There's that f--king word again! This time it's cut-price shaving for men
There's that word again. Just after Unilever rocked (some) German consumers with the catch phrase "Fuck the Diet", the Dollar Shave Club, is luring men in the US with the tagline in a video "Our blades are f**king great."
Today it got the ultimate plug from the Wall Street Journal,"The Dollar Shave Club is only a month old, but it has the $13 billion shaving industry in a lather," said the paper.
The You Tube video in which founder Michael Dubin rides on a forklift, plays tennis, and dances with a fuzzy bear has already received four million views.
The Dollar Shave Club sells a two-blade razor and supply of blades for $1 a month. Mailing costs add $2 more.
Gillette's s high end Fusion ProGlide Power razor costs around $12.31 in stores , plus $19.29 for a four-pack of cartridges.
The LA-based Dollar Shave club has just five full-time employees. It has raised $1 million in "seed" funding from venture-capital firms including Facebook investor Andreessen Horowitz .
"There's clearly almost a backlash among shavers, among razor users, about the price of a man's razor,"said one consumer products analyst .
But more competition is on the way. In the UK King of Shaves is planning three razor options (two for men, one for women) between $6 and $8 per month including shipping.
Jeff Gross, a 28-year-old Californian, signed up for the two-blade razor plan, calling it a no-brainer at $3 a month since he spent at least $20 a month before.
"I hated going and buying razors," he told the WSJ.
At the Dollar Shave Club, customers can also get a four-bladed razor and four cartridges a month for $6 or the "Executive" plan for$9 a month: a six-bladed razor and three cartridges.
Dollar Shave Club's blades are made in China and South Korea. Dubin praises their lubricating strip and pivoting head.
Shaving giant Gillette has currently has 66% of the $12.8 billion global market for men's razors and blades
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Gillette spokesman Damon Jones said his company became aware of the Dollar Shave Club the day it launched because of the Internet buzz. The shaving giant isn't worried about losing market share, he said, in part because other subscription-based companies have tried and failed.
However, Gillette is now telling customers they don't need to change blades as often as they thought. The company has been running television ads saying its Fusion ProGlide blades only need to be switched every five weeks.