement could be on the forefront to rise, but the ad was designed to support its goals. However, this did not prevent some of the feminists within the #MeToo from rising against the ad. The feminists criticized the ad for objectifying women and being insensitive to women's needs (Taylor, 2019). The #MeToo movement is a worldwide movement, and thus these views represent a general worldview perception about the ad. Men's rights activists in the U.S also rose to criticize the ad, claiming that it reflects false suppositions about men. (Irish Times, 2019).

In conclusion, the controversy surrounding the ad resulted in mixed reactions. This has made it difficult for activists' movements to spring upon a united front. Gillette company has also continued promoting the campaigns against toxic masculinity despite the backlashes received from the ad (Honea, 2019). The company has taken the initiative to sponsor any movement that stands with it on the same goal against toxic masculinity.

References Barr, S. (2019, January 17). Gillette Tackles Toxic Masculinity in New Advert for #MeToo era. Retrieved from Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gillette-advert-toxic-masculinity-men-boys-controversy-backlash-boycott-a8728231.html Honea, W. (2019, January 15). Gillette's new ad asks us to redefine 'best' for our boys. What could be wrong with that? Retrieved from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/01/17/gillette-ad-talking-my-son-about-being-best-he-can-be/ Hsu, T. (2019, January 15). Gillette Ad With a #MeToo Edge Attracts Support and Outrage. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/business/gillette-ad-men.html Irishtimes. (2019, January 15). Gillette ad causes uproar with men's rights activists. Retrieved from The Irish Times: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/gillette-ad-causes-uproar-with-men-s-rights-activists-1.3758621 Roux, E. (2019, January 15). Watch: Gillette addresses' toxic masculinity' in new ad [video]. Retrieved from The South African: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/videos/gillette-toxic-masculinity/ Taylor, C. (2019, January 15). Why Gillette's New Ad Campaign Is Toxic. Retrieved from Forbes:https://www.forbes.com/sites/charlesrtaylor/2019/01/15/why-gillettes-new-ad-campaign-is-toxic/#339ce29f5bc9