A woman asks to be seen in Ariel's latest #ShareTheLoad ad

Ariel has rolled out the fifth edition of its #ShareTheLoad campaign titled 'See equal' to highlight how men are blind to the roles women play in their lives and the challenges they have to undertake.   

Conceptualised by BBDO, the film raises a pertinent question: "If men can share the load equally with other men, why are they not doing it with their wives?" It aims to remind families that true equality is only reflected when everyone #SharesTheLoad of domestic chores.   

The film features a married couple who visit their new neighbours. The woman points out to her husband how the two male neighbours go about their morning tasks by both contributing equally. The husband then casually recollects how he used to split all chores back in the day with his college roommate. This incident, along with a few more, makes the woman realise that she is not being seen and treated as an equal. After mulling over it, she takes a stand for herself and shares her realisation with her husband, demanding to be seen as an equal.

Josy Paul, chairman and chief creative officer, BBDO India, said the latest installion takes a "slightly different track" by showing a woman speaking out.

"There is a definite shift in the tonality. This time, it’s the woman who speaks for herself. It is the woman speaking her mind and sharing her point of view. The film is fully reflective of the reality of today’s times, where the woman refuses to accept inequality in her marriage. Research confirmed this. 88% of women believe it is time to talk to men about doing their share of the household work equally. There is a sense of restlessness, and impatience in the women today at the pace of change. So, this film is also a means to encourage conversations to truly move us towards an equal tomorrow," Paul said.

The campaign aims to address years of unconscious bias and conditioning that prevents women from being seen as equals, according to Sharat Verma, chief marketing officer of P&G India and VP of fabric care.

"A recent World Economic Forum report claims that at the current pace of change, gender parity is still 135 years away! That is far too long for us to wait for something that comes naturally for men when they interact with each other. Interestingly, over 73% of married men agreed that they did their share of household chores when they lived with other men. However, even now in urban India, less than 25% of households claim that men share the load equally. This year’s communication is based on this simple insight—when men can ShareTheLoad equally with other men, then why not with their wives? Because we know when we #SeeEqual, we #ShareTheLoad," Verma said.

It forms part of Ariel's ambition to "trigger meaningful conversations that will help drive positive change" with its #ShareTheLoad series.

CREDITS   

Creative agency: BBDO India
Chairman and chief creative officer: Josy Paul
Chief executive officer: Suraja Kishore
Chief creative officer, Mumbai: Hemant Shringy
Senior creative director art: Balakrishna Gajelli
Associate creative director copy: Karan Nair
Art director: Omkar Rachha
Production house: Ransom 
Executive producer: Salil Khurana, Suhana Sharma 
Director: Shimit Amin 
PR partner: Ketchum Sampark
Digital partner: Kinnect
Media partner: Mediacom
On-ground partner: Encompass