Marketers are increasingly focussing on the new roles ( at-home fathers, carers, cooks...) that men play in the society. We are seeing more and more marketing campaigns highlighting the fragile or more emotional side of men. Check out 100+ such emotional marketing campaigns here . Before going through the campaigns, here's a quick note from our team: we have created a video "Why you need 4 agencies to get your digital marketing right" which is very useful for agency selection. Our CEO, Aji Issac, shares new industry insights on his LinkedIn Page. Also, don't miss our "digital marketing during Covid-19 times" document, full of actionable insights here.
Brand Campaigns, Men & Different Stories
Here's our list of men-centric marketing campaigns that tug at the heartstrings:
1) Gillette India: Boys Don’t Cry
It is one of the most common phrases that young boys grow up hearing. Crying is seen as a sign of weakness. In fact, for every one, men or women, it takes courage to show vulnerability. Gillette India in its 2019 ad campaign featured real-life people, including Lt Col M K Sinha SM (Retd), showing their vulnerable side. As a leading male grooming brand, Gillette India urges people to re-think their age-old notion of masculinity and strength.
2) Reliance General Insurance's Post Celebrating International Men’s Day
Through an amazing Instagram post, Reliance General Insurance urges people to realize that there are no men’s jobs and no women’s job. The post reads --- Rani Lakshmibai proved women can fight and Sanjeev Kapoor proved men can cook.
3) Dove Men+ Care
Dove Men+Care, one of Unilever’s arms that offers men’s grooming products, stands out with its unique campaigns. On YouTube, their content highlights how care makes a man stronger. To speak authentically to men, the brand ditched the stereotyped image of men portrayed in most of the media. Their content highlights men as supportive, caring and emotional people who take equal responsibility for family care and childcare. In 2015, Dove Men+Care highlighted “First Fatherhood Moments,” showing YouTube footage of men reacting to the news that they were about to become father.
4) Budweiser’s Ad On Stepfathers
On Father’s Day, the world celebrates fathers. But for many people, step fathers play that role. The beer company's commercial featured real-life pairs of step-fathers and step-kids, discussing their journey and what it took them to appreciate each other. Now, that’s one commercial that recognizes all kinds of fathers and father-figures.
5) Kleenex: My Dad My Hero
Kleenex organized a Father’s Day surprise on Career Day for visiting fathers. Though fathers had come to talk about their careers, the children surprised them by reading out letters about how much they love their dads. Now, that’s one heartwarming commercial that will tear you up and make you grab a Kleenex!
6) IKEA: Magic Man
IKEA Canada through a story between a grandfather and his young grandson highlights reusing its furniture. The ad shows the young boy attempting magic tricks but failing to get it right every time. Seeing this, his grandfather pulls out a shelving unit by IKEA and rebuilds it to create to a magician’s cabinet. With the refurbished cabinet, we see the young boy completing his first successful trick.
7. Edeka: Heimkommen
The commercial starts with an old man who unsuccessfully tries to get his family to come home for the holidays every year. However, every year he ends up celebrating alone. To get his family home, he eventually he fakes his own death to get them to come home for the holidays. Surprised and happy, the family sits and eats together.
8. Puppyhood Video From Purina & BuzzFeed
The best thing about Purina and BuzzFeed’s Puppyhood commercial is that it doesn’t look like commercial at all. The commercial features a single man adopting a puppy and then goes on to show us the journey of the puppy and the man and how they get to know each other. A single man and the realistic scenarios of what happens when he brings home a puppy make it a heartwarming watch.
9. Thai Life Insurance: Unsung Hero
The story focuses on a young man living in poverty but performing selfless deeds. The commercial tackles the dark subject of poverty with a sense of hope and optimism. The commercial makes one believe in the power of doing good, even when the person gets nothing in return for his good deed.
Here're more men-centric campaigns that you can explore.