How razor brand Billie is normalizing body hair

The deadline for Ad Age’s annual 40 Under 40 feature is just a few days away. Ahead of its publication on Sept.19, we are asking former honorees to share career advice, including how they got to where they are today. Don’t forget to nominate your own rising stars for this year’s list ahead of the July 11 deadline. You can do so at AdAge.com/40u40.

Georgina Gooley founded women's razor brand Billie five years ago and was subsequently honored in Ad Age 40 Under 40 in 2019. Since its early stages, Billie has been on a mission to normalize body and facial hair for women and remove stigmas, with campaigns such as "Movember" and "Project Body Hair."

Billiie's business model banks on direct-to-consumer subscription services that sell products such as body wash, razors, and shaving cream at lower prices. The brand won the WWD’s Newcomer of the Year Award for 2018 and was included on Ad Age’s list of America's Hottest Brands the following year. 

In January, Billie, which was acquired by Edgewell Personal Care last year, expanded to Walmart stores. A 30-second commercial announcing the launch was produced in-house, as are all of the brand's ads.

Ad Age recently followed up with Gooley, who held positions at creative agencies including Wieden+Kennedy and BBH before her work at Billie. Below, she talks about recent brand campaigns and the evolution of Billie.

We honored you in 2019 in our 40 Under 40 package. Now, three years later, how have your job responsibilities changed as the brand has grown?

We’ve been fortunate enough to grow significantly since 2019—from our product offering, to our distribution channels, to our team. These days my responsibilities are focused on setting the company roadmap and upholding a nurturing work environment that allows every team to produce its best work while clearing any roadblocks as we scale. 

Can you talk about one of your favorite campaigns for Billie from this past year?

Our "Think of a Woman" campaign was both an important message and a meaningful step for our brand to push beyond body hair. The campaign is a commentary on society’s narrow view of what it means to be a ‘woman’ and sought to shine a light on and celebrate the full spectrum of womankind. We did this by challenging convention in an effort to relieve all women from the incredibly limiting boxes, gender roles, and societal pressures that ‘being a woman’ or ‘looking like a woman’ entails.

How has Billie's marketing evolved?

When we started, we were the first brand to show body hair in the 100 years of shave advertising. We wanted to relieve women of the pressure of being hairless because we believe that what someone does with their body hair should be entirely up to them. As the category followed suit and we expanded our suite of products, we’ve looked to tackle pressures facing womankind that go beyond body hair and appearance.

Amid the rise in consumer product prices, how are you thinking about marketing and messaging your customers?

Delivering premium products at an accessible price point has been a priority for us from day one. And with our recent expansion into retail, we're finding new ways to meet our customers where they are. In these times, it's even more important that we continue to put our customers and their needs at the center of everything we do.

What’s next for Billie and its creative team?

We have a lot of exciting things on the horizon between brand campaign work and new product launches. We’re excited to bring to life some fresh perspectives on body hair as well as some thought-provoking work focused on the experiences of womankind.

What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself who is just starting out in the industry?

Belief in your idea is your most important asset. It’s hard work and a long journey, but when you really believe in what you’re doing, you find the grit to keep going.