I have to admit it, I’m a sucker for humorous marketing. Problem is, most people do a shitty job being funny. Dolar Shave Club is not one of them. It’s a real company with a real product solving a real problem. All men, even women are sick of paying crazy prices for razor blades. A blade that should cost 50 cents is $3. Blades that could be made to last months is made to last a week. Along comes Dollar Shave Club and they get your attention the modern way, a funny commercial/youtube video.
The company and website is being relaunched and the guys behind it are big boys in the tech world. Former MySpace CEO Mike Jones, and Color.com cofounder Peter Pham. But its going to take more than humor and big names to bust into Gillete’s bank account. According to Techcrunch, “Dollar Shave Club has raised more than $1 million in a Series A led by Kleiner and Forerunner Ventures, with participation from Andreesen Horowitz, Shasta Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Shervin Pishevar, Dennis Phelps, and David Honig”
So while I love the marketing and the concept I still don’t think it will work. Nothing disruptive or groundbreaking about offering cheaper blades. Add in the fact I have to have them mailed to me. Put them in the aisles next to Gillete Fusion and I may buy them. Have 3 other people tell me that they give a great shave and maybe. So good domain, great marketing, and a so so chance or doing anything other than wasting the investors money. BUT…… I love the video, its a must watch.
PS: They are certainly getting a ton of press the last 24 hours because the site has been down for hours.
Tough call Shane.There are underwear subscription services doing pretty brisk business these days.They may be on to something.
Dr Domain,
I certainly could be wrong and the founders have a pretty strong track record. I’d love to see them succeed if for no other reason than to take a bite out of Gillete who has been shafting us for years.
Hey Shane,
Thanks for the research on this story. A friend posted the video on my Facebook and I was convinced that it couldn’t be a real company. The marketing has a real Old Spice kind of feel to it, and really appeals to the majority of men out there.
The main problem is it seems too zany to be real. I think if people are able to figure out that it’s not a joke, that they could be immensely successful. The concept combines two of the most important things for any product: convenience and a fair price.
Mike,
Thanks for chiming in.