“We tried to blend fashion elements that were going to be in the marketplace in 2000 with the millennium theme,” says Gary Cohen, business director at Boston-based Gillette. “We also did consumer research and color studies to find out what kind of trends will be prevalent next year and found they were pastel-themed: pinks and purples accented with ‘techno’ colors.”
To complement the razors’ new glittering pink, blue and silver colors, the razors’ packaging incorporates silver and holographic hot-stamping. The 20-pt SBS is offset-printed in six colors by Sonoco (Hartsville, SC). Sonoco hot-stamps the Excel logo in matte silver. The flower design surrounding both the razor and the Gillette name is also hot-stamped by Sonoco in a sparkling metallized film. Sonoco offset-prints the back of the blister package in six colors. The package is assembled at Gillette’s Packcenter in Ayer, MA.
Gillette also added two new formulas to its existing Satin Care shave gel line and gave the newcomers a look that complements the Sensor Excel razors. The cans’ graphics are designed to appeal to a 20-something audience. U.S. Can (Weirton, WV) prints the silver tin-plate can with a fine white screen to dull its shine and give it a soft, frosty look. Certain areas of the can are left shiny for accent around graphic elements. The can is offset-printed in nine colors.
Sensor Excel and Satin Care will debut in April in food, drug and mass merchandise stores nationwide. The Excel razor will retail for $2.99, the Satin Care shave gel for $1.99 to $2.49.
