Gillette prepares to challenge rival Lynx

Gillette is planning the European launch of a new men’s body spray range called Tag, in an attempt to challenge the dominance of Lever Fabergé’s Lynx.

The launch is not expected to affect Gillette’s Right Guard and Extreme Sport deodorant ranges in the UK. The company relaunched the brands earlier this year with an updated delivery system, which ejects the fragrance upwards using a lever at the side of the can (MW January 22). This marked the second time in two years that Gillette has attempted to relaunch the brands, backing an overhaul of Right Guard in 2003 with &£10m (MW May 15, 2003).

Industry sources say these relaunches failed to make a dent on the market dominance of Lynx. Tag is understood to be positioned directly against the Lynx body spray range, and will be backed by a more humourous and less masculine marketing strategy than those used for Right Guard and Extreme Sport.

The company is understood to have appointed Havas-owned Arnold Network to handle the launch in the US, moving away from its incumbent agency BBDO. It is not known whether the business will be handed to sister Havas agency Euro RSCG in the UK. Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO handles Gillette’s UK advertising account, although it often adapts major ad campaigns from work created in the US.