Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8th, Proctor & Gamble has launched a new campaign dubbed We See Equal along with an ad spot highlighting its latest gender equality initiative.
Set to the tune of 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up,” the spot features scenes showing children, men and women in everyday situations. Each scene features text such as “Equations don’t care who solve them” and “Households don’t care who head them.” The final scene shows a woman telling a younger co-work to “Do it,” with the line “Equal pay doesn’t care who demands it.” The video aims to challenge and change gender bias in society.
“Our brands have a very powerful voice with the messages in our advertising,” Tressie Rose, a P&G rep told Marketing Daily. “This year, it made a lot of sense to communicate our aspirations where men and women, mothers and fathers and their children all share the same goals.”
In addition to the ad spot, P&G is using the hashtag #WeSeeEqual to convey its message of equality and acceptance. “We See Equal” is about a world where men and women share the same challenges and reach the same goals,” Rose added.
This isn’t the first time P&G has spoken out about gender equality. Building “a world free from gender bias” was highlighted as a top priority in the company’s 2016 annual citizenship report, and P&G launched a similar initiative — “Share the Load” — for its Ariel laundry brand in India, where household chores are widely viewed as women’s work.
“P&G is committed to creating a better world for everyone,” said Rose. “We want a world that’s free from gender bias and with equal representation and an equal voice for women and men. It’s a big aspiration. But we hope that the #WeSeeEqual video will hopefully spark conversations and will continue some great discussions and progress.”
P&G isn’t the only company to address the issue of gender bias. In June 2016, Unilever launched its #Unstereotype campaign in an effort to avoid stereotyping across its brands, which include Dove and Axe. During the World Economic Forum in Davos this past January, Unilever also urged leaders to challenge gender bias in the workplace.
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Published Mar 6, 2017 9am EST / 6am PST / 2pm GMT / 3pm CET