‘There’s no one way to be a man’: Thinkerbell disguises Our Watch campaign inside a streetwear ad
Thinkerbell has released its latest The Line campaign for Our Watch – which seeks to help the community end violence against women and their children – showing through streetwear that “there’s no one way to be a man”.
The campaign is described as as ‘Trojan Horse’, hiding the message of healthy masculinity inside an ad that appears to be for streetwear. The campaign aims to encourage young men to adopt a different attitude instead of outrightly telling them what to think.
The animated ad shows a man drawing a glowing line across the ground with his sneakers that are branded with ‘Never Follow’. As he walks, he passes men sharing private photos of a woman and writing defamatory graffiti on a wall. He rejects the behaviour and keeps walking to the beat of his own drum.
Viewers of the ad are provided with the opportunity to claim a free pair of the limited-edition and campaign-exclusive Dunlop Volley Sneakers if they answer what ‘there’s no one
way to be a man’ means to them.
Siobhan McCann, director of marketing and communications for Our Watch said: “Repressing emotions, using aggression to gain respect, or disrespecting women and girls to be considered ‘cool’, are just some of the rigid expectations men and boys are often socialised to demonstrate.
“In order to help young men challenge society’s rigid expectations of masculinity, Our Watch’s youth campaign, The Line, has launched ‘Never follow’ – a campaign that shows that there is no one way to be a man.”
Adam Ferrier of Thinkerbell said in a statement: “By using streetwear as a Trojan horse for a more meaningful message, the campaign circumvents resistance and instead prompts users to step forward and actively engage with the concept of what masculinity means to them.”
The campaign is executed predominantly within social and digital channels as well as cinema.
Credits
Client: Our Watch
Director, Marketing and Communications: Siobhan McCann
Senior Marketing Advisor: Stephanie Francas
Senior Marketing Advisor: Nicola Weston
Senior Marketing Advisor: Jess Strickland
Creative agency: Thinkerbell
Tinker: Tom Wenborn
Tinker: Anna Yates
Thinker: Josh Green
Producer: Di Nash
Chief Creative Tinker: Jim Ingram
Lead Thinker: Nikia Shepherd
Chief Thinker: Adam Ferrier
Director: Evan Viera
Creative Director: Alan Dickson
Producer: Amy Neave
Production company: Yukfoo Animation
Volley General Manager: John Szwede
Volley Marketing Manager: Sam Despotidis
Media agency: Carat
