Inside Procter & Gamble’s risky advertising strategy

Nevertheless, Carolyn Tastad, one of P&G’s top executives overseeing the company’s gender equality initiatives, is championing the cause.

As president of P&G’s North American operations, Tastad oversees the company’s $30 billion business in the US and Canada. She’s also the executive sponsor of P&G’s gender equality program — a role that includes leading initiatives to challenge gender bias both inside and out of the company.

“We have a responsibility and an opportunity to use our voice,” she told CNN Business in a recent interview. “It’s not about lecturing people, and it’s not about telling people how to think.”

Betting on a younger fan base

Meanwhile, taking a bold stand on any issue is particularly tricky for large companies, because doing so can intensify the spotlight on their own internal practices.

P&G knew it faced those risks, but ultimately, the company decided to take a chance anyway. Scott Galloway, professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, called that strategy “smart” because it can help keep P&G’s products relevant to a new generation of younger customers.

“Being ‘woke’ is going where the money is,” Galloway said.

The spot didn’t promote a new razor blade or shaving method. Instead, the ad showed scenes of men catcalling, bullying and harassing women. Then, in a direct reference to the #MeToo movement, it said, “Something has finally changed.” It closed with scenes of men breaking up fights, standing up for women and being attentive fathers.

“Is this the best a man can get?” the ad asked, referencing Gillette’s nearly 30-year-old tagline.

But among consumers under 30, 80% viewed the ad positively, Tastad said. For P&G that was a victory.

Gina Delio, a partner at ad agency Tag Creative, described the ad as “brave” and “admirable” but added, “P&G and Gillette need to keep following through and show the depth of their commitment beyond their advertising.”

More work to be done

As P&G’s executive sponsor of gender equality, Tastad is responsible not only for external gender-related initiatives like ad campaigns, but also for driving the company’s efforts to create an inclusive workplace. It’s a mission that she says comes naturally given her upbringing.

Tastad grew up in a small town in Canada in what she describes as a “gender equal household” that led her to expect equality in the workplace, too. Her father was a farmer and her mother was a teacher, and they split household responsibilities.

She earned a computer science degree and joined P&G as an IT analyst right out of college. She’s worked in a variety of roles in her nearly 37 years at the company and took the helm of the North America division in 2015, overseeing dozens of brands and more than 25,000 employees.

Now, Tastad’s role includes helping P&G meet its goals of gender pay equity and 50-50 representation of men and women at all levels of the company.

Internally, there’s still more work to be done.

Although those numbers fall short of 50-50, they’re higher than they were five years ago — a sign that the company’s efforts are starting to work. P&G has also extended that focus to its supply chain and the outside contractors it works with.

Internally, Tastad is trying to push the company to go faster to meet its diversity and inclusion goals.

When P&G’s brands take a stand on social issues, it’s important they’re authentic, she said, because that’s what separates good campaigns from “woke washing.”

“It has to be fully integrated into the business, or it doesn’t resonate it; it seems peripheral [and] detached.”

“It’s not enough to make an ad,” she said. “It’s got to be the total picture.”