MANILA – December 20, 2013 – After Pantene’s #WhipIt campaign went viral around the world, P&G is now rolling out an international media campaign that tackles gender labels.
With over 5.9 million views and thousands of comments, the ad has resonated beyond the Philippines, where it was launched on November 26.
"Pantene and P&G brands reach billions of women around the world and we want to use this scale and influence to be an agent of change. We are excited about this global #ShineStrong campaign to help women embrace their strength and shine," Deb Henretta, Group President, P&G Global Beauty explained in a statement.
While BBDO Guerrero, Manila made the spot, Pantene’s agency of record in the U.S. is Grey Worldwide.
Produced by Filmex and directed by Simon Cracknell, the video shows men and women doing the same things, but being perceived differently with labels such as boss vs. bossy, persuasive vs. pushy, dedicated, vs. selfish, neat vs. vain.
As part of the campaign, Pantene Philippines, together with its online partner Rappler, holds #WhipItWednesdays, where they talk about whipping women’s issues—stories of women who shone past the bias or eye opening investigative pieces about the double standard.
Coinciding with the ad’s launch, Rappler reported on a survey done in the National Capital region, showing how stereotypes persist. "Despite a narrowing gap between men and women in the Philippines, double standards and gender bias dominate attitudes towards women even in progressive Metro Manila," the report said.
Rappler published a chart of geographic mentions showing how conversation about the campaign has spread from the Philippines to around the world. The video went even more viral after Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO and author of "Lean In" shared the video, saying "This is one of the most powerful videos I have ever seen illustrating how when women and men do the same things, they are seen in completely different ways."
"The connection between gender equality and shampoo is tenuous at best. And yet, Pantene appears to align its brand to championing for women’s rights with this video. We’ve come a long way from the days of hair commercials promising impossibly shiny hair with just one wash. Now, opportunities are ripe for companies to put out thought-provoking messaging that isn’t afraid to challenge societal norms," Ruchika Tulshyan wrote on Forbes.
While many lauded the ad, not all feedback has been positive. On Washington Post, Alexandra Petri criticised the ad, saying, "You make a fair point, maybe, but, at the end of the day, what are you selling?"
