P&G's Gillette brand announces partnership extension with McLaren Mercedes; partnership to cover Europe, Middle East and Africa, create marketing campaign focused on Precision Engineering

Nevin Barich

LONDON , April 15, 2014 (press release) – Gillette, the world's leading male grooming brand, is enhancing its collaboration with McLaren Mercedes, one of the most prestigious and successful teams in F1 history. The two brands are extending their partnership to bring to life an innovative marketing campaign focused on Precision Engineering.

The partnership covers the Europe, Middle East and Africa. Gillette and McLaren, which share an ethos of innovation and precision engineering, are coming together for an exciting new marketing campaign emphasising the ways the two brands push boundaries of technology. With this partnership, the male shaving category will move up a gear.

As the ultimate male grooming and high-technology experts, Gillette and McLaren constantly innovate to achieve greater precision and enhanced performance. Ultimate precision technology and a passion for winning are deeply encoded in the DNA of both brands. Gillette and McLaren lead engineering refinement, whether that's seen in developing blades thinner than a wave length of light, or engineering car components that are accurate tolerances of a fraction of a human hair.

Gillette ushered in the era of modern shaving and for 110 years constantly reinvented the shaving category. McLaren pioneered the first carbon fibre chassis in Formula 1 and introduced advanced electronic systems leading to decades of ground-breaking achievements on the track.

This passion for the best will be further leveraged through a pioneering sports marketing campaign that aims to reach and inspire millions of men with cutting edge communication behind TV, Digital, PR and In-store programs. McLaren Mercedes F1 drivers Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen will engage men's passion for Formula 1 and thrill the millions that enjoy Gillette grooming expertise and superior technology day in, day out.

Eric Boullier, Racing Director at McLaren Mercedes, said: "It is very exciting to be able to announce a new partnership between McLaren Mercedes and Gillette. Gillette is synonymous with precision engineering and with innovation. These are values we hold dear at McLaren as we strive to deliver world beating performance. The fact that a global brand, of the stature of Gillette, has chosen to engage in a major multi-national partnership with McLaren Mercedes is also a reflection of the strength of our brand and our ability to reach millions of avid motorsport fans around the world."

"Gillette has a rich heritage of making men feel and be at their best. We stand for excellence in shaving. We couldn't think of any partner that shares those values more than McLaren Mercedes", commented Hossam Ashour, Gillette Europe, the Middle East and Africa Shave Care Vice President. "For more than 40 years McLaren has innovated in superior engineering and performance. This makes them the ideal partner to demonstrate our belief in the importance of the precision when it comes to shaving."

Like McLaren Mercedes, its Official Partner, Gillette has always applied immaculate detail to every one of its own innovations; engineering and refining products down to the microscopic razor's edge. It is this precision that gives 800 million men across the globe the edge; shaving performance that makes them look, feel and perform at their best. With years of technological and product innovation of this calibre, Gillette has created its most advanced razor ever - as seen in the Gillette Fusion ProGlide, a true advancement in shaving precision and performance.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G touches and improves the lives of about 4.4 billion people around the world with its portfolio of trusted, quality brands. The Company's leadership brands include Gillette(R), Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Fairy(R), Gain(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Braun(R), Febreze(R), and Ambi Pur(R). With operations in about 80 countries, P&G brands are available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About McLaren Mercedes

New Zealand racing driver Bruce McLaren founded the McLaren team in 1963. Since 1966, when it entered its first Formula 1 race, McLaren has won 20 world championships and over 180 grands prix. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013, McLaren is now globally renowned as one of sport's most successful competitors and as one of the world's most illustrious high-technology brands.

The McLaren Group has grown to encompass much more than just motorsport: in addition to McLaren Racing, which has won 182 grands prix and 20 Formula 1 world championships over the past half-century, it houses McLaren Applied Technologies, which supplies the electronic control and data systems to the entire grids in Formula 1 (since 2008), Indycar (since 2007) and Nascar (since 2012) and creates cutting-edge solutions for a wide variety of high-tech industries.

The team campaigns the 2014 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with the driver pairing of 2009 world champion Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen. They drive the McLaren Mercedes MP4-29. Visit http://www.mclaren.com for more details.

Olivia Ciubotariu, IEMEA Shave Care Communications, ciubotariu.oi@pg.com

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