Advertising: Naming Names

In one of Gillette's current TV commercials, a man's hand appears, sets down a dispenser of Gillette razor blades and—of all things—three clearly labeled dispensers of rival Wilkinson, Schick and Personna blades. The hand naturally picks up the package of Gillette after brushing the others aside, but the very appearance of rivals is a departure from tradition. Such direct identification of competition has long been a rarity, and advertisers have gone to almost any length to avoid it. Now a steadily growing number are coming right out and naming names, thus bringing on bad times for Brand X. Happy...

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