Dove follows up ‘Real Strength’ campaign with new ads showing the strength of masculinity
Dove has followed on from its ‘Real Strength’ campaign kick started at the Super Bowl with a new Men+Care campaign focuses on the changing nature of masculinity and the caring side of modern men.
Created by Unilever in partnership with the Wake Up Project, the campaign shows men helping each other and their children in a number of different situations.
It will run across metro and pay-TV in a 30s TVC targeting general interest programs supported by digital and video.
The campaign follows the success the brand had at the launch of its global ‘Real Strength’ campaign at the Superbowl this year, which garnered more than 6 million Youtube views and a ranking of 13 out of 61 advertisers.
It uses much of the same footage from their 2014 Fathers’ Day ‘Real Dad Moments‘ campaign, which ran in the US and had more than 12 million views on Youtube.
The ads are based on research conducted with author and researcher Dr Michael Kimmel, which showed 90 percent of Australian men believe showing care is a sign of strength and 85 percent agree it takes strength and confidence for a man to show their vulnerable side.
The campaign also features a 10-part podcast series which profiles high-profile Australian men, including NSW Waratahs coach Michael Cheika, former National Australia Bank CEO Cameron Clyne, Sunrise co-host David Koch and 60 Minutes reporter Michael Usher.
Wake Up Project founder Jono Fisher says both brands are looking to see the same results.
“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,” he said in a statement.
“The research shows that 91 per cent of men respect other men who show emotion, but 62 per cent 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’s about giving men permission to be more emotionally honest in their family lives, workplaces and in society at large.”
Unilever marketing director Jon McCarthy said the campaign is about opening a conversation about masculinity.
“Dove Women has led the way for years in terms of creating global campaigns focused on empowering women and encouraging conversation around real beauty, and now Dove Men+Care wants to do the same thing for men. The research shows the majority of men feel the media’s portrayal of masculinity is too narrow and out of sync with reality, and this is something we want to address through the ‘Real Strength’ campaign,” he said.
The 10-part podcast series is available here.
CREDITS:
- Client name: Dove Men+Care
- 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
- DP: Eric Haase
- Editors: Rob Meltzer, Dayne Tanokia
- Music: Extreme Music
- Composers: Rhian Sheehan, Apra Tony Morley, Rachel Wood
Local agency credits
- Client: Dove Men+Care
- Marketing Director: Jon McCarthy
- Senior Brand Manager: John McKeon
- Assistant Brand Manager: Kieran Harrison
- PR Agency: Liquid Ideas
- Media Agency: Mindshare
