Gillette Set to Return to Super Bowl For First Time in 16 Years

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorGillette has a new razor it thinks is so sharp that it required the company to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 16 years.The Procter & Gamble men’s-grooming giant plans to use NBC’s coming broadcast of Super Bowl LVI on February 13 to put the spotlight on its new GilletteLabs razor that comes with an exfoliating bar to remove dirt and debris from the skin.

The new ad and won’t play up the usual elements of Super Bowl advertising — no celebrities or cute animals or babies. Instead, the emphasis will be on the new product and what it can do for men who need a quick and easy shave.“We are extremely excited to be back in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2006, as the GilletteLabs with Exfoliating Bar launch is a big one for us that deserves this national stage,” said Mariana McQuattie, senior vice president, P&G Grooming, North America, in a statement provided via email. “We’re even more excited to add to our legacy in sports with our Super Bowl activity.

We truly believe GilletteLabs with Exfoliating Bar is a game changer. Men who’ve tried it love it and say they would never go back to an ordinary razor.” Gillette’s new 30-second ad, created with WPP’s Grey Advertising, is set to air in the second quarter of the game.

It joins the Big Game advertising roster as one of its Procter & Gamble siblings, Tide, detergent, steps away from the event after several years of presenting comedic and, sometimes, eyebrow-raising ads.Gillette has long focused on function, part of a decades-old battle to make its shaving products stand apart from traditional competitors like Edgewell Personal Care Co.’s Schick or newer rivals like Unilever’s Dollar Shave Club.