When it comes to the division of household tasks, gender inequality in Brazil is real. A 2018 study by IPEA found that while 93% of Brazilian women are responsible for laundry, only 56% of their partners do the household task regularly. It’s a hot button issue.
FCB Brasil and appliance brand, Brastemp (Whirlpool), have seized on the issue in a striking way. Their campaign calls out gender inequality in the division of household tasks (laundry tasks specifically) and features the excuses that are made for not helping out, like, “Oh, you meant now?”, “My mother always did it for me.”, “How do you turn the washer on?” and “I was going to, but you beat me to it.”
The star of the campaign, however, is a range of t-shirts with the excuses printed on them. When the t-shirts are washed, the excuses disappear to reveal the message, Household chores are everyone’s chores. A selection of the t-shirts is being sold to give as “gifts”. Brilliant. The t-shirts were also sent to about 200 opinion leaders, including journalists and influencers.
“Doing the laundry is everyone’s job; our society can no longer tolerate a gender-based division of tasks,” stated Allyne Magnoli, marketing director at Whirlpool. “With that in mind, we are including in the campaign (in)famous excuses given by family members who do not engage with tasks in the laundry room, preferring to ‘outsource’ the work.”
The campaign video is running across digital media and apartment building elevators, and the campaign will also be discussed on the Globo Network’s Atlas Horas TV show. The idea is to bring the debate to the masses and add a new perspective on household chores, Magnoli noted.
The campaign originally launched to coincide with Mother’s Day in May, which tends to feature an abundance of ads propagating the idea that women are primarily responsible for household tasks like laundry. An earlier video features the brand’s fictitious new Sharing Edition washing machine, with its exclusive Household Chores Division cycle. The accompanying spot described it as “innovative technology that’s been around for 60 years”.
“The information about how to do the laundry, or other household chores, is available to everyone,” noted FCB Brasil executive creative director, Marcelo Rizério. “Many say they don’t know how, and yet they routinely perform tasks that are much more complex. The excuses are so superficial, and so dirty, that we decided to literally wash them away.”
Credits (Washing Away Laundry Excuses):
Client: Whirlpool (Brastemp Washing Machines)
Client Team: Andrea Salgueiro, Gustavo Ambar, Allyne Magnoli, Gabriel Silva, Wendel Teixeira & Stefany Saraiva
Agency: FCB Brasil
Chief Executive Officer & Chief Creative Officer: Ricardo John
Creative: Anna Martha, Ana Becker, Marcelo Rizério, Kaue Sá, Lucas Buled, Marta Carvalho, Renata Reigota, Thea Rodrigues, Thiago Moralles, Juscelino Vieira & Liandra Monteiro
Production: Fernanda Geraldini, Carolina Ferreira, Amanda Fonseca, Camila Galdencio, Daniela Fonseca, João Albertini
Behavioural Insights: Barbara Feitosa & Priscilla Olegario
Client Services: Elton Longhi, Thiago Iusim, Mayara Nunes, Samia Reiter, Letícia Hengles & Carolina Andrade
Planning: Renata Davila, Bruna Rodriguez, Marcella Huche & Isabela Katayama
Media: Fabio Freitas, Eliane Bernardino, Nicola Aguiar, Teresa Urbano, Tiago Santos, Robson Cruz.
Production Company: Landia & M&A
Director: Aline Lata
Managing Directors & Executive Producers: Carolina Dantas & Sebastian Hall
Executive Producers: Valentina Baisch & Larissa Delfini
Production Coordinator: Camilla Bastos
DoP: Erico Toscano
Post-Production Coordinator: Elton Bronzeli
Post-Production: Landia & M&A
Editor: Breithner Monteiro
Colour Grading: Marla Colour Grading
Sound Production Company: Cabaret
Production: Bruno Peras
Music Composition: Guilherme Azem
Mixing & Sound Editing: Luiz Ortega, Guilherme Azem
MField Crew
Director: Flávio Santos
Product and Relationship Director: Gustavo Almeida
Artistic Director: Victor Godoy
Director of Operations and New Business: Gabriel Lima
Client Services: Viviane Costa
Influencer Marketing Specialist: Georgia Murta
