Is the new Gillette advert an unfair attack on men behaving badly or forward-thinking in its #MeToo message?

Has Gillette's new controversial ad gone a step too far?

We asked shoppers for their views on the advert causing hundreds of thousands of dislikes on social media with outrage so fierce many men are saying they'll never use the razors again.

The advert, which hasn't even been aired on TV in this country yet, has got the blood boiling of many men who feel it portrays them as bad people. Others praised the firm for highlighting such strong issues of bullying, sexual harassment and intimidation in the workplace.

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The ad replaces the traditional tagline 'The best a man can get' with 'The best a man can be' but many shoppers in Norwich hadn't seen it until shown by this newspaper.

Justin Burgess said: 'What's it got to do with razors? I don't like it because it makes out that we are sexist and going to wolf-whistle at a girl in a bikini.'

John Davila said: 'I'm not sure an advert for a men's product should be tackling such difficult issues but it wouldn't put me off buying their products.'

Eva Wakeford said: 'It sends a strong message to men that it's ok to let your guard down and be emotional. The old ad portrayed a stereotype that wasn't realistic.'

With nearly 11.5million views of it on YouTube's Gillette channel today and 21million views of it on the firm's twitter feed, is it the best publicity stunt ever?

Kate Morfoot, managing director of Norfolk public relations firm Jungle PR, said: 'There's no such thing has bad publicity. I think alongside the negative reaction to the brand's new message, there's widespread praise for its attempt to join the debate on what it means to be a modern man.

'From a PR point of view this is a very topical and on point message for this trusted brand.'

In the ad Dads are seen as turning a blind eye to their sons bullying others while others talk down a woman in a boardroom. The powerful message that 'the next generation of men is watching' comes through that men need to change and educate the younger generation.

%image(14690702, type="article-full", alt=""Anything that highlights any kind of prejudice has to be a good thing" Paula Taylor from Norwich was captivated by the new Gillette TV commercial after being shown it by business writer Caroline Culot. Picture: neil Didsbury")

At the forefront of the social media onslaught was TV host, former editor, Piers Morgan who tweeted: 'I've used Gillette razors my entire adult life but this absurd virtue-signalling PC guff may drive me away to a company less eager to fuel the current pathetic global assault on masculinity.'