We’ve reached the halfway point of our 12 Ads of Christmas series!
In the beginning of this journey, we looked ourselves in the mirror with the simple goal of creating smooth, clean content for the rest of the world to see.
We’ve brought you 12 Engines Humming, 11 Cards a-Swiping, 10 Sleepers Sleeping, 9 Sites Romancing, and 8 Shoes a-Sneaking.
To round out the first half of our series, we’re sending you this year’s smoothest shaving advertisements.
The original jingle speaks not of hairy humans, but of feathered waterfowl…
“On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me,
Twelve Drummers Drumming,
Eleven Pipers Piping,
Ten Lords a-Leaping,
Nine Ladies Dancing,
Eight Maids a-Milking,
Seven Swans a-Swimming,
Six Geese a-Laying,
Five Gold Rings,
Four Calling Birds,
Three French Hens,
Two Turtle Doves,
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!”
MediaRadar is leaving the swans to their swimming, however, instead sending you Seven Hairs a-Trimming!
Not all of us follow the Santa Claus tradition of untamed facial hair. Santa gives out a ton of razors as gifts, yet refuses to keep one for himself.
Why does Santa give out so many razors? Because they’re versatile.
They’re great as both stocking stuffers and full-blown gifts, and can even give all year ‘round (subscription services).
With that, it’s time to lather up, warm the towels, and run the water. Here are MediaRadar’s seven favorite shaving ads of the year:
Gillette – “The Best a Super Hero Can Get”
We’re starting off our list with quite the adventure.
The idea in this Gillette ad, is that everyone needs to shave. And they mean everyone.
To this point, razors have always been optimized with the average human in mind – the average Joe or Mary that walks and runs at normal speeds, and leaves the ground if only for a few milliseconds.
But what about the supernatural? What about the superheroes of our world?
Gillette, a company “focused on innovation,” has set out to be the first to consider the needs of this new, very challenging demographic.
“How do you develop a razor for a man that already has a tool for every situation? Do you just paint it black?”
Batman’s clean shaven face is the only thing the general public can see of him. An optimized razor could be his most important tool yet.
While they don’t yet have all the answers, Gillette claims they “will travel across the galaxy, to ensure that every man, everywhere, has the best a man can get.”
If that’s not Santa Claus-like, then we don’t know what is…
Dollar Shave Club – “The Shopping Experience”
If one thing is for sure during the holidays, it’s that in-store shopping experiences don’t always go as smoothly as we hope.
This Dollar Shave Club ad depicts a shopping experience where a man is a bit unsure what product option is best. As a clerk passes through the aisle, the man asks him a question, to which the clerk uselessly replies, “the blue one.”
Upon being asked a second question, the clerk swiftly runs away in an effort to escape.
The idea is that Dollar Shave Club knows exactly what every shaver needs, without the need of going to an actual store. Dollar Shave Club comes to you, to your house, with everything you need.
The punch line of the ad is when we see a man, literally in the house of the in-store shopper, dropping off exactly what he needs.
Does that sound like someone familiar? Ho, ho, ho, yes, we’re sure that is does…
Harry’s – “Meet the Shaving Company That’s Fixing Shaving”
Jeff and Andy are the co-founders of Harry’s, and in this ad, we learn a bit about how the company came to be.
While there’s no actual Harry at the head of the company, this ad shows the people behind the name.
Jeff and Andy saw many problems with razor sales, and are claiming to be the company “fixing shaving.”
Fueled by their many pairs of pants, Jeff, Andy, and Harry’s prevailed to tell their story of success. Let’s just hope they continue on this quest to fix shaving forever.
Schick Hydro Silk – “Robot Razor”
This is another ad for the imagination.
“Discover the secrets of the serum.”
Schick claims that their “Hydra-Boost” serum offers extra hydration, continuing to work on your skin even after you’ve finished shaving.
In the ad, a robot razor flies and glides, smoothly, through a dark, damp world, only to find the ultimately-hydrating serum. The camera pans out to a woman’s bathroom, and the robot razor falls into place.
This ad simply capitalizes on our imaginations to depict just how powerful their product is.
Nivea – “Football Hacks”
Nivea’s series of “Football Hacks” ads use the beauty of one game to show the beauty of their own brand.
A man looks in his bathroom mirror rinsing his hands, as an alarm goes off in the bedroom.
This man takes every opportunity to play the sport he loves. He leaves the bathroom, and even though we assume he’s going to turn the alarm off, how he does so may come as a surprise.
The prepared shaver kicks a soccer ball across the room, hitting the alarm clock, turning off the alarm.
Nivea’s message here is to “Play life like the beautiful game” – quite the sentiment to hold onto when considering the beauty of the holiday season.
Barbasol/PureSilk – “Never Stop Competing”
The couple in this Barbasol ad are Martin and Gerina Piller – professional golfers and relentless competitors.
They claim that their rule is to only be competitive on the golf course – not at home. In a series of petty competitions between the two, we quickly learn that this rule is highly untrue.
The ad ends with the two shaving, having a game of “rock, paper, scissors” to see who will take out the trash…
It’s a safe bet to assume that these two will be doing everything they can to one-up each other during the season of gift-giving.
Philips – “Star Wars Shaver”
This is yet another adventurous ad for the mirror-dwelling shavers of the world.
This ad works as a promo for both Philips and the upcoming Stars Wars movie.
A man turns on his limited edition “Star Wars Shaver” from Philips, looks in the mirror, and the adventure begins.
He battles in space, and battles his face. This Philips shaver gives you the opportunity to win every battle.
So, this holiday season, you can give your favorite Stars Wars-loving person a razor to go along with their favorite movie.
In the end, however, whether they like Star Wars or not, be sure to give all of your favorite people the ultimate holiday gifts.
Perhaps a clean, confident look is all they need to make the most of the new year.
Be sure to stay tuned for the second half of our 12 Ads of Christmas posts! Next up, we’ll again leave the fowl be, and we’ll instead focus on the eggs that hatch.
