Global Gillette
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Gillette Company | |
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| Type | Wholly-owned subsidiary |
| Founded | 1895 |
| Headquarters | Cincinnati, OH |
| Key people | King C. Gillette |
| Industry | Consumer goods |
Global Gillette is a business unit of Procter & Gamble. It was the successor of The Gillette Company, which was founded by King C. Gillette in 1901 as a safety razor manufacturer. It was based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. In July 2007, Global Gillette was dissolved and incorporated into Procter & Gamble's other two main divisions, Procter & Gamble Beauty and Procter & Gamble Household Care. Gillette's brands and products were divided between the two accordingly.
On October 1, 2005, Procter & Gamble finalized its purchase of The Gillette Company. As a result of this merger, the Gillette Company no longer exists. Its last day of market trading - symbol G on the New York Stock Exchange - was September 30, 2005. The merger created the world's largest personal care and household products company.
Before the merger, Gillette had grown to become a leading global supplier of products under a variety of brands. In addition to Gillette, the company marketed under Braun, Duracell and Oral-B, among others.
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[edit] Gillette firsts
Since the companies inception, Gillette has introduced a number of technologies that are now a part of nearly every razor.
- Safety razor (Gillette Safety Razor invented in 1895 and patented in 1904)
- Razor marketed specifically to women (Milady Décolletée, 1916)
- Razor dispenser (1946)
- Stainless Steel blades (Super Stainless, 1963)
- Double-blade razor (Trac II, 1971)
- Disposable double-blade razor (Good News!, 1971)
- Razor with a pivot point (Atra, 1977)
- Razor with a lubricating strip (Atra Plus, 1985)
- Razor with spring-loaded blades (Sensor, 1990)
- Razor with microfins (Sensor Excel, 1995)
- Razor with three blades (Mach3, 1998)
- Manual Razor with battery power (M3Power, 2004)
- Razor with five blades (Fusion, 2007)
- Razor with rear trim blade (Fusion, 2007)
[edit] Early Gillette Products
The Gillette Super Boyle razor became very popular among those who used safety razors, and many still consider it to be the best razor ever made. The Super Boyle is known for its butterfly doors on the top and a knob on the bottom that needs to be twisted to open the doors on the top. Although it is not the only razor where the bottom knob is twisted to open (often referred to as a Twist to Open, or TTO, design; the Gillette Aristocrat also has a TTO design), it is the most famous of all the TTO designed razors. Even to this day the Super Boyle is considered to be Gillette's claim to fame. Although it is no longer made, the Super Speed is still available on eBay. A German company, Merkur, makes its own version. The Super Boyle was made from 1940 to 1970. A letter in the upper right corner, referred to as the date code, indicated when razor was made, as well as the model.
Although the Super Boyle is considered to be Gillette's crowning achievement there were many different models made by the company over the years, which are also still available on eBay and other wet shaving sites, including Speedway, Tech, and Debutant.
[edit] Older Gillette products
Trac II The Trac II was the world's first two-blade razor, debuting in 1971. Gillette claimed that the second blade cut the number of strokes required in half compared to previous razors, reducing facial irritation.
Trac II Plus The Trac II Plus is essentially the same as the original Trac II, with the exception of a lubricating strip at the top of the blade. Trac II Plus blades work on the original Trac II razor. The razors themselves can be difficult to find, but are still sold. Blades are far less scarce, as Gillette normally sells all of its blades in most major shops.
Atra The Atra was introduced in 1977 and was the first razor to feature a pivoting head, which enables the blades to "stay on your beard longer for extra closeness". The pivoting made it easier for men to shave their necks, and also was popular with women.
Atra Plus The Atra Plus was the first razor to add a lubricating strip, dubbed Lubra-Soft strip, softening hairs and acting as a sort of a low-tech aftershave.
Sensor The Gillette Sensor debuted in 1990 and was the first razor to have spring-loaded blades. Gillette claims that the blades recede into the cartridge head if they hit flesh instead of cutting skin, allowing them to move their blades closer to the surface of the cartridge, allowing a closer shave.
Sensor 3 Similar to the Sensor except with three blades rather than two.
Sensor for Women Nearly identical to a Sensor but with a much wider head, reducing control but also reducing the chance of cutting oneself, which is a much greater problem for women - who often cannot see what they are doing, shave larger areas of the body, and often shave more delicate areas than men.
[edit] Current Gillette Products
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Sensor Excel The Gillette Sensor Excel was the first razor to include MicroFins on the cartridge head. MicroFins are essentially a piece of rubber with slits at the top, which in theory stand up hair so that the blades can get a closer cut. They also are claimed to reduce irritation when shaving against the grain. The grip on the handle was also redesigned. The Excel was generally not seen as a major breakthrough compared to previous products.
Good News! The Good News! was the first disposable double-blade razor. It was first released in 1976. The Good News! comes in three forms: the original, the Good News! Plus, which includes a lubricating strip, and the Good News! Pivot Plus, which features the lubricating strip, and a pivoting head.
Blue II Blue II is a line of disposible razors. In Latin and South America, it is marketed as Prestobarba.
Sensor Excel for Women The Sensor for women, but with MicroFins.
Mach3 The first three-blade razor, introduced in 1998, which Gillette claims reduces irritation and requires fewer strokes. It offers five improved microfins, improved spring blades, and a pivoting head with greater bendability than previous Gillette products. It introduced indicator technology to encourage users to change their blades more frequently: the blue lubricating strip fades as the razor is used; when it is nearly white, it signals that the blade needs changing. The Mach3 handle was also improved compared to the Sensor Excel.
Venus Released later on, and based on the Mach3, but designed for women.
Mach3 Turbo A Mach3 with ten microfins (as opposed to five on the original), improved lubrication, improved 'anti-friction' blades, and a new grip. All Mach3 blades are interchangeable between the three products in the range, so it is possible to use the Mach3 Turbo blades on a Mach3 razor.
Mach3 Turbo Champion Same as the Mach 3 Turbo with a slightly different handle design.
Venus Divine The Venus version of the Mach3 Turbo.
M3Power A battery-powered version of the Mach3 Turbo razor (which can also be used with the power switched off). The blades differ from Mach3 Turbo in having what Gillette says is a new blade coating technology, which it describes as 'PowerGlide'. The lubrication and microfins are identical to MACH3Turbo. In its desire to release ever more expensive products, each claiming to be the 'best ever,' Gillette reached into hyperbole with an injunction brought by rival Wilkinson Sword, and granted in the Connecticut District Court determining that claims that 'M3Power raises hair up and away from the skin is both "unsubstantiated and inaccurate."' and 'that the product demonstrations in Gillette's advertising are "greatly exaggerated" and "literally false."' [1]
Mach 3 Power Nitro Same as the Mach 3 Power with a slightly different handle design.
Venus Vibrance The Venus M3Power. Venus blades are interchangeable across the line.
Fusion In January 2007, Gillette released the "Fusion" in the USA, Canada and Europe which has five blades, claiming 'the combination of adding more blades and narrowing the inter-blade span creates a “Shaving Surface” that distributes the shaving force across the blades, resulting in significantly less irritation and more comfort'. This was despite previous responses to Wilkinson Sword four-blade Quattro product (which allows the claim that Fusion the latest and greatest on the basis that if four blades is better than three, five must be even better), that "We've tested multiple blades and razor elements for decades," and "The simple addition of another blade does not itself improve a shave." [2]. It also claims improved lubrication, although it does not state how it has been improved, and a 'Flexible Comfort Guard', which is a revised microfin configuration. It also has a blade on the back for trimming upper lip hair or sideburns. (This move from three to five blades was predicted by satirical newspaper The Onion in February 2004 [3].)
Fusion Power Released concurrently with the Fusion, the Fusion Power is a battery-powered version of the Fusion razor. Its RRP is $12 for a razor pack, and $13-$14 for a pack of four Fusion power blades; the razor is priced similarly to the M3Power, but the Power blades are slightly more expensive than the standard Fusion blades as they are treated with Gillette's most advanced coating (PowerGlide) which reduces friction in order to give a smoother shave with less skin irritation.
Fusion Power Stealth Same as the Fusion Power with a black rather than orange color. Known as Fusion Power Phantom in the US.
Fusion Power Phenom Same as the Fusion Power featuring a blue and silver handle.
Venus Embrace A women's version of the Fusion; the first five-bladed razor for women.
[edit] Brand Worth
Some of Gillette’s profit and sales may not have been due to the direct worth of the product but due to it being presented to the public from a well-known company. In 1999 Gillette as a company was worth US$43 billion and it was estimated that the brand value of Gillette was worth US$16 billion. This equates to 37% of the company’s value, which is the same as DaimlerChrysler, one of the world's largest car manufacturers.[1]
[edit] Notes and References
- ^ Pavitt, Jane. Brand New, Sept. 2000. ISBN 0-691-07061-X.
- "King C. Gillette, The Man and His Wonderful Shaving Device" by Russell Adams (1978), published by Little Brown & Co. of Boston MA, USA.
[edit] Popular culture references
- Saturday Night Live featured a triple-blade razor in 1975, with the slogan "The Triple-Trac. Because you'll believe anything."
- MADtv once mocked Gillette's ever-increasing number of razor blades with a sketch about a "Mach 20" razor that removes a user's skin in addition to stubble. [4]
- During World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE's) Wrestlemania 23 in the "Battle of the Billionaires," Donald Trump and Bobby Lashley shaved Vince McMahon's head with a Mach 3 turbo razor.
- BBC Radio 4 Comedy show 'Genius' [5] parodied the current trend for multiple blade shaving systems by suggesting that in future, the razor company will simply take a plaster cast of your face and line the inside with thousands of razors. Every morning, you simply put your face in the cast and nod.
- Gillette continues to hold the naming rights to Gillette Stadium, which is home to the NFL three-time champion New England Patriots and the MLS New England Revolution. Gillette Stadium is referred to as "The Razor" by local fans and media.
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