Billie is a female-focused shaving company that sells subscription-based services to its mostly millennial and Gen Z customers. Like dozens of other razor subscription services, Billie allows its customers to choose from an assortment of razor colors, customization of boxes with other aesthetically-pleasing shaving products, and the frequencies of deliveries. What sets Billie apart from other delivery based shaving companies, and even other in-store counterparts is the fact the brand centers itself on challenging the pink tax and various stereotypes surrounding body hair.
Even if you have never heard of the pink tax, if you are a woman living in America, you have most likely been affected by it. This tax refers to the extra money women pay for products and services that are marketed towards them. Razors are a prime example of the pink tax in action, which is noticeable by walking down the isles of any pharmacy. Shaving companies also use the harmful taboo around women’s body hair to sell their products, implying that women must conform to social normalities to affirm their feminity. While most razor companies profit off the pink tax and the stereotype that exists around body hair, Billie is challenging these issues by addressing this inequity head-on through their brand narrative and strategy.
Billie has centered itself not only on the products it sells but its mission to fight against the pink tax and body hair stereotypes, which can be seen from the moment you launch its website or explore the brand’s Instagram account. In 2018, three years after the brand’s inception, Billie launched “Project Body Hair”, a campaign that aimed to bring awareness to the pink tax and normalize body hair. The campaign included content featuring untouched images of women with body hair and educational material about what the pink tax is. By utilizing social media and partnering with influencers who were already fighting these issues, Billie found much success and made headlines in many media outlets, including Allure, Glamour and Ad Week.
The brand’s latest campaign focused on the pink tax, with the brand producing and selling blue Rosé at a price point that is 13% cheaper than the pink equivalent. The brand not only generated buzz on social media, with over 45,000 views on a single Instagram video promoting the campaign but sold out in only eight hours.
As an aspiring public relations practitioner, Billie is a fascinating brand to examine, as they have challenged the strategies other shaving companies use to market their products and make a profit. By challenging the pink tax and normalizing body hair, Billie has not only found economic success but has also succeeded in creating a brand narrative that their audience resonates with and believes in.
-Madeline Herman
prowlpr.com 