P&G’s Gillette Guard Innovation Shows Three Lessons

Launched in India in October and priced at a very low 15 rupees (~$0.33), with refill cartridges at five rupees, the Gillette Guard has been a success. Procter & Gamble's Chief Technology Officer Bruce Brown gives three core reasons for the Guard’s success. First is consumer insight based on thousands of hours in market, understanding consumer wants, needs and desires. Second is the push to innovate a solution that would delight consumers, not merely satisfy them. Last, is the need to match the model to the market, which in the case of the Gillette Guard required new/appropriate manufacturing, distribution and promotion strategies.