MUMBAI: Corporate Voice | Weber Shandwick’s (CV|WS) “W.A.L.S.” (Women Against Lazy Stubble) campaign for Procter & Gamble (P&G) has won “Launch of a New Product” at IPRA’s annual Golden World Awards.
The campaign marked the launch of Gillette’s Mach 3 razor in India.
The W.A.L.S. campaign for men’s grooming brand Gillette mobilised women in India to advocate for men to adopt the clean-shaven look. The campaign utilised the results of an AC Nielsen survey that showed that 85 per cent of Indian women prefer clean-shaven men, a finding that runs contrary to the look that numerous Indian men and even celebrities often wear.
Corporate Voice I Weber Shandwick leveraged this survey result to create the women’s advocacy group W.A.L.S that led to the “Shave India Movement” to convince men to shave. The campaign, culminating in a mass “Shaveathon” in which approximately 2,000 men publicly shaved their beards using Gillette’s Mach 3 razors, created world records in the Guinness World Book of Records and the Limca Book of Records in India.
“We are delighted to see Gillette’s Shave India Movement, once again, being recognised on such a prestigious platform like the IPRA Awards – the only winner from India. PR continues to be fundamental to brand building and a core pillar in all marketing campaigns at P&G, including being the source of holistic ideas such as the Gillette Shave India Movement,” said P&G India associate director amd head of external relations Shweta Shukla.
“The W.A.L.S. campaign demonstrates the power of Weber Shandwick’s unique Advocacy approach. By equipping women to be advocates for the clean-shaven look that Gillette delivers, the campaign impacted male consumers’ grooming preferences and purchasing decisions,” said Corporate Voice | Weber Shandwick CEO Shiv Reddy.
The same campaign also earned a Silver Lion at the 57th Cannes International Advertising Festival in the “PR Led Integrated Campaign” category.
This year, the Golden World Awards will be given to 26 winners from 352 entries received across 42 countries. The prize ceremony is scheduled to take place at the IPRA Summit in London on 5 November.
