The Best A Man Can Get?
<p>King C. Gillette was granted a US patent for a “safety razor” on November 15th, 1904 - kickstarting both the disposable grooming industry, and the notorious ‘razor and blades’ business model.</p><br><p>Prior to his invention, men who shaved at home would have to strop their blades on a big leather strap, and occasionally take their razors to a cutler to have them returned to their original sharpness.</p><br><p>In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Gillette savvily used Army contracts to establish his brand across America; reveal how scientists at MIT told him his product design was simply impossible; and recall how he exploited TV advertising to reframe the conversation around male grooming…&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Further Reading:</strong></p><p>• ‘The History of Gillette and Schick Razors’ (ThoughtCo, 2019): <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-razors-and-shaving-4070036" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-razors-and-shaving-4070036</a></p><p>• ‘Gillette’s Strange History with the Razor and Blade Strategy’ (HBR, 2010): <a href="https://hbr.org/2010/09/gillettes-strange-history-with" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://hbr.org/2010/09/gillettes-strange-history-with</a></p><p>• ‘Gillette: The Best A Man Can Get’ (Gillette, 1989): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThDBf14qPsc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThDBf14qPsc</a></p><br><p><strong>… want even more?</strong></p><p>In this week’s bonus bit, exclusively for 🌴 CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴members, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Gillette’s disposable razors came to be stacked within the very walls of houses across America; consider King Gillette’s unexpected flirtation with Communism; and reveal how corporate competition from Wilkinson Sword demeaned Gillette’s green credentials yet further… get this and exclusive Sunday episodes by joining 🌴 CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 now!</p><br><p>#Inventions #1900s </p><br><p><strong>We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:</strong><a href="https://create.acast.com/episodes/ca1f94a1-0921-446a-ae00-4d4bfd2ba3ef/podfollow.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></a><a href="http://podfollow.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>podfollow.com/Retrospectors</strong></a></p><br><p><em>The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.</em></p><p><em>Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.</em></p><p><em>Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.</em></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Today In History with The Retrospectors
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Show Notes
King C. Gillette was granted a US patent for a “safety razor” on November 15th, 1904 - kickstarting both the disposable grooming industry, and the notorious ‘razor and blades’ business model.
Prior to his invention, men who shaved at home would have to strop their blades on a big leather strap, and occasionally take their razors to a cutler to have them returned to their original sharpness.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Gillette savvily used Army contracts to establish his brand across America; reveal how scientists at MIT told him his product design was simply impossible; and recall how he exploited TV advertising to reframe the conversation around male grooming…
Further Reading:
• ‘The History of Gillette and Schick Razors’ (ThoughtCo, 2019): https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-razors-and-shaving-4070036
• ‘Gillette’s Strange History with the Razor and Blade Strategy’ (HBR, 2010): https://hbr.org/2010/09/gillettes-strange-history-with
• ‘Gillette: The Best A Man Can Get’ (Gillette, 1989): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThDBf14qPsc
… want even more?
In this week’s bonus bit, exclusively for 🌴 CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴members, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Gillette’s disposable razors came to be stacked within the very walls of houses across America; consider King Gillette’s unexpected flirtation with Communism; and reveal how corporate competition from Wilkinson Sword demeaned Gillette’s green credentials yet further… get this and exclusive Sunday episodes by joining 🌴 CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 now!
#Inventions #1900s
We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/Retrospectors
The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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