Campaign: Share the load
Brand: Ariel
Company : Proctor& Gamble India
Agency: BBDO
The Campaign
The film starts with two elderly women talking about how things have changed for women. They discuss how when they were young, they would earn a pittance. One of them also acknowledges with pride that now her daughter-in-law earns more than her son. The daughter-in-law is shown getting ready for work in the background, when suddenly her husband pokes his head out to admonish her for not washing his green shirt. The two women exchange bewildered looks. The ad ends with the super on screen, asking ‘Is laundry only a woman’s job?’ and then comes the Ariel logo with the tagline ‘#ShareTheLoad’.
Our Take
The more things change, the more they stay the same. And what better proof than our own homes where we see women doing all the housework while the men sit and relax. Women may be holding important jobs outside, they may be leading army contingents at Republic Day parades, but still the responsibility of keeping the home spic and span remains primarily theirs. That has been the tradition, that’s what the men in their families expect and that’s what every brand reinforces as they make the woman the target audience of all their detergent ads.
So here comes an ad that turns that logic on its head. As Josy Paul, chairman and national creative director, BBDO, which created the campaign, says, “Great brands like Ariel—with its heritage of perfect wash performance – have the license to lead the conversation around who does the laundry. Specially since it removes tough stains in just one wash—no matter who does it. The idea involves everyone—husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters—society at large.”
Instead of tom-tomming the superior qualities of its product or promising to reduce the woman’s burden, the brand asks “Is laundry only a woman’s job?” and with this, leapfrogs onto a higher orbit. Espousing a noble cause is always a favourite of brands, and when it is a cause that’s right in your backyard, the impact is enormous. Explains Paul, “A brand movement like ‘share the load’ is all about building on the existing conversation in society. It is about raising the relationship between the brand and its consumers by having an engaging idea around laundry. It rejuvenates the category. The specific product story and benefit is a part of the overall plan.”
Along with the television commercial, the brand has also initiated a conversation on social media, with the hashtag #IsLaundryOnlyAWomansJob trending on Twitter. It is offering prizes to Twitter followers for the best Tweets on the subject. Its Facebook page has data and interesting graphics based on the findings of a Nielsen survey which shows that a majority of Indian men feel that laundry is a woman’s job.
Coming to the execution of the ad, the two old women have given a wonderful performance. The gleam in Sulabha Deshpande’s eyes as she talks about her daughter-in-law, and the expressions on their faces when the son calls out for his clean shirt is a real treat. Would think that Ariel has got all the women’s votes with this campaign.
RATING:
***1/2