GILLETTE MAN ENOUGH: SHAVING STEREOTYPES

TitleGILLETTE MAN ENOUGH: SHAVING STEREOTYPES
BrandGILLETTE/P&G INDIA
Product / ServiceGILLETTE
EntrantGREY INDIA Mumbai, INDIA
Idea Creation GREY INDIA Mumbai, INDIA
Production SEEON Thane, INDIA
Additional Company GILLETTE INDIA LIMITED Mumbai, INDIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Sandipan Bhattacharyya GREY India Managing Director & Chief Creative Officer
Juneston Mathana GREY India Group Creative Director
Bahvesh Kosambia GREY India Group Creative Director
Pooja Ambulkar GREY India Associate Creative Director
Virendra Saigaonkar GREY India Associate Creative Director
Armaan Sunny GREY India Creative Controller
Jeh Alexander GREY India Copywriter
Arun Raman GREY India Chief Intelligence Officer
Nishant Saurabh GREY India Sr. Vice President & Office Head
Nishant Venkatram GREY India Account Director
Samir Chadha GREY India Agency Film Producer
Jignya Shedge GREY India Agency Film Producer
Karthik Srivatsan Procter & Gamble Country Marketing Manager, Gillette
Omkar Bhat Procter & Gamble Brand Director
Sambit Dwivedi Procter & Gamble Senior Brand Manager
Anshika Maheshwari Procter & Gamble Assistant Brand Manager
Ansuha Shetty GREY India Chairman & CEO
Pooja Punjabi GREY India Brand Director
Hairsh Iyengaar GREY India Creative Group Head

Why is this work relevant for Integrated?

To spark a cultural conversation of this magnitude, you need a concerted campaign with a mix of film, print, social media, PR and activations. The campaign turned an important message into a movement, starting with a film, followed by an open letter from cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar sharing a personal example of vulnerability. Collaborations with the country’s most relevant content creators like Alicia Souza and Zakir Khan followed next. The campaign even inspired a debate on CNN, bringing the issue to the mainstream. Through its Achiever’s Academy, Gillette organised college talks by Col. Sinha on the importance of displaying emotions.

Background

From a formative age, every young boy is taught the same toxic lie – men don’t cry. Passed down generations, this pervasive stereotype is repeatedly reinforced by pop-culture, role models and society overall and held up as a moniker of machismo. In fact, ‘Mard ko dard nahi hota’, i.e. men feel no pain, is among the most iconic lines in Bollywood cinema. Exposure to these influences makes young boys believe that hiding pain and distancing emotions are the defining features of being a man, causing severe repercussions in their mental makeup. Gillette, one of the world’s leading men’s brands, wanted to tackle this notion of masculinity, through the true story of a soldier – a role considered to be the epitome of manliness – allowing young men to understand that showing their vulnerabilities, weaknesses and emotions, doesn’t make them any less of a man.

Describe the creative idea

It takes a real man to show his tears. When we stumbled upon the true story of Lt. Col. M.K. Sinha, we realised that his life as a soldier, marked by a near-fatal injury and his path to emotional recovery, brought alive this idea with an authenticity that a whole new generation needed to see. We chose to tell his story through the lens of his relationship with his father, an ex- servicemen himself, who extolled outdated notions of masculinity and encouraged him to hide his emotions and be a man. The period of his injury, and the recovery thereafter, served as a turning point for not just him, but his father well. This removed the veneer and made them realise that accepting your vulnerabilities and displaying your true feelings is deeply liberating. Because true strength comes not from hiding, but from facing your emotions.

Describe the strategy

What better way to tackle a male stereotype than to do it through the voice of someone who epitomises masculinity – a soldier. Our approach was to feature a war veteran, the embodiment of this machismo, and share his moving personal journey that took the shame out of men crying. We crafted the story through the lens of his relationship with his father, as these notions are often passed down. Our intention was to inspire younger generations to question these stereotypes, while empowering fathers to teach children a healthier definition of masculinity. While the film would spark a conversation about men accepting their emotions, the plan was to quickly compliment that with notable public figures lending their voice and personal examples to the movement. The campaign was crafted to bring about an important cultural turnaround, turning crying from an act of male weakness, to one of immense courage.

Describe the execution

The Gillette Man Enough film captured the true story of a war veteran’s grievous injury, how deeply ingrained notions of masculinity stopped him from showing his pain, and how his relationship with his father transformed with the realisation that tears only make a man stronger. This was followed by an open letter from cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, revealing his greatest moment of weakness and how he was brave enough to show his emotions. The most respected public figures in the country spoke openly, encouraging young men to embrace their emotions. The campaign sparked a news debate on CNN, bringing the issue to the mainstream. Cultural opinion leaders like Simar Singh, Zakir Khan and content creators like Alicia Souza, TVF, Under 25 Dictionary and others lent their voice as well. Through its Achiever’s Academy, Gillette also organised college talks by Col. Sinha on the importance of displaying emotions and vulnerabilities.

List the results

• 63 million views • 4.7 billion PR impressions • 99% positive sentiment • Brand awareness +9 points The Gillette Man Enough campaign sparked a nation-wide debate on the stereotype ‘men don’t cry’ which was covered across primetime television, garnered over 500 articles in national and global print, and was dominant on social media. It even inspired a panel discussion on the leading news channel CNN News 18, featuring Lt. Col. M.K. Sinha along with prominent sports and public figures. This cultural dissection of the male stereotype began a conversation that united the voices of poets, comedians, influencers, sportsmen and celebrities alike, taking Gillette a firm step forward in their mission of inspiring young men to be the best they can be.

Links

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