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Raheem Sterling tries to redefine men for Gillette – is this too ambitious?

When does purpose in advertising become preachiness?

These days P&G is following long-time rival Unilever down the purpose route, most notably with Gillette which seems to be trying to redefine what men are all about – apart from beings who (less often than hitherto) want smooth chins.

‘Made of What Matters’ from Saatchi & Saatchi features Man City footballer Raheem Sterling, a young man who receives more than his fair share of unfair and unpleasant stick from some fans while he’s lauded elsewhere as a role model because of his outspoken condemnation of racism in the (sometimes) not-so-beautiful game.

This ad has already divided opinion to an unusual degree on YouTube.

Maybe that’s the point of course but there’s something perturbing about Sterling’s detractors. Or maybe they feel this is too ambitious a message from a purveyor of shaving products.

Still it’s deftly handled by Saatchi, which is making something of a speciality of rowing in on other agencies’ accounts. Grey is usually in charge of Gillette in the UK and Saatchi also appears to have wrested longstanding BT away from AMV BBDO. Reminds you of the old Saatchi era.

This one? MAA creative scale: 6.5.

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