50% off. Free. Gillette & Wilkinson Sword must know a competitor's here!

What next from 'Wilkinette'? 100% off handles? Duopoly protection at any cost? (original blog posting)

I snapped these two pictures whilst in Marlow today. One's taken at Superdrug, where Wilkinson Sword (the 'Wilkin' in Wilkinette) are offering 50% off handles (that's original) and the other is from Boots, where Gillette are giving away a Fusion HydraGel (if you buy four super expensive Fusion replacement blades).

Well, I guess you've got to do something to defend your territory when a market 'disruptive' competitor like King of Shaves turns up outside your drawbridge, and starts bashing it in. But 50% off or a free shaving gel is more than unoriginal, it's just plain silly. And I'm repeatedly emailed by people wanting to trade in their Gillette Fusion/Quattro handles (that they've bought half price for the blades) for an Azor (but as I don't have any as they're all being sold, that's a little challenging at the moment...)

Or, and perhaps more worringly for the Big Dog and the slightly Littler Dog, given UK market data is indicating that sales of both Wilkinson Sword handles and Gillette Fusion handles are down year on year, maybe the consumer has twigged onto the 'give it away 50% off and reap the rewards of expensive replacement blades' (you've got to fill the car up with petrol once you've bought it) business model?

So, what how will our King of Shaves Azor fare in our big 'market launch' shortly? And how will we convince people to shift from 'The Best Your Dad (and Grandad) Can Get' to our new King of Shaves iShave Azor?

How indeed...?