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Gillette

Background / Challenge:

In the mid-1990s, Gillette began a massive innovation initiative with the goal of creating the world’s first three-blade razor. The benefits of three blades were clear: fewer shaving strokes, less pressure to the skin, and less irritation. After investing $750M in R&D, Gillette had created and perfected the world’s most advanced shaving system and needed a bold memorable name to identify it.

Solution:

Over a four-month period, we created hundreds of name ideas and consumer tested these monikers across US and Europe. We also conducted extensive linguistic screening to ensure that the new name could be truly global. The winning candidate, ‘Mach3’, was inspired by the term for the speed of sound which helped to underscore a blade of vast technical performance.

Outcome:

The Mach3 was launched in the US in July 1998 and hit sales of $60 million in the first six months. Further, Mach3 blades generated $68 million in sales in its first six months. Today, almost 20 years later, the Mach3 brand continues to be a ‘cash cow’ for Gillette spawning extensions such as the Mach3 Turbo and Mach3 disposable.

Services

  • B2C
  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Naming
Cosmic Wings
Fastwyre

East
New York, NY
bob@wantbranding.com

South
Miami, FL
j.bell@wantbranding.com

West
San Francisco, CA
john@wantbranding.com

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