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Post by xxvaleria on Feb 15, 2014 14:15:50 GMT -6
I am an Injector razor fan, but I enjoy reading about almost any shaving subject. I was browsing in safetyrazors.net and, in the DE razor blade section, I came across an article that contained the following quote: "In May of 1933, Business Week reported that Gerard P. Lambert, of Listerine mouthwash marketing fame, was Gillette's new "no profits, no pay" president. Mr. Lambert was quoted as saying "We propose to continue to fight competition aggressively ... on the presumption that we have no patents." Mr. Lambert admitted that he shaved with a Schick razor and didn't intend to switch, but said "don't worry ... I have never used a bottle of Listerine in my life." Nonetheless, Mr. Lambert himself had applied for a safety razor patent in April that year that was issued to Gillette in 1935." It seemed to me that you all might appreciate the irony that the new President of Gillette used a Schick and wasn't going to change. I also got an insight into his mind about marketing Listerine even though he had never tried it.
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Post by mjclark on Feb 15, 2014 15:27:31 GMT -6
So what model would he have been using in 1933?
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Post by xxvaleria on Feb 15, 2014 16:44:50 GMT -6
I'm sure it would have been one of the magazine repeaters. The type D didn't come out until 1935.
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Post by drumzalot on Feb 15, 2014 17:05:21 GMT -6
Gerard Barnes Lambert, (born May 15, 1886, St. Louis, Mo., U.S.—died Feb. 25, 1967, Princeton, N.J.), American merchandiser and advertiser who marketed his father’s invention of Listerine mouthwash by making bad breath a social disgrace.
After graduating from Princeton and studying architecture at Columbia University, Lambert fought in World War I and then joined his father’s firm, Lambert Pharmacal Co. The firm later became Warner-Lambert Pharmaceutical Co. As president of the firm in 1923, Lambert focussed on the advertising efforts for Listerine, an antiseptic that his father had invented. To carry out his advertising ideas, Lambert formed the advertising agency of Lambert & Feasley. With Lambert in charge, the pharmaceutical firm saw profits increase 60 times.
He sold his share of the business in 1928 and, after a three-year retirement, became president of the Gillette Safety Razor Co., which was in need of a reorganization. In three years he turned the company around by helping to develop the Gillette Blue Blade.
Just wanted to add that this piece of info Steve. It looks like he was also partly responsible for the Gillette Blue Blade even after all of this he was Schick man. Pretty unique!
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Post by xxvaleria on Feb 15, 2014 17:40:56 GMT -6
Thanks for the information, Joe. It looks like the Lamberts had a long history with Eversharp-Schick. As you know, Warner-Lambert wound up owning the company during the L through O series.
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RocketMan
Gem Star
RazorAddict
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Post by RocketMan on Feb 15, 2014 19:15:13 GMT -6
Interesting stuff!! I always thing of Valet's Gaisman being at the helm in the early 30's, but I forget his tenure was a little short with the Gillette team.
This Lambert fellow is quite bold to say he wouldn't use the products he sells, but it is ok for you to buy them and make him some money. Must have been something folks appreciated back then - screw em with a smile. A bit like today except we rarely get the smile anymore.
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Post by xxvaleria on Feb 15, 2014 19:35:02 GMT -6
In 1930, Gaisman, who had started the AutoStrop and Probak companies, patented a slot in the DE blade a month before Gillette did. When Gillette brought out their blade (Patent Pending), AutoStrop threatened to sue. Gillette decided that it would be cheaper to buy the AutoStrop company than to fight a lawsuit, so in 1930 Gillette absorbed AutoStrop, and Gaisman became Chairman of the Board. Evidently, AutoStrop was worth $9 million, but Gillette paid $20 million in order to get around the patent issue.
By May, 1933, though, Lambert was hired to be the President of Gillette.
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RocketMan
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Welcome To The Sharp Side!
Posts: 4,167
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Post by RocketMan on Feb 20, 2014 8:50:12 GMT -6
I had not put the two together of board chair and president being different. They certainly could have been around at the same time. Good stuff.
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Post by birdlives on Feb 20, 2014 9:36:45 GMT -6
I can appreciate his honesty...Hard to see much of that in the Corp. World...and I can appreciate his choice in razors...
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