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  • SUB CATEGORY :
    INTEGRATED MEDIA CAMPAIGN
  • COMPANY ENTERING :
    BBDO INDIA, MUMBAI
  • TITLE :
    SEE EQUAL #SHARETHELOAD
  • BRAND :
    ARIEL
  • ADVERTISER :
    P&G INDIA
  • AGENCY :
    BBDO INDIA PVT LTD., MUMBAI
  • CHAIRMAN :
    JOSY PAUL
  • CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER :
    SURAJA KISHORE
  • CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :
    HEMANTA SHRINGY
  • EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR :
    SANDEEP SAWANT
  • CREATIVE DIRECTOR :
    BALAKRISHNA GAJELLI
  • ART DIRECTOR :
    OMKAR RACHHA
  • COPYWRITER :
    HARSHIL SHAH/KARAN NAIR
  • CLIENT SERVICE DIRECTOR :
    OMAR KHAN
  • ACCOUNT MANAGER :
    VARUN SHAH
  • FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :
    RANSOM FILMS, MUMBAI
  • DIRECTOR :
    SHIMIT AMIN
  • EXECUTIVE PRODUCER :
    SUHANA SHARMA
  • CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :
    Our objective was to trigger hard conversations inside homes directly with men about sharing the responsibility of housework equally.

    Not easy, since years of conditioning had taught Indian women to never challenge their husbands:

    Traditionally, the husband is called ‘Pati-Parmeshwar’ (husband-almighty).
    Cultural norms in India dictate that women be the maintainer of family peace. A role most women have learnt by watching their mothers never challenge their fathers.
    Even today, 87% of Indians believe a wife must obey her husband (Pew Study, 2022). Challenging him is a distant dream.

    For the 1st time in the history of P&G, Ariel replaced its name on the pack with the 100 most common Indian male names followed by a simple call to action – ‘Share The Load’.

    Ariel packaging turned into a silent protest within homes and a catalyst that emboldened women against years of conditioning to speak to their husbands.
  • THE BRIEF :
    India is a patriarchal society. Over generations, deep-rooted cultural norms have made housework the sole responsibility of women. In 2015, Ariel – a leading detergent brand – made gender equality at home its mission. Over 7 years, #ShareTheLoad created a gradual shift as it sparked conversations that nudged men towards taking up housework.

    But…

    In 2021, a World Economic Forum report revealed a shocking truth – at the current pace of change, gender parity is 135 years away. Which means no woman alive will experience gender parity.

    This startling reality shaped Ariel’s next brief:
    How do we radically accelerate the pace of change on the issue of gender inequality at home?
    Moreover, how do we affect a more immediate mindset shift in men to free women from being solely responsible for housework?

    Our objectives were clear – we needed to trigger a conversation of a scale that would beat our past successes.
  • THE STRATEGY :
    Our target audience were urban households across India.

    Via secondary research, ethnographic studies, social listening, lived experiences and third party surveys, we uncovered the following unsettling truths:
    When it comes to housework, Indian men don’t see their wives as equals.
    Advertisers, content creators and media partners perpetuate gender stereotypes.
    In India women are conditioned to never challenge their husband openly.
    At the current pace of change, gender parity will take 135 years.

    In the face of these truths, to accelerate the pace of change and drive an immediate mindset, we had a multi-pronged approach aimed at igniting conversations and correcting imagery:
    Grab attention and maximise engagement of influencers, media and consumers
    Trigger national conversation – online and inside homes – with men about their bias and inaction towards sharing housework equally.
    Influence content creators & marketeers.

    Convert the attention to trial and sales of Ariel
  • THE EXECUTION :
    We kickstarted the movement on 11th February 2022 by taking a defiant stand with our film. For the first time in Indian advertising, the woman confronts her husband and calls out his double standards. The wife asks why men can share the load with other men but not with their wives. Is it because they never saw them as equals? This was a new tone for the country.

    Next, through the front page of leading Indian dallies, Ariel made a public appeal to content creators & marketeers to join the brand in showing and creating a more equal tomorrow.

    And then Ariel turned its packs into a silent voice of dissent by replacing the brand name with the most common Indian male names.

    All this triggered a national conversation, as influencers and media stepped forward to take our message into homes across the country.
  • THE RESULT :
    ‘See Equal #ShareTheLoad’ broke all expectations and records.

    It grabbed the attention of and engaged consumers, influencers and the media:

    Brand awareness jumped 142%.
    The movement film received over 115 million views, and counting, across platforms.
    It generated over USD 35 Million in “earned media coverage” across leading local and international news outlets – that’s 3X of Ariel’s annual budget.
    4 billion earned impressions

    The movement drove preference for Ariel
    Emotional Equities were up 43%
    Brand preference were up 27%
    Sales grew 29%

    But most importantly, the movement drove an immediate mindset shift in men:

    In 2015, 79% men believed that laundry is a woman’s job. This dropped to 41% by 2020.
    Today, it stands at 26%.