Do real blokes have to be tough bastards? Dove Men+Care is following in the footsteps of its sister, aiming to provoke discussions about how men see themselves. The first discussion is about masculinity. It’s out to show that caring is a sign of strength.
The campaign, #RealStrength, launched at the Superbowl in February. The spot was ranked 13th out of 61 advertisers and has had more than 6 million YouTube views. Who knew men would care about caring?
The ad, that puts caring on the top tier of masculine characteristics, has been adapted for Australia market. The 30 second TVC and is on air from May 3, along with a Fox Sports partnership…
…and a 10 part digital podcast series with well-known Australians, that was created with the Wake Up Project.
The campaign is based on knowledge gained by research carried out under the guidance of masculinity author and researcher, Dr Michael Kimmel. 90% of Australian men surveyed agree that showing care is a sign of strength and 85% agree it takes strength and confidence for a man to show their vulnerable side.
The TVC, running on metro and pay TV targeting general interest programs, is supported with digital and video.
Dove’s Men+Care’s 2nd year of sponsorship of the Wallabies features a partnership with Fox Sports that includes integration of content packages across TV and online. The packages will explore the lives of four Wallabies players and examine where they get their real strength from.
The 10 part podcast series, co-produced by Wake Up project and Dove Men+Care, will feature a different high profile Australian man each week and what real strength means to him. Guests for the podcast include Michael Cheika, Cameron Clyne, David Koch, and Michael Usher. The podcast series will be housed online at Australian Rugby and Wake Up Project.
It will be supported with a digital and social campaign, calling for people to join the global #realstrength conversation.
Wake Up Project founder, Jono Fisher, commented, “I was contacted by Dove Men+Care after they saw the film ‘The Mask We Live In’ that we had premiered in Australia. The idea of challenging modern concepts of masculinity and encouraging men to feel comfortable expressing their vulnerable, emotional side is something that Wake Up Project has been committed to since its foundation in 2009,” Fisher said.
“The research shows that 91% of men respect other men who show emotion, but 62% said they don’t feel comfortable crying in front of others because it could be viewed as weakness, so there is a real disconnect there. It highlights the importance of starting this conversation around what constitutes real strength in a man. It’s about giving men permission to be more emotionally honest in their family lives, workplaces and in society at large.”
Creative credits:
Advertising Agency: The Marketing Arm, USA
President: Tom Meyer
Creative director: Marc Gilbar
Agency producer/account director: Meg Quinn
Agency producer: Ben Greenberg
Production company: Stun Creative
Executive producers: Mark Feldstein & Brad Roth
Head of production: Jared Christensen
Line producer: Richard Sven Shelgren
Director: Rob Meltzer
DoP: Eric Haase
Editors: Rob Meltzer & Dayne Tanokia
Music: Extreme Music
Composers: Rhian Sheehan, Apra Tony Morley & Rachel Wood
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