1 00:00:01,958 --> 00:00:03,960 [Narrator] It's a $500 billion worldwide industry. 2 00:00:05,701 --> 00:00:07,920 Different kinds of soap for different kinds of skin. 3 00:00:08,051 --> 00:00:10,010 You'd use one for your face, one for your body, 4 00:00:10,140 --> 00:00:12,142 one for your hands, one for babies. 5 00:00:12,273 --> 00:00:15,145 [Narrator] And 5 trillion razors are used every year. 6 00:00:15,276 --> 00:00:17,582 This is something men do every single day, 7 00:00:17,713 --> 00:00:19,541 day in and day out. 8 00:00:19,671 --> 00:00:21,543 [Narrator] But just before the 20th century, 9 00:00:22,892 --> 00:00:25,677 daily hygiene is almost nonexistent. 10 00:00:25,808 --> 00:00:27,679 Soap is still a luxury. 11 00:00:27,810 --> 00:00:30,334 Very few people have access to it, and when they do, 12 00:00:30,465 --> 00:00:33,250 it could be very dangerous and very corrosive. 13 00:00:33,381 --> 00:00:35,165 They would just use sand and mud 14 00:00:35,296 --> 00:00:37,037 to kind of scrub off the filth. 15 00:00:37,167 --> 00:00:38,473 [Narrator] Until two candle makers 16 00:00:38,603 --> 00:00:40,997 named Procter and Gamble 17 00:00:41,128 --> 00:00:44,218 stumble onto one of the biggest breakthroughs of all time. 18 00:00:45,697 --> 00:00:48,570 Ivory soap was originally an accident. 19 00:00:48,700 --> 00:00:50,006 [Narrator] Which becomes America's 20 00:00:50,137 --> 00:00:52,530 first nationally advertised product. 21 00:00:52,661 --> 00:00:56,012 It paved the way for the personal care industry 22 00:00:56,143 --> 00:01:00,016 as we see it, not only for soaps, but also for hair care, 23 00:01:00,147 --> 00:01:02,192 cosmetics and shaving products. 24 00:01:04,281 --> 00:01:07,502 [Narrator] Plus, two rivals wage a war. 25 00:01:07,632 --> 00:01:10,026 Shaving is a very dangerous enterprise. 26 00:01:10,157 --> 00:01:13,943 An open blade tap dancing across your most vital veins 27 00:01:14,074 --> 00:01:15,727 in your neck. 28 00:01:15,858 --> 00:01:17,164 [Narrator] Which spawns one of the greatest innovations 29 00:01:17,294 --> 00:01:18,426 of the century. 30 00:01:18,556 --> 00:01:20,167 Schick comes up with a brilliant idea. 31 00:01:20,297 --> 00:01:23,344 King C. Gillette didn't like competition at all. 32 00:01:23,474 --> 00:01:24,736 Schick and Gillette. 33 00:01:24,867 --> 00:01:27,217 Two titans battling it out. 34 00:01:27,348 --> 00:01:30,699 [Narrator] They'll harness the power of new technologies. 35 00:01:30,829 --> 00:01:32,918 [Yohuru] This is a major gamble on Schick's part. 36 00:01:33,049 --> 00:01:34,833 Basically, he's laughed at. 37 00:01:34,964 --> 00:01:36,705 [Narrator] Help win a world war. 38 00:01:38,228 --> 00:01:40,274 He does something that most people couldn't imagine. 39 00:01:40,404 --> 00:01:42,145 [Narrator] And transform body care 40 00:01:42,276 --> 00:01:44,887 and cleanliness on a global scale. 41 00:01:45,017 --> 00:01:46,715 Everyone's telling you it's not gonna work. 42 00:01:46,845 --> 00:01:48,543 Talk about a risk taker. 43 00:01:48,673 --> 00:01:49,979 This is impossible. 44 00:01:51,328 --> 00:01:52,286 Until it isn't. 45 00:01:54,462 --> 00:01:56,942 [intense music] 46 00:02:15,744 --> 00:02:17,615 [Narrator] In the mid 1800s, 47 00:02:17,746 --> 00:02:20,923 daily life is a laborious struggle for most Americans. 48 00:02:22,316 --> 00:02:24,535 It's a time when much of the United States workforce 49 00:02:24,666 --> 00:02:26,233 is still doing manual labor, 50 00:02:26,363 --> 00:02:27,886 so they are literally earning their keep 51 00:02:28,017 --> 00:02:29,497 by the sweat of their brow. 52 00:02:29,627 --> 00:02:31,803 Compared to today, the mid 19th century 53 00:02:31,934 --> 00:02:34,241 was a very filthy, smelly time. 54 00:02:34,371 --> 00:02:36,068 [Narrator] While living and working conditions 55 00:02:36,199 --> 00:02:38,506 are difficult and often unsanitary, 56 00:02:38,636 --> 00:02:41,248 hygiene has not yet entered the public consciousness. 57 00:02:41,378 --> 00:02:43,380 People don't have indoor toilets. 58 00:02:43,511 --> 00:02:45,339 They're lucky if they have an outhouse. 59 00:02:45,469 --> 00:02:46,731 They don't have running water. 60 00:02:46,862 --> 00:02:48,907 Water is dirty, it's not clean. 61 00:02:49,038 --> 00:02:51,040 They are in an environment that's filthy. 62 00:02:52,868 --> 00:02:55,305 People would do their laundry in a cooking pot 63 00:02:55,436 --> 00:02:59,614 and then rinse it out and then cook that evening's dinner. 64 00:02:59,744 --> 00:03:01,224 When immigrants arrive at Ellis Island 65 00:03:01,355 --> 00:03:03,618 in search of this idyllic America, 66 00:03:03,748 --> 00:03:06,751 I doubt they thought about the lice, and the vermin, 67 00:03:06,882 --> 00:03:09,972 the rats, the roaches, the maggots 68 00:03:10,102 --> 00:03:13,410 that are literally more abundant in American cities 69 00:03:13,541 --> 00:03:15,238 than people. 70 00:03:15,369 --> 00:03:16,979 [Narrator] Over 80 years before government health offices 71 00:03:17,109 --> 00:03:20,287 like the CDC are formed to provide guidance, 72 00:03:20,417 --> 00:03:23,594 myths about proper hygiene run rampant. 73 00:03:23,725 --> 00:03:25,379 There's a lot of conflicting information 74 00:03:25,509 --> 00:03:27,337 about what is in fact healthy for you. 75 00:03:27,468 --> 00:03:29,861 So some people are beginning to advocate regular bathing, 76 00:03:29,992 --> 00:03:31,428 but others are saying, no, no, no. 77 00:03:31,559 --> 00:03:34,431 That's gonna shock one's system and it's not good for you. 78 00:03:34,562 --> 00:03:35,606 [Narrator] And the lack of hygiene 79 00:03:35,737 --> 00:03:37,782 is having lethal consequences 80 00:03:37,913 --> 00:03:40,132 as diseases like typhoid fever, 81 00:03:40,263 --> 00:03:42,918 dysentery, and tuberculosis spread. 82 00:03:44,136 --> 00:03:45,616 We look at environmental hazards 83 00:03:45,747 --> 00:03:47,749 as things that build up over time, right? 84 00:03:47,879 --> 00:03:49,011 You're exposed to something, 85 00:03:49,141 --> 00:03:51,448 eventually it leads to cancer 86 00:03:51,579 --> 00:03:53,755 or something that is really life-threatening. 87 00:03:53,885 --> 00:03:54,973 That wasn't their problem 88 00:03:55,104 --> 00:03:56,714 because they didn't live that long. 89 00:03:56,845 --> 00:03:59,239 They were facing things that would kill them in a few days. 90 00:04:02,111 --> 00:04:03,982 [Narrator] In Ohio, 91 00:04:04,113 --> 00:04:06,898 two men are running a struggling candle making business. 92 00:04:08,770 --> 00:04:12,991 James is this intellectual forward thinker, leader. 93 00:04:13,122 --> 00:04:14,471 He was interested in chemistry, 94 00:04:14,602 --> 00:04:17,779 so he went to pursue a PhD in chemistry. 95 00:04:17,909 --> 00:04:19,215 He never finished it 96 00:04:19,346 --> 00:04:22,087 because he came back to run his family business. 97 00:04:22,218 --> 00:04:26,353 Harley comes into the business and has all these ideas 98 00:04:26,483 --> 00:04:28,224 and being the businessman and the salesman, 99 00:04:28,355 --> 00:04:30,095 he wanted to grow and succeed. 100 00:04:30,226 --> 00:04:33,011 Harley had all these visions about better marketing 101 00:04:33,142 --> 00:04:36,232 and making them an incredible, successful company. 102 00:04:36,363 --> 00:04:40,671 [Narrator] Their names, Harley Procter and James Gamble, 103 00:04:40,802 --> 00:04:44,675 will one day emblazen iconic products the world over, 104 00:04:44,806 --> 00:04:48,070 from soap, to medicine, to batteries. 105 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:50,594 Their innovations will birth a new industry 106 00:04:50,725 --> 00:04:53,815 and generate over $83 billion, 107 00:04:53,945 --> 00:04:57,427 becoming the largest seller of consumer goods on the planet. 108 00:04:58,559 --> 00:05:00,038 But in 1879, 109 00:05:01,475 --> 00:05:05,653 sales of their only product are plummeting fast. 110 00:05:05,783 --> 00:05:08,003 1878, Paris lights up its streets 111 00:05:08,133 --> 00:05:10,005 with the first electric street lamps. 112 00:05:10,135 --> 00:05:13,487 A year later, Edison comes out with the electric light bulb. 113 00:05:13,617 --> 00:05:15,880 As electricity becomes more prevalent, 114 00:05:16,011 --> 00:05:17,447 they realize pretty quickly 115 00:05:17,578 --> 00:05:19,841 this candle gig isn't gonna last forever. 116 00:05:21,669 --> 00:05:23,584 We had cassette tapes and then you go from a Walkman 117 00:05:23,714 --> 00:05:28,197 to a Discman to an iPod in rapid succession. 118 00:05:28,328 --> 00:05:30,330 The same is true for the candle. 119 00:05:30,460 --> 00:05:32,636 It's almost overnight that this becomes a relic. 120 00:05:33,550 --> 00:05:35,160 And Procter and Gamble 121 00:05:35,291 --> 00:05:37,337 realized there's gotta be a way to find a new opportunity. 122 00:05:40,514 --> 00:05:42,298 [Narrator] Hunting for a new product, 123 00:05:42,429 --> 00:05:45,040 Gamble searches for a way to use raw materials 124 00:05:45,170 --> 00:05:46,781 they already have on hand. 125 00:05:47,869 --> 00:05:48,870 Anything? 126 00:05:52,439 --> 00:05:55,224 Procter and Gamble recognize that they have a lot invested 127 00:05:55,355 --> 00:05:57,313 in candles and the question is, 128 00:05:57,444 --> 00:05:59,054 can they take this investment 129 00:05:59,184 --> 00:06:01,317 and make it profitable in the production of something else, 130 00:06:01,448 --> 00:06:03,014 something that's future looking? 131 00:06:06,496 --> 00:06:08,585 [pensive music] 132 00:06:08,716 --> 00:06:11,371 [Narrator] Then, Gamble hits on an idea. 133 00:06:13,329 --> 00:06:16,854 He realized that they used the same raw materials. 134 00:06:16,985 --> 00:06:19,596 The fat used to make candles is similar in soap. 135 00:06:19,727 --> 00:06:23,905 So pivoting from candles to soap makes a lot of sense. 136 00:06:26,124 --> 00:06:28,475 The chemistry is pretty complex. 137 00:06:28,605 --> 00:06:31,565 Both businesses rely upon the oils and fats. 138 00:06:33,654 --> 00:06:35,612 [Narrator] Gamble thinks he can do something new 139 00:06:35,743 --> 00:06:38,876 with a product that is not yet commonly used on the body. 140 00:06:40,356 --> 00:06:42,227 Some soap makers would use a combination 141 00:06:42,358 --> 00:06:43,838 of ash and lye in the soap 142 00:06:43,968 --> 00:06:46,101 to kind of hold the brick of soap together. 143 00:06:47,929 --> 00:06:49,931 But the problem with lye is that it's very dangerous 144 00:06:50,061 --> 00:06:51,411 and very corrosive. 145 00:06:51,541 --> 00:06:53,717 If you get that mixture wrong, 146 00:06:53,848 --> 00:06:56,938 you actually produce something that can dissolve a human body. 147 00:06:58,200 --> 00:06:59,549 [Narrator] At the time, 148 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:02,900 soap is the same all-purpose item for most Americans. 149 00:07:03,031 --> 00:07:05,337 You used it for laundry, used it for cleaning your house, 150 00:07:05,468 --> 00:07:06,948 you used it for basically anything 151 00:07:07,078 --> 00:07:09,124 that you could possibly clean. 152 00:07:09,254 --> 00:07:10,430 [Narrator] For the few who do attempt 153 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:11,779 to use soap on their skin, 154 00:07:13,128 --> 00:07:16,392 washing is infrequent and unmanageable. 155 00:07:16,523 --> 00:07:18,786 People were bathing in streams, 156 00:07:18,916 --> 00:07:20,788 in rivers that were murky. 157 00:07:20,918 --> 00:07:23,791 Soap would fall to the bottom, 158 00:07:23,921 --> 00:07:26,315 you could dig around and try to find it. 159 00:07:26,446 --> 00:07:27,708 So it's not easy. 160 00:07:27,838 --> 00:07:30,014 Sometimes they would just use sand and mud 161 00:07:30,145 --> 00:07:32,234 to kind of scrub off the filth. 162 00:07:32,364 --> 00:07:35,890 [Narrator] Procter and Gamble are poised to change the world 163 00:07:36,020 --> 00:07:39,067 if they can figure out how to make an everyday soap 164 00:07:39,197 --> 00:07:40,590 for all Americans. 165 00:07:44,159 --> 00:07:47,379 Meanwhile, even the simple task of shaving 166 00:07:47,510 --> 00:07:49,469 is not yet a daily routine for men. 167 00:07:51,645 --> 00:07:53,864 So at this period, being clean shaven, 168 00:07:53,995 --> 00:07:56,998 confers that extra level of professionalism 169 00:07:57,128 --> 00:07:58,652 that was ever more valuable. 170 00:07:58,782 --> 00:08:00,915 But shaving was a high risk activity. 171 00:08:02,351 --> 00:08:04,745 [Narrator] In Boston, a traveling salesman 172 00:08:04,875 --> 00:08:06,268 for a bottle cap company 173 00:08:06,398 --> 00:08:09,140 dreams of one day owning his own business. 174 00:08:09,271 --> 00:08:11,403 His father was an inventor 175 00:08:11,534 --> 00:08:14,058 and his father sort of instilled within him 176 00:08:14,189 --> 00:08:18,062 this entrepreneurial spirit from a very young age. 177 00:08:18,193 --> 00:08:20,325 He was excited about the world of commerce 178 00:08:20,456 --> 00:08:22,110 and like many men of his time, 179 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:24,112 he was sort of obsessed with inventing. 180 00:08:27,028 --> 00:08:29,683 He was, I think above all else, a salesman, 181 00:08:29,813 --> 00:08:31,511 but he was an idea man. 182 00:08:33,382 --> 00:08:35,427 So that was really his mission in life. 183 00:08:35,558 --> 00:08:39,301 But he's still selling stuff and then he's shaving 184 00:08:39,431 --> 00:08:41,608 and he thought, this could be better. 185 00:08:41,738 --> 00:08:43,305 [razor clicks] [winces] 186 00:08:43,435 --> 00:08:44,828 [Narrator] While the device he uses 187 00:08:44,959 --> 00:08:47,483 is considered cutting edge technology at the time, 188 00:08:47,614 --> 00:08:51,182 shaving hasn't progressed very much since its inception. 189 00:08:51,313 --> 00:08:53,533 You can go back and you can look at Egyptian hieroglyphics 190 00:08:53,663 --> 00:08:55,665 and you can see people who look like barbers 191 00:08:55,796 --> 00:08:58,320 wielding tools like long straight razors, 192 00:08:58,450 --> 00:09:01,541 sort of held to the customer's neck for that clean shave. 193 00:09:01,671 --> 00:09:04,021 Traditionally, barbers were also surgeons. 194 00:09:04,152 --> 00:09:06,023 They did both at the same time. 195 00:09:06,154 --> 00:09:08,635 And it wasn't until around the founding of America 196 00:09:08,765 --> 00:09:11,115 that those two professions became distinct. 197 00:09:11,246 --> 00:09:15,337 And modern barbering began, but it was expensive. 198 00:09:15,467 --> 00:09:17,208 [Narrator] Shaving in the 19th century 199 00:09:17,339 --> 00:09:18,949 was less for ordinary citizens 200 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:21,082 and more for men of higher status. 201 00:09:21,212 --> 00:09:23,171 American military figures 202 00:09:23,301 --> 00:09:25,565 become really taken with interesting shape beards 203 00:09:25,695 --> 00:09:27,828 and it becomes a reflection of one's status. 204 00:09:27,958 --> 00:09:29,090 The most famous example 205 00:09:29,220 --> 00:09:31,005 is probably General Ambrose Burnside, 206 00:09:31,135 --> 00:09:34,051 who grows this huge, interesting beard. 207 00:09:34,182 --> 00:09:35,705 Basically giant sideburns 208 00:09:35,836 --> 00:09:38,055 and that's where we get the word sideburns. 209 00:09:39,448 --> 00:09:40,405 [Narrator] And while shaving oneself at home 210 00:09:40,536 --> 00:09:43,147 becomes possible by 1900, 211 00:09:43,278 --> 00:09:46,020 it's still a far less appealing option. 212 00:09:46,150 --> 00:09:48,370 Shaving is a very dangerous enterprise. 213 00:09:48,500 --> 00:09:50,764 People not only sustain the kind of minor nicks 214 00:09:50,894 --> 00:09:52,983 and cuts that we associate with modern shaving, 215 00:09:53,114 --> 00:09:55,943 but literally one slip of the razor 216 00:09:56,073 --> 00:09:58,859 and it could be a very serious injury. 217 00:09:58,989 --> 00:10:01,818 The straight razors are quite difficult to use. 218 00:10:01,949 --> 00:10:04,038 Shaving was a pain in the butt. 219 00:10:04,168 --> 00:10:06,475 The blades, you know, they could get rusty. 220 00:10:06,606 --> 00:10:08,346 They were big, heavy things, 221 00:10:08,477 --> 00:10:11,219 would take you up to 30 minutes to shave. 222 00:10:11,349 --> 00:10:14,222 A straight razor is basically just an open blade 223 00:10:14,352 --> 00:10:18,313 that you are tap dancing across your most vital veins 224 00:10:18,443 --> 00:10:19,880 in your neck. 225 00:10:20,010 --> 00:10:22,056 So most men went to barbershops to get it done. 226 00:10:23,666 --> 00:10:25,973 [Narrator] And now, even at the cusp of the 20th century, 227 00:10:26,103 --> 00:10:28,366 the most advanced razor in history 228 00:10:28,497 --> 00:10:30,542 is anything but convenient. 229 00:10:30,673 --> 00:10:32,370 It's called the Star Traveling Razor, 230 00:10:32,501 --> 00:10:35,460 was actually the first safety razor of all time. 231 00:10:35,591 --> 00:10:39,856 It was a handheld razor that had a kind of T shape 232 00:10:39,987 --> 00:10:43,381 and it required you to remove the blades 233 00:10:43,512 --> 00:10:45,079 and you would take that blade 234 00:10:45,209 --> 00:10:48,212 and you would strop it every time you used it 235 00:10:48,343 --> 00:10:48,778 to get it as sharp as possible 236 00:10:49,257 --> 00:10:49,910 to get it as sharp as possible 237 00:10:51,128 --> 00:10:54,436 by taking a strop, which is a long, thin piece of leather 238 00:10:54,566 --> 00:10:57,918 and kind of whetting the blade against it many, many times. 239 00:10:58,048 --> 00:10:59,833 It's a very, very cumbersome process. 240 00:11:01,965 --> 00:11:06,187 The sharpening process was A, extraordinarily dangerous, 241 00:11:06,317 --> 00:11:07,797 and B, not very effective. 242 00:11:09,843 --> 00:11:11,845 [tense music] 243 00:11:17,894 --> 00:11:19,330 [Narrator] This bottle cap salesman 244 00:11:19,461 --> 00:11:22,377 will one day turn shaving into an everyday occurrence. 245 00:11:23,900 --> 00:11:25,989 Building an industry with a company 246 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,690 that sells 26 million razors a year and is worth $7 billion. 247 00:11:32,692 --> 00:11:35,869 His name is King C. Gillette. 248 00:11:41,962 --> 00:11:42,658 [Narrator] In the late 1870s, 249 00:11:43,615 --> 00:11:45,879 with electricity threatening their candle business, 250 00:11:46,009 --> 00:11:49,621 Procter and Gamble are racing to come up with a new product. 251 00:11:49,752 --> 00:11:53,060 Soap's made in great, big, giant cakes. 252 00:11:53,190 --> 00:11:56,759 And then they cut a piece and give you a chunk, right? 253 00:11:56,890 --> 00:11:58,935 And James Gamble keeps thinking, 254 00:11:59,066 --> 00:12:00,415 how can we make a better soap? 255 00:12:01,764 --> 00:12:02,852 [Narrator] Gamble's planning to create 256 00:12:02,983 --> 00:12:05,028 a groundbreaking bar of soap, 257 00:12:05,159 --> 00:12:08,162 one that's safe and also convenient enough 258 00:12:08,292 --> 00:12:11,469 for the average person to start using every day. 259 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:13,950 It's not just as easy to flip a switch 260 00:12:14,081 --> 00:12:17,562 and go from making candles to making soap. 261 00:12:17,693 --> 00:12:20,696 You have to figure out the logistical challenges, 262 00:12:20,827 --> 00:12:22,132 the manufacturing challenges. 263 00:12:22,263 --> 00:12:23,873 Anytime you're the leader, 264 00:12:24,004 --> 00:12:26,658 there's always this voice in the back of your head saying, 265 00:12:26,789 --> 00:12:29,531 "Hey, are you doing the right thing?" 266 00:12:29,661 --> 00:12:31,663 [Narrator] Gamble is attempting to make a new soap 267 00:12:31,794 --> 00:12:34,362 formulated just for cleaning your skin. 268 00:12:34,492 --> 00:12:37,931 Soaps in this period were made of substances 269 00:12:38,061 --> 00:12:39,889 we'd probably consider dangerous today. 270 00:12:40,020 --> 00:12:43,023 And the idea was to scrub yourself to get yourself clean. 271 00:12:43,153 --> 00:12:45,677 But some of these agents, lye in particular, 272 00:12:45,808 --> 00:12:48,071 were so dangerous. 273 00:12:48,202 --> 00:12:50,726 [Narrator] Lye and pine rosin in soaps at the time 274 00:12:50,857 --> 00:12:51,901 turn them yellow. 275 00:12:53,076 --> 00:12:54,948 But Gamble tests an additive 276 00:12:55,078 --> 00:12:57,428 that he believes will be gentler on skin 277 00:12:57,559 --> 00:12:59,866 called silicate of soda. 278 00:12:59,996 --> 00:13:03,217 And it makes his mixture pure white. 279 00:13:03,347 --> 00:13:06,698 There's one final ingredient found in soaps at the time, 280 00:13:06,829 --> 00:13:08,222 but it's expensive. 281 00:13:08,352 --> 00:13:10,441 So Gamble looks for an alternative 282 00:13:10,572 --> 00:13:13,314 with materials he has on hand. 283 00:13:13,444 --> 00:13:15,098 The candle business went down. 284 00:13:15,229 --> 00:13:17,361 So they had all this stuff 285 00:13:17,492 --> 00:13:20,800 and different chemicals and oils and fats. 286 00:13:20,930 --> 00:13:23,237 [Narrator] Gamble decides to replace olive oil 287 00:13:23,367 --> 00:13:24,978 with cotton seed oil. 288 00:13:25,108 --> 00:13:29,025 He realizes, wait a minute, it's readily available. 289 00:13:29,156 --> 00:13:31,158 It's not all that expensive. 290 00:13:31,288 --> 00:13:35,336 He can create a special kind of soap. 291 00:13:35,466 --> 00:13:36,903 Throughout history, 292 00:13:37,033 --> 00:13:39,775 you realize that amidst all the innovation 293 00:13:39,906 --> 00:13:41,646 and all the inspiration and all the perspiration 294 00:13:41,777 --> 00:13:43,213 is improvisation. 295 00:13:43,344 --> 00:13:46,216 And you realize that very often 296 00:13:46,347 --> 00:13:50,568 these incredible leaders took existing technology, 297 00:13:50,699 --> 00:13:54,746 took existing know-how and learned how to pivot. 298 00:13:54,877 --> 00:13:57,488 [Narrator] Procter and Gamble believe they've cracked the code 299 00:13:57,619 --> 00:13:59,839 on an inexpensive, gentle soap 300 00:13:59,969 --> 00:14:02,842 that ordinary Americans can finally use every day. 301 00:14:06,367 --> 00:14:08,021 It's a product that will dominate 302 00:14:08,151 --> 00:14:10,023 the modern soap industry, 303 00:14:10,153 --> 00:14:14,549 eventually bringing in annual revenue of $112 million. 304 00:14:17,769 --> 00:14:22,383 I call it Procter Gamble's White Soap. 305 00:14:26,256 --> 00:14:28,519 Okay, well what says clean and fresh to you? 306 00:14:33,829 --> 00:14:34,874 Ah. 307 00:14:37,050 --> 00:14:38,051 Ah-ha. 308 00:14:42,882 --> 00:14:46,233 All thy garments, smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia. 309 00:14:46,363 --> 00:14:48,844 It was from a Bible quote. 310 00:14:48,975 --> 00:14:50,802 Out of the ivory palaces 311 00:14:50,933 --> 00:14:53,066 whereby they have made thee glad. 312 00:14:53,196 --> 00:14:55,242 Procter and Gamble really imbued soap 313 00:14:55,372 --> 00:14:58,767 with the idea that cleanliness is as close to godliness 314 00:14:58,898 --> 00:14:59,899 as you can get. 315 00:15:00,029 --> 00:15:01,117 Ivory. 316 00:15:02,379 --> 00:15:04,120 [Narrator] But now, Procter and Gamble 317 00:15:04,251 --> 00:15:05,817 have to figure out how to convince people 318 00:15:05,948 --> 00:15:08,429 to use their soap daily. 319 00:15:08,559 --> 00:15:11,258 So actually Procter and Gamble had to think really hard 320 00:15:11,388 --> 00:15:13,042 about how to sell this new product 321 00:15:13,173 --> 00:15:14,435 that no one knew they needed. 322 00:15:18,439 --> 00:15:20,615 [tense music] 323 00:15:25,576 --> 00:15:28,275 [Narrator] As they start mass production, 324 00:15:28,405 --> 00:15:32,932 one flawed batch is about to offer a unique marketing idea. 325 00:15:37,110 --> 00:15:41,418 They had left the soap making device on for too long 326 00:15:41,549 --> 00:15:43,594 and it ended up becoming mixed 327 00:15:43,725 --> 00:15:46,249 for much, much longer than a soap is normally mixed. 328 00:15:47,381 --> 00:15:48,730 And the resulting product 329 00:15:48,860 --> 00:15:52,125 was something that was very, very interesting. 330 00:15:52,255 --> 00:15:53,691 Okay, I'm here. 331 00:15:53,822 --> 00:15:55,955 What's so important I had to come in on Sunday? 332 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:01,090 [Narrator] The extra time in the mixer 333 00:16:01,221 --> 00:16:04,659 infused the soap with more air, making it lighter. 334 00:16:08,010 --> 00:16:10,143 [laughs] - Incredible. 335 00:16:12,058 --> 00:16:15,017 It was so light that if you dropped it in a body of water, 336 00:16:15,148 --> 00:16:17,280 it would float right up to the top. 337 00:16:17,411 --> 00:16:20,892 This may sound funny, but the discovery of floating soap, 338 00:16:21,023 --> 00:16:22,633 is truly a game changer. 339 00:16:22,764 --> 00:16:24,548 It's a really big deal. 340 00:16:24,679 --> 00:16:26,420 If you pay for a bar of soap 341 00:16:26,550 --> 00:16:28,988 and you're bathing and it sinks to the bottom of the lake 342 00:16:29,118 --> 00:16:31,207 where you can't get it, that's a problem. 343 00:16:31,338 --> 00:16:32,774 [Narrator] This unintended breakthrough 344 00:16:32,904 --> 00:16:35,255 offers the partners a distinct way 345 00:16:35,385 --> 00:16:37,431 to pitch their product to consumers. 346 00:16:37,561 --> 00:16:39,215 [laughing] 347 00:16:39,346 --> 00:16:41,609 The fact that ivory soap floats 348 00:16:41,739 --> 00:16:44,829 becomes one of these genius marketing tools and conveniences 349 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:48,572 that make it almost indispensable in the market. 350 00:16:48,703 --> 00:16:51,140 [Narrator] On July 18th, 1879, 351 00:16:51,271 --> 00:16:54,143 P trademarks the name ivory. 352 00:16:54,274 --> 00:16:57,016 Their precut and individually wrapped white soap 353 00:16:57,146 --> 00:17:01,890 hits area general stores at 5 cents for a 10 ounce bar. 354 00:17:02,021 --> 00:17:05,241 Procter and Gamble really put a huge emphasis on branding 355 00:17:05,372 --> 00:17:07,330 and advertising of the soap. 356 00:17:07,461 --> 00:17:08,940 Ivory is not only white, 357 00:17:09,071 --> 00:17:10,638 but it kind of floats to the surface. 358 00:17:10,768 --> 00:17:13,119 So you can imagine that that kind of promotes this image 359 00:17:13,249 --> 00:17:16,165 of purity and naturalness and kind of lightness. 360 00:17:16,296 --> 00:17:19,342 You're not coating yourself with some greasy, lardy soap. 361 00:17:19,473 --> 00:17:22,519 This is this kind of light new, innovative product. 362 00:17:22,650 --> 00:17:24,521 [Narrator] As they try to break into more markets, 363 00:17:24,652 --> 00:17:28,438 they begin an aggressive ad campaign for ivory soap. 364 00:17:28,569 --> 00:17:32,051 We saw personal care marketed first with ivory 365 00:17:32,181 --> 00:17:35,793 and this soap is soft and gentle 366 00:17:35,924 --> 00:17:39,449 and you could use for yourself and your children 367 00:17:39,580 --> 00:17:41,277 every day, every other day. 368 00:17:41,408 --> 00:17:44,498 And ivory soap sold like crazy. 369 00:17:44,628 --> 00:17:46,108 And then finally the big breakthrough 370 00:17:46,239 --> 00:17:47,762 is Procter and Gamble's ivory soap 371 00:17:47,892 --> 00:17:49,981 was the first national campaign. 372 00:17:50,112 --> 00:17:52,593 They advertised in Century Magazine, 373 00:17:52,723 --> 00:17:55,030 which was one of the most powerful magazines of the era. 374 00:17:55,161 --> 00:17:57,467 That had a circulation of 200,000. 375 00:17:57,598 --> 00:18:00,383 Ivory soap became truly a national brand. 376 00:18:00,514 --> 00:18:02,777 And there's no question it was one of the first. 377 00:18:04,300 --> 00:18:06,824 [Narrator] As the first brand with a national ad campaign, 378 00:18:06,955 --> 00:18:11,742 sales in the first year, 1879, top $3 million. 379 00:18:11,873 --> 00:18:14,005 They are almost single-handedly 380 00:18:14,136 --> 00:18:16,921 changing American hygiene habits. 381 00:18:17,052 --> 00:18:19,837 Ivory is taking out ads that have instructions 382 00:18:19,968 --> 00:18:21,622 of how to wash yourself. 383 00:18:21,752 --> 00:18:24,538 So this was this new practice they had to teach people, 384 00:18:24,668 --> 00:18:26,235 hey, you lather it up, 385 00:18:26,366 --> 00:18:29,499 you put water on yourself first, then you wash your body. 386 00:18:29,630 --> 00:18:33,416 Procter and Gamble was teaching people these new habits. 387 00:18:33,547 --> 00:18:35,940 [Narrator] As daily bathing becomes inclusive for all, 388 00:18:36,071 --> 00:18:38,421 sales of ivory explode. 389 00:18:38,552 --> 00:18:43,209 And Procter Gamble are producing 200,000 bars a day, 390 00:18:43,339 --> 00:18:46,342 turning P into a national powerhouse. 391 00:18:46,473 --> 00:18:48,562 It was one of the first companies outside the railroads 392 00:18:48,692 --> 00:18:51,869 to go public, you could buy stock in, in 1890. 393 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:55,395 So these guys were already becoming big. 394 00:18:55,525 --> 00:18:57,962 [Narrator] And now, ivory soap has transformed 395 00:18:58,093 --> 00:19:00,051 a small candle making company 396 00:19:00,182 --> 00:19:02,576 into the largest beauty and personal care company 397 00:19:02,706 --> 00:19:03,838 in the world. 398 00:19:03,968 --> 00:19:05,840 I think without a shadow of a doubt, 399 00:19:05,970 --> 00:19:08,364 that ivory soap paved the way 400 00:19:08,495 --> 00:19:11,367 for the personal care industry as we see it, 401 00:19:11,498 --> 00:19:14,718 not only for soaps, but also for hair care, 402 00:19:14,849 --> 00:19:16,764 cosmetics, all those sorts of things. 403 00:19:16,894 --> 00:19:18,418 Because ivory soap 404 00:19:18,548 --> 00:19:22,726 really, really leaned in to a brand, right? 405 00:19:22,857 --> 00:19:24,641 And a brand is distinct from a product 406 00:19:24,772 --> 00:19:26,469 because the product is what you can hold in your hand. 407 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,777 But a brand is the cleanest soap 408 00:19:29,907 --> 00:19:31,170 you can buy at the grocery store. 409 00:19:31,300 --> 00:19:32,954 [Narrator] P will eventually go on 410 00:19:33,084 --> 00:19:36,392 to create even more inventive advertising campaigns, 411 00:19:36,523 --> 00:19:39,787 using emerging platforms like radio and TV. 412 00:19:39,917 --> 00:19:43,138 Procter Gamble would advertise to the housewives 413 00:19:43,269 --> 00:19:44,879 their soaps and household cleaning products 414 00:19:45,009 --> 00:19:46,620 during their commercial breaks. 415 00:19:46,750 --> 00:19:50,885 These very dramatic, serial installments of shows 416 00:19:51,015 --> 00:19:54,497 became known as soap operas. 417 00:19:54,628 --> 00:19:56,238 [Narrator] Their clever marketing campaigns 418 00:19:56,369 --> 00:19:58,849 will help catapult their popular brands 419 00:19:58,980 --> 00:20:01,287 like Tide, Charmin, and Pampers, 420 00:20:01,417 --> 00:20:04,203 turning P into one of the most profitable companies 421 00:20:04,333 --> 00:20:08,337 in the world with revenue of over $80 billion 422 00:20:08,468 --> 00:20:11,688 and a commanding share of nearly half of the entire market. 423 00:20:14,300 --> 00:20:18,652 Meanwhile, in 1900, despite the growing hygiene market, 424 00:20:18,782 --> 00:20:21,132 shaving options have not advanced. 425 00:20:21,263 --> 00:20:24,962 And King C. Gillette is determined to change that. 426 00:20:25,093 --> 00:20:27,095 He himself was a tinkerer. 427 00:20:28,575 --> 00:20:31,230 He wanted to create something convenient. 428 00:20:32,970 --> 00:20:35,016 [Narrator] Gillette invests all of his savings 429 00:20:35,146 --> 00:20:37,018 into creating a stronger blade 430 00:20:37,148 --> 00:20:39,020 that won't need daily sharpening. 431 00:20:39,150 --> 00:20:41,762 He gets advice and he tries to make his first prototype. 432 00:20:41,892 --> 00:20:43,329 He goes out to a hardware store 433 00:20:43,459 --> 00:20:45,592 and he gets all of this metal ribbon. 434 00:20:47,550 --> 00:20:50,205 He really worked at it for a couple of years, 435 00:20:50,336 --> 00:20:52,338 talks to many different manufacturers 436 00:20:52,468 --> 00:20:54,122 and all of them say, 437 00:20:54,253 --> 00:20:56,429 we cannot make a metal that is strong, 438 00:20:56,559 --> 00:20:59,910 pliable, and would last longer. 439 00:21:00,041 --> 00:21:01,825 It simply cannot be done. 440 00:21:01,956 --> 00:21:04,132 [tense music] 441 00:21:12,923 --> 00:21:15,317 [Narrator] So Gillette pursues a new idea, 442 00:21:15,448 --> 00:21:17,145 unprecedented at the time. 443 00:21:18,712 --> 00:21:22,890 He realized that if he could create something 444 00:21:23,020 --> 00:21:26,937 that was much cheaper and more affordable, 445 00:21:27,068 --> 00:21:30,332 then you could just throw it in trash and replace it. 446 00:21:30,463 --> 00:21:32,595 [Narrator] It's a game-changing idea 447 00:21:32,726 --> 00:21:34,902 that will be imitated in other industries 448 00:21:35,032 --> 00:21:39,559 for decades to come, a disposable razor blade. 449 00:21:39,689 --> 00:21:42,779 But first, he has to figure out how to make it. 450 00:21:42,910 --> 00:21:44,738 Gillette's disposable blade 451 00:21:44,868 --> 00:21:47,436 was from the outset, a challenge. 452 00:21:47,567 --> 00:21:52,311 You had to make a very, very thin and pliable steel blade. 453 00:21:53,616 --> 00:21:55,052 [Narrator] To help bring his vision 454 00:21:55,183 --> 00:21:57,403 of the thinnest razor blade on the market to life, 455 00:21:57,533 --> 00:22:00,188 Gillette turns to an expert in the field, 456 00:22:00,319 --> 00:22:03,409 MIT engineer, William Nickerson. 457 00:22:03,539 --> 00:22:05,454 Now, you're just the man for this job. 458 00:22:07,151 --> 00:22:08,239 What do you say? 459 00:22:09,502 --> 00:22:11,852 Gillette, like any smart entrepreneur, 460 00:22:11,982 --> 00:22:13,984 knew that he needed other talents. 461 00:22:14,115 --> 00:22:16,509 He had an inventor's mindset, 462 00:22:16,639 --> 00:22:18,772 but still, he didn't know anything about machining steel. 463 00:22:18,902 --> 00:22:20,948 He didn't know anything about how to put a sharp edge 464 00:22:21,078 --> 00:22:23,211 on a little, tiny, thin piece of steel. 465 00:22:24,604 --> 00:22:26,519 Respectfully, Mr. Gillette, 466 00:22:30,044 --> 00:22:32,046 this is impossible. 467 00:22:35,484 --> 00:22:36,529 Until it isn't. 468 00:22:43,710 --> 00:22:45,146 [Narrator] It's the early 1900s 469 00:22:45,276 --> 00:22:47,583 and since the launch of Procter and Gamble's Ivory soap, 470 00:22:47,714 --> 00:22:50,369 America's views on hygiene are changing. 471 00:22:50,499 --> 00:22:52,153 This is a critical turning point, 472 00:22:52,283 --> 00:22:54,460 one that will have a very important effect 473 00:22:54,590 --> 00:22:56,462 on the way that we think about hygiene 474 00:22:56,592 --> 00:22:58,594 and controlling infectious disease. 475 00:22:58,725 --> 00:23:00,988 More and more Americans are bathing with soap. 476 00:23:01,118 --> 00:23:03,164 They are cleaner, they're dressed better, 477 00:23:03,294 --> 00:23:05,862 and hygiene in many ways is a reflection of one's status. 478 00:23:05,993 --> 00:23:07,298 And these are gonna be markers 479 00:23:07,429 --> 00:23:08,952 of a more sophisticated lifestyle. 480 00:23:09,083 --> 00:23:11,390 [tense music] 481 00:23:15,089 --> 00:23:17,874 When King C. Gillette was probably in his 20s, 482 00:23:18,005 --> 00:23:20,050 he saw ivory soap come out 483 00:23:20,181 --> 00:23:22,749 and ivory soap was one of the first lifestyle products 484 00:23:22,879 --> 00:23:24,577 that was marketed. 485 00:23:24,707 --> 00:23:28,145 Being in an environment where there were so many ideas 486 00:23:28,276 --> 00:23:30,887 constantly being born for new and better products, 487 00:23:31,018 --> 00:23:33,368 I think that he really wanted to take a risk 488 00:23:33,499 --> 00:23:35,109 by launching a new razor blade. 489 00:23:37,503 --> 00:23:38,678 [Narrator] Gillette's idea 490 00:23:38,808 --> 00:23:40,941 is to eliminate the need to sharpen 491 00:23:41,071 --> 00:23:43,160 by creating a blade so thin 492 00:23:43,291 --> 00:23:46,163 that it's cheap enough to throw away and replace. 493 00:23:46,294 --> 00:23:48,601 But two years of failed prototypes 494 00:23:48,731 --> 00:23:50,646 had drained his resources. 495 00:23:50,777 --> 00:23:52,605 They tried all different kinds of metals, 496 00:23:52,735 --> 00:23:54,737 they tried all different kinds of machines, 497 00:23:54,868 --> 00:23:56,217 but he believed in what he was doing 498 00:23:56,347 --> 00:23:58,219 and he just kept after it 499 00:23:58,349 --> 00:24:01,178 until he got that razor blade system right. 500 00:24:01,309 --> 00:24:04,138 It's a story as much about his perseverance 501 00:24:04,268 --> 00:24:05,618 as it is about his success. 502 00:24:05,748 --> 00:24:06,793 Had he walked away, 503 00:24:06,923 --> 00:24:08,577 the convenience of the disposable razor 504 00:24:08,708 --> 00:24:11,798 we take for granted today may have come along a lot later, 505 00:24:11,928 --> 00:24:13,452 or perhaps not at all. 506 00:24:15,105 --> 00:24:19,632 It was really the blade that was the most important thing 507 00:24:19,762 --> 00:24:22,635 to bring Gillette's vision to market. 508 00:24:24,332 --> 00:24:26,639 Nickerson kept inventing different machines 509 00:24:26,769 --> 00:24:28,162 to make that sharp blade. 510 00:24:29,772 --> 00:24:31,426 They eventually went to a system 511 00:24:31,557 --> 00:24:33,515 where they made all the blades in one great, big, long strip 512 00:24:33,646 --> 00:24:34,951 and then chopped them off. 513 00:24:35,082 --> 00:24:37,040 That was a big advancement. 514 00:24:37,171 --> 00:24:39,173 [Narrator] After years of trial and error, 515 00:24:39,303 --> 00:24:41,392 Nickerson finally designs a blade 516 00:24:41,523 --> 00:24:43,394 thinner than anything on the market. 517 00:24:43,525 --> 00:24:46,833 And the world's first disposable razor is born. 518 00:24:48,399 --> 00:24:51,577 I'd like to call it the Nickerson. 519 00:24:51,707 --> 00:24:55,842 A razor with "nick" in the name? 520 00:24:57,452 --> 00:24:58,845 Seems like bad marketing to me. 521 00:25:01,674 --> 00:25:03,414 It's called the Gillette safety razor. 522 00:25:03,545 --> 00:25:05,852 And he starts to put his face on the packaging. 523 00:25:05,982 --> 00:25:09,682 And that is something that was quite novel in personal care. 524 00:25:09,812 --> 00:25:12,249 By introducing something that has a brand name, 525 00:25:12,380 --> 00:25:14,513 you are kind of hammering that brand name 526 00:25:14,643 --> 00:25:17,080 into the minds of American consumers. 527 00:25:17,211 --> 00:25:18,821 Like we're not just talking about a razor. 528 00:25:18,952 --> 00:25:20,736 This is a Gillette razor. 529 00:25:20,867 --> 00:25:23,304 This has the Gillette name on it. 530 00:25:23,434 --> 00:25:26,133 [Narrator] And in 1903, the Gillette safety razor 531 00:25:26,263 --> 00:25:28,744 hits stores throughout the Boston area. 532 00:25:28,875 --> 00:25:31,660 The original razor is $5 for the handle 533 00:25:31,791 --> 00:25:35,185 and $1 for a pack of 10 disposable blades. 534 00:25:35,316 --> 00:25:37,274 Gillette knows that if he can get customers 535 00:25:37,405 --> 00:25:39,015 to buy his razors, 536 00:25:39,146 --> 00:25:42,366 the disposable blades create built-in demand for more. 537 00:25:42,497 --> 00:25:47,763 Something that will need to be disposed and bought again. 538 00:25:47,894 --> 00:25:50,418 So you can have a repeat customer, 539 00:25:50,549 --> 00:25:52,376 a very interesting business model. 540 00:25:54,814 --> 00:25:57,164 By selling a razor 541 00:25:57,294 --> 00:25:59,688 that you would have to continually refill, 542 00:25:59,819 --> 00:26:01,995 you were locked into transactions with Gillette 543 00:26:02,125 --> 00:26:03,866 for a lifetime 544 00:26:03,997 --> 00:26:07,000 and you really didn't need to replace the razor handle. 545 00:26:07,130 --> 00:26:08,697 You could just replace those blades. 546 00:26:10,394 --> 00:26:12,353 [Narrator] It's a model that will eventually be replicated 547 00:26:12,483 --> 00:26:15,530 by the likes of Kodak with film for cameras 548 00:26:15,661 --> 00:26:18,359 and Keurig with single-use K-cups. 549 00:26:18,489 --> 00:26:20,013 It was also more convenient. 550 00:26:20,143 --> 00:26:22,711 Cut shaving time from 20 minutes to five minutes, 551 00:26:22,842 --> 00:26:25,148 it gave them a closer shave. 552 00:26:25,279 --> 00:26:27,411 So it really in almost every regard, 553 00:26:27,542 --> 00:26:29,936 it was a vast improvement, a big breakthrough. 554 00:26:31,677 --> 00:26:34,157 [Narrator] But right now, there's a problem. 555 00:26:34,288 --> 00:26:38,509 In that first year, the sales are disappointing. 556 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:40,816 He had been working on this razor 557 00:26:40,947 --> 00:26:42,949 for almost a decade at this point. 558 00:26:43,079 --> 00:26:47,954 He sells 51 razors and 168 blades. 559 00:26:48,084 --> 00:26:49,912 It is not a good first year for him. 560 00:26:53,524 --> 00:26:55,222 [Narrator] On the other side of the continent, 561 00:26:55,352 --> 00:26:58,747 an army colonel is recuperating after a severe injury. 562 00:27:00,357 --> 00:27:03,186 He was in the military, he was laying telegraph lines. 563 00:27:03,317 --> 00:27:04,797 He had a lot of different interests. 564 00:27:04,927 --> 00:27:07,451 And one day he was on a gold expedition 565 00:27:07,582 --> 00:27:09,540 and he injured his hand. 566 00:27:09,671 --> 00:27:11,586 He sustained a pretty significant injury 567 00:27:11,717 --> 00:27:14,023 in the course of his military service, 568 00:27:14,154 --> 00:27:17,244 realized he was having an incredible amount 569 00:27:17,374 --> 00:27:19,202 of difficulty shaving. 570 00:27:19,333 --> 00:27:21,335 He had to change the blade every single day. 571 00:27:23,990 --> 00:27:26,340 And with his hand injury, he could not do that. 572 00:27:27,602 --> 00:27:29,778 So like many great inventions, 573 00:27:29,909 --> 00:27:31,345 they're born out of necessity. 574 00:27:31,475 --> 00:27:33,521 [dramatic music] 575 00:27:36,002 --> 00:27:37,917 He comes up with a brilliant idea. 576 00:27:38,047 --> 00:27:40,833 What if you didn't have to remove the razor? 577 00:27:40,963 --> 00:27:42,269 [Narrator] It's a seed for an idea 578 00:27:42,399 --> 00:27:45,533 that will one day create a $15 billion industry 579 00:27:47,274 --> 00:27:50,103 and grow into one of the greatest brand rivalries 580 00:27:50,233 --> 00:27:51,191 of all time. 581 00:27:52,540 --> 00:27:56,544 And the colonel's name is Jacob Schick. 582 00:28:02,942 --> 00:28:04,770 [Narrator] King Gillette has just released 583 00:28:04,900 --> 00:28:07,294 one of the greatest innovations of the century, 584 00:28:07,424 --> 00:28:11,124 the disposable razor blade, but no one is buying it. 585 00:28:11,254 --> 00:28:13,648 He had been working on this razor 586 00:28:13,779 --> 00:28:15,650 for almost a decade at this point, 587 00:28:15,781 --> 00:28:17,478 and he knew that he had a great product, 588 00:28:17,608 --> 00:28:20,220 but it was just about getting it into more people's bathrooms. 589 00:28:20,350 --> 00:28:22,526 But he is very tenacious. 590 00:28:24,224 --> 00:28:26,487 [Narrator] Soon, a new conflict raging in Europe 591 00:28:26,617 --> 00:28:29,359 leads to new advances in chemical warfare, 592 00:28:29,490 --> 00:28:31,797 putting troops in grave danger. 593 00:28:31,927 --> 00:28:33,276 So during World War I, 594 00:28:33,407 --> 00:28:36,671 mustard gas was part of warfare at that time. 595 00:28:36,802 --> 00:28:39,630 So Americans were equipped with gas masks to protect them. 596 00:28:39,761 --> 00:28:42,198 But if you had facial hair, it would impair the seal. 597 00:28:42,329 --> 00:28:43,547 So if you had a clean face, 598 00:28:43,678 --> 00:28:45,811 you'd get a nice tight seal around on your face 599 00:28:45,941 --> 00:28:48,378 and have a greater chance of surviving a gas attack. 600 00:28:48,509 --> 00:28:49,945 Not to have access to a razor 601 00:28:50,076 --> 00:28:52,556 could be the line between life and death. 602 00:28:52,687 --> 00:28:55,037 [Narrator] But the types of razors available to troops 603 00:28:55,168 --> 00:28:58,301 are nearly impossible to use on the battlefield. 604 00:28:58,432 --> 00:29:00,564 They were using straight razors 605 00:29:00,695 --> 00:29:03,219 and the trenches are not exactly a tranquil environment 606 00:29:03,350 --> 00:29:05,613 for shaving your face with a straight razor. 607 00:29:07,746 --> 00:29:10,836 [Narrator] Gillette pitches the army on his new razors. 608 00:29:10,966 --> 00:29:14,883 World War I was a huge boon for Gillette. 609 00:29:15,014 --> 00:29:19,235 He gets a contract to work with the US Army in 1918. 610 00:29:19,366 --> 00:29:22,021 [Narrator] Gillette packages his innovative safety razor 611 00:29:22,151 --> 00:29:25,894 into a first of its kind compact disposable shaving kit. 612 00:29:27,113 --> 00:29:30,899 1918, he launches a shaving kit 613 00:29:31,030 --> 00:29:34,990 that is issued to servicemen in the US Army. 614 00:29:35,121 --> 00:29:37,514 So that is a really big deal for the war effort, 615 00:29:37,645 --> 00:29:39,821 but it's also a big deal for the brand of Gillette 616 00:29:39,952 --> 00:29:42,911 because all of these American men who are going off to war 617 00:29:43,042 --> 00:29:45,784 have now had kind of product exposure to Gillette. 618 00:29:45,914 --> 00:29:48,047 And they've learned this new habit. 619 00:29:48,177 --> 00:29:49,744 [Narrator] In less than a year, 620 00:29:49,875 --> 00:29:54,053 3.5 million Gillette razor kits and 32 million blades 621 00:29:54,183 --> 00:29:57,056 are in the hands of America's fighting men. 622 00:29:57,186 --> 00:30:00,189 In fact, by 1920, 623 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:05,020 the British Army decides to buy Gillette kits 624 00:30:05,151 --> 00:30:07,718 to issue to their soldiers. 625 00:30:07,849 --> 00:30:12,201 So now we have at least two huge military contracts 626 00:30:12,332 --> 00:30:13,812 that Gillette gets to fulfill. 627 00:30:13,942 --> 00:30:16,031 A lot of these men became customers for life 628 00:30:16,162 --> 00:30:19,469 and so did their sons and so did their sons' sons. 629 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:23,299 So by the end of World War I, 630 00:30:23,430 --> 00:30:29,436 Gillette is not only the most famous razor in the world, 631 00:30:29,566 --> 00:30:31,830 but he is one of the most famous faces in the world. 632 00:30:33,744 --> 00:30:37,139 [Narrator] Gillette sales rocket to 4.2 million razors 633 00:30:37,270 --> 00:30:41,187 and 19.5 million blades by 1921. 634 00:30:41,317 --> 00:30:43,276 And his revenue is increasing steadily 635 00:30:43,406 --> 00:30:45,365 by over a million dollars a year. 636 00:30:47,584 --> 00:30:51,806 Meanwhile, retired army Colonel Jacob Schick 637 00:30:51,937 --> 00:30:54,809 believes he has the idea that will top the market 638 00:30:54,940 --> 00:30:56,637 Gillette has recently cornered. 639 00:30:56,767 --> 00:30:58,160 At the turn of the century, 640 00:30:58,291 --> 00:31:01,903 pretty much every man served in the armed forces. 641 00:31:02,034 --> 00:31:07,474 And there was this legacy in terms of the way that men, 642 00:31:07,604 --> 00:31:09,476 the things they invented 643 00:31:09,606 --> 00:31:12,087 or the accommodations they made within their lives 644 00:31:12,218 --> 00:31:16,483 was shaped by their wartime experience. 645 00:31:16,613 --> 00:31:18,833 [Narrator] Four years before the majority of US homes 646 00:31:18,964 --> 00:31:21,792 are electrified, Schick believes he can create 647 00:31:21,923 --> 00:31:24,491 the world's first electric razor. 648 00:31:24,621 --> 00:31:26,885 Jacob Schick spends a lot of time developing, 649 00:31:27,015 --> 00:31:30,410 doing a lot of R, and he comes up with some blueprints. 650 00:31:31,977 --> 00:31:34,022 [Narrator] Securing a patent for his design, 651 00:31:34,153 --> 00:31:36,982 Schick reaches out to investors and manufacturers 652 00:31:37,112 --> 00:31:40,376 to make his long shot dream a reality. 653 00:31:40,507 --> 00:31:42,030 Basically, he's laughed at. 654 00:31:42,161 --> 00:31:44,511 They think this is the most ridiculous idea 655 00:31:44,641 --> 00:31:46,165 they've ever seen. 656 00:31:46,295 --> 00:31:48,645 Everyone's telling him it's not gonna work. 657 00:31:48,776 --> 00:31:51,866 No one really wants to make it because they think it's a loser 658 00:31:51,997 --> 00:31:53,433 and that they're never gonna get paid. 659 00:31:55,087 --> 00:31:56,175 [Narrator] While Schick struggles 660 00:31:56,305 --> 00:31:58,699 to get his electric razor off the ground, 661 00:31:58,829 --> 00:32:02,355 shaving with a regular razor is only becoming easier. 662 00:32:02,485 --> 00:32:04,792 Back then, you would kind of have to take a brush 663 00:32:04,923 --> 00:32:07,403 and whip up a shaving soap into a foam 664 00:32:07,534 --> 00:32:10,319 they would paint onto their face using a brush. 665 00:32:10,450 --> 00:32:13,540 [Narrator] By 1921, a new type of shaving cream 666 00:32:13,670 --> 00:32:14,541 is sweeping the market. 667 00:32:14,671 --> 00:32:16,412 It's called Barbasol. 668 00:32:16,543 --> 00:32:18,719 So now, the shaving cream that we use today 669 00:32:18,849 --> 00:32:21,896 that doesn't need a brush to kind of whip it into shape, 670 00:32:22,027 --> 00:32:25,987 it just comes out of the can foamy and ready to apply, 671 00:32:26,118 --> 00:32:27,815 which ended up performing really, really well 672 00:32:27,946 --> 00:32:28,903 in the market. 673 00:32:29,034 --> 00:32:30,296 [Narrator] As shaving cream 674 00:32:30,426 --> 00:32:32,776 helps propel sales of Gillette's razor, 675 00:32:32,907 --> 00:32:36,476 Schick's vision drags him toward a financial crisis. 676 00:32:40,436 --> 00:32:42,264 If you look at the history of shaving, 677 00:32:42,395 --> 00:32:45,093 there's constant competition between all of these companies. 678 00:32:45,224 --> 00:32:47,139 I mean, I hate to invoke a Gillette tagline, 679 00:32:47,269 --> 00:32:50,577 but these shaving companies have really tried to give us 680 00:32:50,707 --> 00:32:52,448 the best a man can get 681 00:32:52,579 --> 00:32:56,452 because the technology has constantly been refined 682 00:32:56,583 --> 00:32:58,628 the pursuit of more business. 683 00:32:58,759 --> 00:33:00,108 [Narrator] Schick has an idea 684 00:33:00,239 --> 00:33:03,111 for how to fund the development of his electric razor, 685 00:33:03,242 --> 00:33:05,635 but he'll have to take on Gillette's prized product 686 00:33:05,766 --> 00:33:07,289 to do it. 687 00:33:07,420 --> 00:33:09,988 I think shaving would not be as effective as it is 688 00:33:10,118 --> 00:33:12,425 if it weren't for Schick and Gillette. 689 00:33:12,555 --> 00:33:14,514 Two titans battling it out. 690 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,481 [Narrator] In 1925, retired Army Colonel Jacob Schick, 691 00:33:25,612 --> 00:33:27,614 with no industry experience, 692 00:33:27,744 --> 00:33:30,269 is gunning for the king of razors, Gillette. 693 00:33:30,399 --> 00:33:32,227 [tense music] 694 00:33:32,358 --> 00:33:35,100 He sees his comrades using Gillette razors. 695 00:33:35,230 --> 00:33:38,842 He probably likes how dextrous he can be with it, 696 00:33:38,973 --> 00:33:42,150 but I don't think he likes how the blades are exchanged. 697 00:33:42,281 --> 00:33:44,631 The current Gillette razor is basically every day 698 00:33:44,761 --> 00:33:47,155 you're changing a single razor blade, right? 699 00:33:47,286 --> 00:33:48,635 It's not protected. 700 00:33:48,765 --> 00:33:50,811 I mean, it's a razor blade, sharp. 701 00:33:50,941 --> 00:33:54,119 You're exposing your skin, cut risk, all that stuff. 702 00:33:54,249 --> 00:33:56,164 Jacob Schick realizes that, hey man, 703 00:33:56,295 --> 00:33:57,818 there's a better way to do this. 704 00:33:59,167 --> 00:34:00,429 [Narrator] To make the ingenious safety razor 705 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:02,040 even safer, 706 00:34:02,170 --> 00:34:05,304 the Colonel finds inspiration from his fighting days. 707 00:34:05,434 --> 00:34:07,219 Schick has an idea for a safety razor 708 00:34:07,349 --> 00:34:09,830 that you can reload without having to touch the blades. 709 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:14,182 And his idea combines a safety razor and an automatic rifle. 710 00:34:17,098 --> 00:34:18,882 [Narrator] Schick begins to funnel money 711 00:34:19,013 --> 00:34:20,754 into developing a prototype. 712 00:34:22,495 --> 00:34:27,065 Essentially creating a magazine of razor blades 713 00:34:27,195 --> 00:34:29,545 that would be stored in the handle. 714 00:34:31,417 --> 00:34:34,072 The head of the safety razor moves up. 715 00:34:38,815 --> 00:34:42,863 [Adam] And then simply you could eject one razor blade, 716 00:34:42,993 --> 00:34:45,126 replace the other. 717 00:34:45,257 --> 00:34:46,780 [Bill] And never touches human hands. 718 00:34:48,608 --> 00:34:51,045 The old razor pops out the top 719 00:34:51,176 --> 00:34:52,786 and that new razor is loaded in. 720 00:34:55,397 --> 00:34:57,225 You turn this back and it's ready to use. 721 00:35:01,316 --> 00:35:03,927 It officially hits the shelves in 1925. 722 00:35:04,058 --> 00:35:07,017 It's a razor that's no bigger than a fountain pen. 723 00:35:07,148 --> 00:35:09,585 It's got a cartridge that you can change. 724 00:35:09,716 --> 00:35:11,631 It's a very, very cool design 725 00:35:11,761 --> 00:35:16,114 and it becomes kind of popular, people are buying it. 726 00:35:19,508 --> 00:35:21,554 [tense music] 727 00:35:21,684 --> 00:35:24,992 [Narrator] And now, the undisputed king of shaving 728 00:35:25,123 --> 00:35:28,517 sees the first real threat to take his crown. 729 00:35:28,648 --> 00:35:33,218 King C. Gillette, he didn't like competition at all 730 00:35:33,348 --> 00:35:37,700 and certainly he was in one of the hottest markets 731 00:35:37,831 --> 00:35:39,441 at the time. 732 00:35:39,572 --> 00:35:42,879 Gillette was seeking to once again distinguish itself 733 00:35:43,010 --> 00:35:44,620 from the competition. 734 00:35:44,751 --> 00:35:47,145 We are Gillette, we are the American shaving company. 735 00:35:48,450 --> 00:35:49,669 [Narrator] To counter Schick, 736 00:35:49,799 --> 00:35:52,976 Gillette unleashes a brand new product. 737 00:35:53,107 --> 00:35:55,892 So they added a thin coating of chromium 738 00:35:56,023 --> 00:35:59,548 to have increased durability 739 00:35:59,679 --> 00:36:01,507 to increase the life of the razor. 740 00:36:04,640 --> 00:36:07,861 [Narrator] But the new razor blades prove to be a misstep. 741 00:36:09,036 --> 00:36:11,212 [pensive music] 742 00:36:12,648 --> 00:36:14,955 The blades were a disappointment to customers. 743 00:36:15,085 --> 00:36:17,784 They were more expensive, they were 50 cents more, 744 00:36:17,914 --> 00:36:20,787 and they were so flimsy, 745 00:36:20,917 --> 00:36:23,355 and customers ultimately just didn't like them 746 00:36:23,485 --> 00:36:25,792 compared to their old Gillette blades. 747 00:36:25,922 --> 00:36:28,969 [Narrator] King Gillette then makes an unprecedented move, 748 00:36:29,099 --> 00:36:30,884 issuing a public apology. 749 00:36:35,410 --> 00:36:36,890 A complete admission of the fact 750 00:36:37,020 --> 00:36:39,197 that they were very, very, very wrong. 751 00:36:48,771 --> 00:36:51,383 [Narrator] With Gillette reeling, 752 00:36:51,513 --> 00:36:54,516 Schick prepares to take over the shaving industry. 753 00:36:57,302 --> 00:36:58,564 He has a one track mind 754 00:36:58,694 --> 00:37:01,175 and that track is the electric razor. 755 00:37:01,306 --> 00:37:03,743 Colonel Schick's safety razors are doing very well. 756 00:37:03,873 --> 00:37:05,223 And yet at the same time, 757 00:37:05,353 --> 00:37:07,790 he recognizes that electricity is the future 758 00:37:07,921 --> 00:37:09,836 and there's potentially more profit. 759 00:37:09,966 --> 00:37:11,925 And as an innovator, he couldn't resist that. 760 00:37:17,757 --> 00:37:18,714 [Narrator] Despite only half of American homes 761 00:37:18,845 --> 00:37:21,717 having electricity in the 1920s, 762 00:37:21,848 --> 00:37:25,112 Schick is going full throttle on his electric razor dream. 763 00:37:27,157 --> 00:37:29,203 This is a major Gamble on Schick's part 764 00:37:29,334 --> 00:37:32,293 because this is a moment where electricity isn't ubiquitous 765 00:37:32,424 --> 00:37:34,121 by any stretch of the imagination. 766 00:37:34,252 --> 00:37:37,298 There's still fear around electricity. 767 00:37:37,429 --> 00:37:38,865 [Narrator] After years of planning 768 00:37:38,995 --> 00:37:42,912 and countless dollars invested, in November 1928, 769 00:37:43,043 --> 00:37:46,176 Schick receives a patent for his electric razor. 770 00:37:46,307 --> 00:37:47,961 At this time, 771 00:37:48,091 --> 00:37:50,050 there weren't even outlets in most people's bathrooms, 772 00:37:50,180 --> 00:37:51,791 even if they had electricity. 773 00:37:51,921 --> 00:37:53,793 So to launch this product 774 00:37:53,923 --> 00:37:56,622 that you needed to plug in basically in your bathroom, 775 00:37:56,752 --> 00:37:58,276 it really was a gamble. 776 00:37:59,581 --> 00:38:02,845 The future of shaving, it's perfect. 777 00:38:02,976 --> 00:38:05,805 Think how much this one product 778 00:38:05,935 --> 00:38:07,850 changed the nature of shaving. 779 00:38:07,981 --> 00:38:11,376 No water, no replaceable razors, no lather, 780 00:38:11,506 --> 00:38:12,986 and you didn't have to replace it. 781 00:38:13,116 --> 00:38:15,075 I mean, it lasted for years. 782 00:38:15,205 --> 00:38:17,469 And he's so invested in that idea, 783 00:38:17,599 --> 00:38:20,254 he does something that most people couldn't imagine. 784 00:38:20,385 --> 00:38:23,692 He sells the patent from his cartridge razor 785 00:38:23,823 --> 00:38:25,999 and pours all of his energy and resources 786 00:38:26,129 --> 00:38:28,654 into the creation of this electric razor. 787 00:38:30,438 --> 00:38:33,485 [Narrator] Using the capital from his magazine razor sale, 788 00:38:33,615 --> 00:38:36,314 the first electric razor launches in New York. 789 00:38:39,273 --> 00:38:41,841 With a price tag of $25, 790 00:38:41,971 --> 00:38:44,844 it's five times more expensive than Gillette's safety razor. 791 00:38:46,585 --> 00:38:48,108 Just to put it in perspective, 792 00:38:48,238 --> 00:38:53,156 $25 in 1929 is, in today's dollars, $440 793 00:38:53,287 --> 00:38:54,549 for an electric razor. 794 00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:56,508 Imagine dropping that kind of money 795 00:38:56,638 --> 00:38:59,467 on an electric razor today, probably not gonna happen. 796 00:38:59,598 --> 00:39:01,164 [Narrator] And within months 797 00:39:01,295 --> 00:39:05,168 of the pricey razor's release, the stock market collapses, 798 00:39:05,299 --> 00:39:09,303 thrusting the country into The Great Depression. 799 00:39:09,434 --> 00:39:10,609 Imagine you're Jacob Schick. 800 00:39:10,739 --> 00:39:12,306 You have this passion in your heart 801 00:39:12,437 --> 00:39:13,960 to come up with an electric razor. 802 00:39:14,090 --> 00:39:17,746 So you get all your chips in on this electric razor 803 00:39:17,877 --> 00:39:19,357 and it's not doing well at all. 804 00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:22,751 As a businessman, you're panicking. 805 00:39:22,882 --> 00:39:25,972 I had this great product, the magazine repeating razor. 806 00:39:26,102 --> 00:39:29,018 People loved it, but I sold it off, right? 807 00:39:29,149 --> 00:39:31,020 And at this point, 808 00:39:31,151 --> 00:39:33,545 I'm questioning whether or not I made the right decision. 809 00:39:35,329 --> 00:39:38,376 But as an entrepreneur, failure is not an option. 810 00:39:41,596 --> 00:39:43,511 I was hoping we could discuss these projections. 811 00:39:43,642 --> 00:39:45,121 I don't have time to discuss that right now. 812 00:39:45,252 --> 00:39:46,645 I've seen those projections. 813 00:39:46,775 --> 00:39:48,864 Right now, I'm figuring out who I have to lay off. 814 00:39:48,995 --> 00:39:50,344 The depression was hitting, 815 00:39:50,475 --> 00:39:53,260 which might logically be seen as a real obstacle 816 00:39:53,391 --> 00:39:55,393 to the adoption of the electric razor. 817 00:39:55,523 --> 00:39:57,786 At the same time, remember that the electric razor 818 00:39:57,917 --> 00:40:02,008 is a more durable consumer product than a disposable razor. 819 00:40:02,138 --> 00:40:05,011 In economic downturns, it's often consumer products 820 00:40:05,141 --> 00:40:07,405 that actually are not as affected by downturns. 821 00:40:09,015 --> 00:40:10,408 The projections were wrong. 822 00:40:15,587 --> 00:40:18,067 And so something like an electric razor, 823 00:40:18,198 --> 00:40:21,288 which feels like an essential because now being clean shaven 824 00:40:21,419 --> 00:40:23,159 is more of a cultural expectation, 825 00:40:23,290 --> 00:40:25,727 it kind of hit that sweet spot. 826 00:40:25,858 --> 00:40:30,166 So in 1937, Jacob Schick's electric razor turns a corner. 827 00:40:30,297 --> 00:40:33,605 He sells 1.5 million electric razors, 828 00:40:33,735 --> 00:40:37,913 which eventually would turn into $120 million a year business. 829 00:40:39,088 --> 00:40:40,612 [Schick laughs] 830 00:40:40,742 --> 00:40:43,179 We really should think of the electric razor 831 00:40:43,310 --> 00:40:45,443 as a vanguard in this whole industry 832 00:40:45,573 --> 00:40:48,315 of handheld personal hygiene products. 833 00:40:48,446 --> 00:40:49,925 [Schick laughs] 834 00:40:50,056 --> 00:40:54,060 Think of the hair dryer, the flat iron, the diffuser. 835 00:40:54,190 --> 00:40:57,193 I mean, all of these things are in some ways, 836 00:40:57,324 --> 00:40:59,369 lead back to this innovation. 837 00:40:59,500 --> 00:41:01,415 [Narrator] Today, the longest running rivals 838 00:41:01,546 --> 00:41:03,983 remain two of the biggest names in shaving. 839 00:41:04,113 --> 00:41:07,029 And the electric razor industry that Schick helped create 840 00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:10,250 is now worth nearly $15 billion. 841 00:41:10,380 --> 00:41:12,426 So if you look back, Jacob Schick got it right 842 00:41:12,557 --> 00:41:14,820 because we're still using his design today. 843 00:41:14,950 --> 00:41:16,561 I mean, it stood the test of time. 844 00:41:16,691 --> 00:41:18,911 So I gotta give Jacob Schick a thank you 845 00:41:19,041 --> 00:41:23,916 because every time I shave, it's easier, it's safer. 846 00:41:24,046 --> 00:41:25,831 [Narrator] Despite the electric razor 847 00:41:25,961 --> 00:41:27,441 cutting into its market share, 848 00:41:27,572 --> 00:41:29,704 Gillette today is the largest brand, 849 00:41:29,835 --> 00:41:31,489 with their line of shaving products 850 00:41:31,619 --> 00:41:35,884 raking in an annual revenue of $10.3 billion. 851 00:41:36,015 --> 00:41:37,625 And in 2005, 852 00:41:37,756 --> 00:41:40,367 the personal hygiene market comes full circle 853 00:41:40,498 --> 00:41:43,979 when Procter Gamble spends $57 billion 854 00:41:44,110 --> 00:41:47,113 on their largest acquisition ever, Gillette. 855 00:41:47,243 --> 00:41:50,333 I think what Schick and Gillette did 856 00:41:50,464 --> 00:41:56,122 was not only make valuable contributions to men's hygiene 857 00:41:56,252 --> 00:41:58,080 or men's grooming, 858 00:41:58,211 --> 00:42:01,954 but they truly became major linchpins 859 00:42:02,084 --> 00:42:06,654 in the creation of modern, male, American culture. 860 00:42:06,785 --> 00:42:09,831 And I think the way shaving is a rite of passage. 861 00:42:09,962 --> 00:42:11,616 It could not happen. 862 00:42:11,746 --> 00:42:14,575 It would not be as embraced as it is. 863 00:42:14,706 --> 00:42:17,273 It would not be as efficient as it is, 864 00:42:17,404 --> 00:42:20,146 and it would not be as effective as it is 865 00:42:20,276 --> 00:42:22,670 if it weren't for Schick and Gillette. 866 00:42:22,801 --> 00:42:25,630 These are brands that have built the legacy 867 00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:28,241 of what it means to be an American man.