In new spot, Gillette says rejoice birth of a girl, even she can change a family's fortunes

Why can’t women wrestle? The Salman Khan-Anushka Sharma starrer ‘Sultan’ and Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’ prove otherwise. Why can’t women shave a man’s beard and run a barber shop? The recently launched digital campaign by P&G’s personal grooming brand Gillette discredits such a belief.

The #BarbershopGirls campaign launched by Gillette India is an extension of the brand’s global campaign ‘The Best A Man Can Be.’ Remember the ad on toxic masculinity?

Also known as the #ShavingStereotypes campaign, the recent Indian campaign of Gillette aims to redefine the brand for gender stereotypes prevalent in most rigid societies.

Put in place by Grey India, the digital film is based on a true story of two barbershop girls, Jyoti and Neha, from the village of Banwari Tola in Uttar Pradesh. The film shows the everyday village life from an eight-year-old boy’s perspective, wherein he forms an opinion that men work to earn a living and take part in sports, whereas women are the home caretakers. His thoughts keep coming back to something that his dad told him — children always learn from what they see. We see the prejudiced effect, of how subliminal patriarchy galvanises his mind.

When the little one walks into a barber shop with his father, he is surprised to see two girls ready to shave his father. He asks if they could actually do that. The father, who takes a moment to respond, states that a razor wouldn’t know the difference between a boy and a girl.

In the concluding shots, we see how Jyoti and Neha Narayan have challenged gender stereotypes prevalent in Indian villages by running their father’s barbershop, with their father and the entire village of Banwari Tola by their side.

Discussing the story, Karthik Srivatsan, Associate Director and Country Category Leader, Shave Care, Indian Sub-Continent at P&G, said that Neha and Jyoti and the entire village of Banwari Tola are an example of how when we take positive actions, we create meaningful change and set the right example for the next generation.

“Gillette is proud to further enable their dream through our Safalta Apni Mutthi Mein programme. It’s time we acknowledge that brands, like ours, play a role in influencing culture. Our actions need to inspire us all to be better every day, and to help create a new standard for boys to admire and for men to achieve. Because the boys of today are the men of tomorrow,’’ he said.

Sandipan Bhattacharyya

Commenting on the campaign, Sandipan Bhattacharyya, Chief Creative Officer, Grey Group, pointed out, “Gillette, as a progressive man’s brand, believes in and propagates topics that are relevant to raising and inspiring the future generation of men. And with this campaign and a powerful message like #ShavingStereotypes, Gillette drives home a point that has utmost relevance in the times we live in. The boys watching today need inspiring role models so that they grow up to be better men.”

The soundtrack in the film is inspired by Sohar, a traditional folk song sung in celebration at the birth of a boy. However, there is a twist in the lyrics towards the end, which urges people to equally rejoice the birth of a girl, for even she can change the family’s fortune.

The Campaign:

Info@BestMediaInfo.com