• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
ConferencesMPW International Summit Toronto

Procter & Gamble Exec on Staying Relevant—And That Gillette Ad

By
Lisa Marie Segarra
Lisa Marie Segarra
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lisa Marie Segarra
Lisa Marie Segarra
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 17, 2019, 11:09 AM ET

P&G’s grooming business has seen its share of struggles recently. North America Group President Carolyn Tastad can admit that.

That’s part of what prompted the massive company to rethink how it presented its brand Gillette to the world.

“For Generation Z and millennials under 30, this social responsibility part is very, very important to them,” Tastad said at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women International Summit in Toronto Tuesday.

So when backlash followed its first socially focused ad regarding toxic masculinity, P&G elected not to pull the commercial. And it largely paid off, according to Tastad.

She noted that the ad reached 65% “positive sentiment,” and that number was even higher for Gen Z and millennials under 30 at 80%.

But it’s not enough to put out one ad focusing on a social issue. The same demographics that favor socially conscious companies also value authenticity.

“It has to be fully integrated and baked into the business model. It can’t be an ad that plays once and everything else stands for something else. It has to be totally holistic. It has to be how the brand continued to use its voice. It can’t be one and done,” Tastad added.

So P&G followed up with an ad that featured a father and his son, who has been transitioning into a man and is preparing to shave for the first time. P&G has a similarly-focused commercial in the works as well.

Gillette’s classic tagline “the best a man can get” has morphed into “the best a man can be.” Instead of solely focusing on the superior qualities of its razors, Gillette wanted to highlight its customers being their best person.

But Tastad isn’t interested in dropping quality, either.

“We still have to deliver all the other parts of superiority.”

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Why the CEO of Softtek once signed a resignation letter on her first day on a job
—Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi aims to create a ‘sisterhood’ of women leaders
—Four-time Olympian Silken Laumann on mental illness: “I was going through hell”
—‘Kim’s Convenience’ star Jean Yoon says now’s the time for artists of color
—Tune in to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women international summit through Sept. 17
Keep up with the world’s most powerful women with Fortune’s Broadsheet newsletter.

About the Author
By Lisa Marie Segarra
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest from our Conferences

InnovationBrainstorm AI
Backflips are easy, stairs are hard: Robots still struggle with simple human movements, experts say
By Nicholas GordonDecember 11, 2025
2 days ago
ConferencesBrainstorm AI
Exelon CEO: The ‘warning lights are on’ for U.S. electric grid resilience and utility prices amid AI demand surge
By Jordan BlumDecember 9, 2025
4 days ago
AIBrainstorm Design
AI’s reliance on patterns can lead to ‘somewhat mediocre’ results, warns CEO of design consultancy IDEO
By Andrew StaplesDecember 9, 2025
5 days ago
Logo of Fortune Brainstorm AI conference
ConferencesBrainstorm AI
Fortune Brainstorm AI 2025 Livestream
By Fortune EditorsDecember 8, 2025
6 days ago
Workplace CultureBrainstorm Design
How two leaders used design thinking and a focus on outcomes to transform two Fortune 500 giants
By Christina PantinDecember 4, 2025
10 days ago
Workplace CultureBrainstorm Design
Designer Kevin Bethune: Bringing ‘disparate disciplines around the table’ is how leaders can ‘problem solve the future’
By Fortune EditorsDecember 3, 2025
11 days ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs are taxes and they were used to finance the federal government until the 1913 income tax. A top economist breaks it down
By Kent JonesDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
40% of Stanford undergrads receive disability accommodations—but it’s become a college-wide phenomenon as Gen Z try to succeed in the current climate
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The Fed just ‘Trump-proofed’ itself with a unanimous move to preempt a potential leadership shake-up
By Jason MaDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple CEO Tim Cook out-earns the average American’s salary in just 7 hours—to put that into context, he could buy a new $439,000 home in just 2 days
By Emma BurleighDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
For the first time since Trump’s tariff rollout, import tax revenue has fallen, threatening his lofty plans to slash the $38 trillion national debt
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.