CT-Based Schick Brand Launches New Marketing Effort Aimed at Men

Shelton-based Edgewell Personal Care, well known for it’s Schick brand of personal care products, is launching a new brand positioning described as challenging the grooming industry status quo.

The debut of the company’s "Be You. No One Else Can," campaign will “celebrate men as they are and encourages them to embrace their individuality.” Schick's new positioning is informed by national research commissioned by the brand, which found that 81% of men would prefer brands to celebrate them for who they are instead of asking them to change.

The rebrand includes a new logo, updated packaging, redesigned website, video-led creative and digital components on Reddit and TikTok that provide a platform for men to “join the conversation and tell their unique stories,” according to the company.

The data revealed that 85% of men prefer to see real, everyday people depicted in ads. Schick worked with creative agency Partners & Spade and Academy Award nominated film director Mike Mills (C'Mon C'Mon, 20th Century Women) to partner on the brand storytelling featuring real interviews with men from across the country, capturing unscripted content that champions authenticity. The rebrand brings Schick's “legacy of listening to men to life and represents it in a new, different and engaging way… celebrating men with quirks, flaws, passions and everything else that makes them who they are.”

Additional findings from Schick's national survey include the following:

•           Majority of men (7 in 10) wish they could see men that look like them in personal care ads

•           75% of consumers look for brands that empower them to be their unique self

•           Personal grooming and facial hair contributes to freedom of expression for nearly 7 in 10 men

•           80% of men believe that they gain a sense of confidence after grooming

Edgewell is a leading consumer products company with a diversified portfolio of established brand names such as Schick, based in Milford, and Wilkinson Sword men's and women's shaving systems and disposable razors; Edge and Skintimate shave preparations; Playtex, Stayfree, Carefree and o.b. feminine care products; Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, Bulldog and Jack Black sun and skin care products; and Wet Ones moist wipes.

The company has a broad global footprint and operates in more than 50 markets, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, Japan, the U.K. and Australia, with approximately 6,000 employees worldwide.

"Shave category ads have put men in narrowly defined boxes for many years, and what we heard with our survey is that men want this type of advertising to depict real individuals. Grooming plays a key role in self-expression, so we're reshaping the category narrative by focusing on authentic representation to resonate with our existing and broader target audience," said Matt Bell, Senior Vice President of Schick North America. "Our survey also revealed that over 60% of men are not clean shaven, so we're leading the charge by offering an extensive product portfolio that is designed to fit individual hair and skin needs.”

Bells points out that “contrary to traditional ads, our product will not be featured in our hero film as we continue to push the boundaries of category expectations. Knowing Partners & Spade are synonymous with breakthrough creative strategy, we felt they were the ideal partner."

"We're thrilled to collaborate with an iconic brand with so much history, and to start an important conversation that needs to be had in 2022. By listening to men who are not always heard in traditional advertising, we realized that individuality and self-expression meant something completely different to every man. It was a poignant and fascinating process, sometimes funny, sometimes heavy, but always authentic," explained Andy Spade, Creative Director of Partners & Spade.

Writing in Forbes magazine this week, Senior Contributor Charles Taylor observed that “While the body positivity movement has been having what many see to be a positive impact on generating a larger number of more realistic portrayals of women in advertising, a similar focus on men and individuality has been mostly absent from advertising.”

For a century, Schick has had a legacy of crafting trusted tools that meet its consumers' distinct and diverse needs. Schick® traces its origins to the inventive U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Schick. He retired from the military in 1910, but then returned to service at the start of World War I. Schick until 1958, when Schick set up its own manufacturing operations in Bridgeport in 1958, and in 1961, Schick moved its manufacturing facilities into its present home in Milford.