I will freely admit that I am a geek. I love comic books and dread to think how many times I have read Lord of the Rings!
So when it comes to cartoon heroes just how is social media making the most of Warner Brothers hot summer film release? The new Superman film, Man of Steel, is getting the brands excited. Gillette has decided to ask the sort of question that has people like me arguing for hours on end.
Just how does Superman shave?
Think about it, this is a man (well, alien) who is bulletproof, super strong and pretty indestructible. He flies through raging fires to save people and can happily ignore molten lava from a just erupted volcano in a bid to rescue fleeing locals.
Yet throughout all of this, his hair is completely unaffected.
Just what kind of witchcraft allows Superman to shave incipient stubble that, if it were allowed to get out of hand, would quite frankly ruin his clean cut image?
Gillette have asked celebrities such as comic aficionado Kevin Smith, Bill Nye the Science Guy and the ever popular Mythbusters duo Jamie and Adam, if the best safety razor could dent Superman’s facial hair, and/or what their pet theories are.
Each has put forward their own case in video form and, here’s the really clever marketing bit, Gillette asked viewers to vote on their favourite and discuss it across social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
It would have been simple for Gillette to make the videos and pat themselves on the back for a job well done, tapping into the expected summer blockbuster with video content on the website.
But it wouldn’t really be memorable; it would be forgotten fairly quickly because there is no real hook for the viewer. By adding the interactive portion, Gillette has made a good campaign into a great one.
Check out Gillette’s YouTube page if you want to see the theories and which you prefer.
Personally I’m leaning towards Bill Nye’s effort although Kevin Smith does make some very compelling points. What do you think?