WTF: Episode 4

Posted by Shane Woodward, on March 3, 2009

Is there some fundamental difference between gamer skin and human skin? I am aware that gamer skin has been known to occasionally take on a translucent, grub-like pallor, but this product fails to address the only obvious disparity.

I think of myself an imaginative person, and have often predicted initiatives like this with an accuracy so uncanny that men have called it prophetic. I did not foresee gamer razors.

I'm fairly open minded about this kind of thing, and would probably be more receptive had the product offered benefits, above and beyond that of the standard fair, that were relevant to the targeted audience. This razor does not.

Their deeper sin, however, is their inexcusable lack of effort put forth to actually research, and understand the people that they are trying to reach. Do they really think that "gamers" identify with the personalities that were unnecessarily deprived of humanity in this campaign? No. Gamers do not identify with Tiger Woods. Golfers do. Gamers don't play his game either. Golfers do. Tennis players identify with Roger Federer.

I can assure you that the inclusion of these two soul-sucking "personalities" didn't make me want to buy this product any more than I did prior to seeing the ad. In truth, it made me want to carve out my spleen. Worse, I'd do it with a blunt object, like a spoon, so that my burning rage didn't accidentally result in a one time sale.

If you want to identify with gamers? Show me Gordon Freemon using a Gillette razor to sculpt his trademark mug. Even Master Chief, scraping obsidian shards off his helmet, would be more relevant than this.

It's a flawed targeting mechanism. I can feel its beams grazing my occasionally translucent, grub-like flesh. But like everything else about this bad idea, it fails to truly find its mark.

Epic Fail.