Gillette’s 120-Year Business Playbook That Still Prints Billions

For more than a century, Gillette has remained a dominant force in men’s grooming, surviving wars, recessions, technological shifts, and changing ideas of masculinity. Founded in 1901, the brand did not endure by chance. Its longevity is the result of a carefully engineered business strategy that combined pricing innovation, relentless product upgrades, global distribution, and emotional branding—long before these ideas became management jargon.

Selling the handle, monetising the habit

Gillette’s most influential move was not technological but strategic. Early on, the company perfected what later came to be known as the razor-and-blades model. The razor handle was sold at a low margin, sometimes close to cost, while the disposable blades generated recurring revenue.

Shaving is not an occasional purchase but a habit. By locking consumers into a proprietary blade system, Gillette ensured predictable, repeat demand. Once a user bought into the ecosystem, switching brands meant friction, inconvenience, and uncertainty. This created strong customer stickiness decades before the term “subscription economy” entered business vocabulary.

Innovation as a justification for premium pricing

Gillette never allowed its core product to feel static. From double-edge safety razors to cartridge systems like Sensor, Mach3, and later Fusion, the company followed a deliberate pattern: incremental innovation paired with a higher price point.

Each new generation promised measurable improvements—more blades, smoother glide, less irritation—backed by engineering narratives and lab-style advertising. Even when competitors questioned whether consumers needed five blades, Gillette framed progress as science-driven necessity. Innovation became both a defensive shield against commoditisation and a rationale for premium margins.

Owning the category through brand trust

Shaving is personal and, at times, anxiety-inducing. Gillette understood this early and positioned itself not just as a product but as an authority on grooming. Its long-running tagline, “The Best a Man Can Get,” reinforced the idea that choosing Gillette was choosing reliability and self-respect.

The brand invested heavily in advertising that linked shaving to confidence, professionalism, and adulthood. Over time, this created intergenerational trust. Fathers introduced sons to Gillette, reinforcing loyalty through family ritual rather than discounts.

Global scale with local relevance

Gillette’s expansion beyond the US was systematic. Instead of exporting a single product worldwide, the company adapted pricing, formats, and distribution to local markets. In price-sensitive regions, it introduced simpler razors and single-blade options while maintaining brand prestige.

This tiered approach allowed Gillette to protect its premium image in developed markets while capturing volume growth in emerging economies. Scale reduced manufacturing costs, while local adaptation prevented the brand from appearing out of touch.

Reinvention in a changing cultural climate

The last decade tested Gillette in new ways. Subscription startups challenged its pricing model, while cultural shifts questioned traditional masculine imagery. Rather than remain silent, the brand attempted reinvention through purpose-driven campaigns and direct-to-consumer experiments.

Not all responses were universally applauded, but the willingness to engage with changing social conversations signalled strategic awareness. Gillette demonstrated that legacy brands must evolve publicly, even at the risk of backlash, to remain culturally relevant.

A strategy built for endurance

Gillette’s 120-year relevance rests on a simple but powerful foundation: turn a daily routine into a long-term relationship. By combining recurring revenue, constant innovation, emotional branding, and global scale, the company built a business that competitors could challenge—but rarely displace.

In an era obsessed with disruption, Gillette’s story is a reminder that enduring dominance often comes from mastering fundamentals, then refining them relentlessly over time.