Dollar Shave Club started in 2011 as an online store for razors with a simple purpose: disrupt the shaving industry. Their ads and website are clearly targeted towards men; however, they’ve grown so popular that even women regularly buy their blades.
This commercial begins with a close-up of the site’s founder, sitting at a desk and explaining a bit of what Dollar Shave Club is. The background clearly speaks of a fun, energetic office, with collectibles and toys hanging from the walls. Right from the beginning, it’s clear that humor will be the selling point of the commercial.
When the question arises of if these cheap, one-dollar blades are any good, the camera zooms out to a paper sign in all caps that reads: OUR BLADES ARE F**KING GREAT. The font is modern and sans serif, on a salmon colored banner, hanging from a wall with old wood paneling.
The camera quickly shifts to a warehouse, where thousands of boxes are stacked, appearing ready to ship as soon as orders come in, depicting an organized company with a product ready to go.
Continuing with the warehouse theme, random props are brought in to juxtapose the organization and add hilarity. A tennis ball and racket added to mock the use of celebrity endorsement. A person wearing an enormous bear suit, because why not? Slicing packing tape with a machete, as this clearly is not what takes place behind the scenes. All this adds humor, and underscores the theme of “OUR BLADES ARE F**KING GREAT.”
Aside from the great blades theme, all of these random (yet seamless) additions are meant to imply one simple fact: buying Dollar Shave Club razors will save you money. The final scene of the commercial is the founder, holding a leaf blower, and dancing in a swirl of dollar bills, a powerful and not at all subtle way of showing the viewer that they’ll save money by going with Dollar Shave Club.
Many industries have been disrupted by the Internet, and until 2011 shaving and razors hadn’t been touched. Dollar Shave Club took an opportunity and executed a perfect ad to provide disruption to a thirteen billion dollar industry.
Dollar Shave Club is a great commercial video.
