How Ariel got sons to do the laundry and got a Guinness recognition too

Ariel India attempted and achieved a Guinness World Records certificate by imparting the largest laundry lesson to sons of today in the culmination of their latest campaign – Sons #ShareTheLoad. Ariel launched the 3rd edition of their #ShareTheLoad movement earlier this year, urging the current generation to raise their sons like they have been raising their daughters, so that the next generation can lead more equal lives. 

Joining the movement were Anil Kapoor and Mandira Bedi, who encouraged the participants. The initiative saw 400 sons coming forward to show solidarity towards the cause by learning how to do laundry. 

Ariel has been unearthing the reality of inequality within households since 2015, and with their 2019 campaign – Sons #ShareTheLoad – Ariel raised a pertinent question, “Are we teaching our sons what we are teaching our daughters?” Ariel continues to have this conversation by making laundry the face of the movement against inequality within households. 

Watch Ariel’s Sons #ShareTheLoad campaign video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QDlv8kfwIM&t=33s

Roping in multiple partners 

The Sons#ShareTheLoad Movement, initiated on January 24, 2019, has garnered 73 million views nationally. A host of famous faces and diverse partners have joined in to demonstrate their support, including Rajkummar Rao, Patralekha, Jwala Gutta, Ravi Dubey, Sargun Mehta, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Neha Dhupia, Angad Bedi, and global names like Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and Ariana Huffington, Founder of The Huffington Post. Other brands like appliance giant Whirlpool, publishing house Navneet Prakashan, PVR, Hello English language Application, Big Bazaar, Metro Cash & Carry, have also joined in the cause to show their solidarity towards household equality. 

The third leg of the #ShareTheLoad campaign went all out to spread the message of domestic equality by roping in multiple partners. Ariel tied up with Navneet Prakashan to develop gender equal colouring books. Ariel conceptualised something as simple as SON-DAY, whereby they appealed to the sons of India to dedicate their Sundays to learn household chores and be capable to shoulder domestic responsibilities. The brand launched a rap song to appeal to the young boys and talk to them with aids of their interest on ‘why’ and ‘how’ to share the load and start with laundry. Ariel also tied up with auto rickshaws in Maharashtra to spread the message wide and deep, that when a boy learns at home, the society progresses as well. 

Read more:On World Laundry Day, Ariel gives fresh impetus to #ShareTheLoad

Focused initiatives driving a big vision 

Ariel has seen a steady change in how men and women perceive household responsibility. In 2015, when Airel launched the campaign, it found that 79 per cent men thought household chores are a woman’s job. In 2016, 63 per cent married men thought household chores are a woman’s/ daughter’s job, while all ‘outside’ work is a man’s/ son’s job. In 2018, this number has come down to 52 per cent. More men today are sharing the load than ever before. However, the society is still many steps further from the ideal state of an equal future. The newly released edition of #ShareTheLoad has resonated with many parents, newly married couples, influencers and has already received tremendous support and commendation from audiences across India. 

Excited on being a part of this global record and further encouraging the sons of today to Share the load, Anil Kapoor commented, “Children imbibe most of the values while they are young. I would like to thank my mom for raising us right, which is why when I married Sunita, supporting her came naturally to me. Together, we have tried to inculcate the same values in our children as well, ensuring that irrespective of their gender, they are brought up as equipped to believe in, and demonstrate the values of sharing the load. I couldn’t be happier, that my daughter chose to marry someone who also believes in shared dreams and actions. Today, I’m glad that I am present to commemorate the Guinness World Records record of the largest laundry lesson. This is a revolutionary step by Ariel, one that will further the cause of equality within households. Committing to #ShareTheLoad is important and will lead to happier homes across the country!” 

Mandira Bedi, who has been quite vocal in her support of gender equality at home, added, “As a mother of a young son, I can confidently say that the campaign and the cause will have resonated with a lot of young moms like myself. Learning to #ShareTheLoad between partners needs to be a way of life and hence, needs to be taught at an impressionable age, so that it becomes a habit eventually. I am so glad that Ariel has undertaken this initiative to encourage gender parity, and so proud of the young men here today, who by participating in the largest laundry lesson are setting a great example for the young sons of India!” 

Sonali Dhawan, Marketing Director and Fabric Care Leader, P&G India, remarked, “#ShareTheLoad has always sought to address the inequality within the household, by raising questions that make the viewer think, introspect and act. With Sons #ShareTheLoad, we focussed on the younger generation, who if raised in a balanced manner, will grow up to be a generation of equals – the responsibility lies with our generation of parents. We want to equip the younger generation to be able to shoulder responsibilities and do it in a manner that is interesting and engaging for them. An attempt to achieve the Guinness World Records certificate for the largest laundry lesson is yet another step towards creating a more equal tomorrow where the next generation exhibits household equality. Ariel will continue to be the face of the change because with Ariel, it’s so simple to do laundry that there’s no reason for anyone to not share the load.”

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