Female empowerment, gender equality and sexual assault were acute issues in 2017 and continue to be so in the present in the US and globally. Talking about what it means to be a man in that context is part of that conversation.

In the wake of a mass shooting in Parkland, Florida by a teenage boy, questions continued to emerge around the role that toxic masculinity had played in contributing to that and other tragedies. Shortly thereafter, The New York Times published an op-ed from Michael Ian Black entitled “The Boys Are Not All Right” in which Black commented that “too many boys are trapped in the same suffocating, outdated model of masculinity,” later concluding “there has to be a way to expand what it means to be a man without losing our masculinity.”

That letter ran just five days before the release of our campaign, ultimately providing the cultural context for our film. And while the planning for our film far preceded this national tragedy, this event only reinforced the danger of gender stereotypes and therefore the pressing need to question them.

What does it really mean to be a man? What does society expect of us? And if an alien came down from outer space, how would you explain all of this to him/her?

These are the questions we sought to answer with a short film entitled, “A Man Like You.” It’s the story of an alien who discovers how to be a man with the help of a young boy. Each lesson is a window into a larger conversation—how to walk, how to take care of yourself, when to be afraid. But through the alien’s journey to manhood, it is the boy who learns that the traditional rules imposed on men are too limiting for today’s world.

Because after all, the story is not about an alien at all, but instead about the boy and the idea that “being a man” is ultimately about realizing the rules don’t exist.

The three-minute film debuted online on February 26, 2018 with a campaign in social and digital in the US and UK that ran through April 8.

First and foremost, the media plan was built to achieve as many efficient views of the full film as possible, via a combination of online video content distributors like Hulu and YouTube, and of course all of Harry’s social media platforms. But we also wanted to create a meaningful 360-partnership with publishers to distribute the film and position it as a must-see, authentically.

In conjunction with Washington Post Brand Studio, Harry’s hosted a screening of the film at NeueHouse in New York for nearly 100 influential attendees, followed by a panel discussion with six men around what it really means to be a man today. Additionally, a partnership with NowThis was used to promote the film and spur conversation through a branded content series.

In six weeks, the film garnered more than 49 million views with over 4.5 million completed views of the full three-minute film. Excluding Harry’s paid social, the completion rate on other paid channels (including YouTube, Hulu, Turner digital properties, WashingtonPost.com and across AcuityAds ad network) was 25%, almost 2.5x our benchmark of 11%.

Additionally, the film achieved over 200K social engagements including overwhelmingly positive comments despite the fact that Internet conversation surrounding the topic of masculinity is overwhelmingly negative. The film was featured in the press by influential publications including GQ, Esquire, Wired, The Telegraph and more as well as industry press in AdWeek, Creativity, Communication Arts and others.

In total, the campaign received more than 146 million impressions.

This progressive view of masculinity is not radical. Our research backed this up. All the men we spoke with were acutely aware of the extensive amount of freedom they have to be whatever kind of man they want, both physically and emotionally. There really wasn’t a sense of having to stick to a particular role, whether it be traditional or not.

What is problematic for men, however, is expressing this more progressive view in front of other guys. Personally, our respondents had a powerful open-minded approach to the full spectrum of masculinity. But once you introduce other guys into the equation, they hold back because they’re afraid of inviting an uncomfortable conversation.

Strategically, we knew that to break through this barrier it was important to engage men in an unexpected and entertaining way, which is what led us to adopt a cinematic, narrative approach with a short film.

When Harry’s approached us, they were a startup in search of a brand. Facing pressure from industry leaders who could easily match Harry’s prices or copy its online subscription model, Harry’s was eager to shift the conversation to its purpose.

For Harry's, that purpose is to change the face of masculinity, starting with the way it’s portrayed in advertising. Rather than feature perfectly chiseled models with incredible jawlines and six-pack abs, Harry’s believes in reflecting the honest, vulnerable and often messy reality of what it means to be a man today.

Traditionally, the expectation for men is to be strong, tough and often emotionally unavailable. And while there are positives to be gleaned, there is also real harm to both genders as a result of these stereotypes.

A more progressive view of masculinity embraces the “ands”—the idea that men can be both strong and vulnerable, self-assured and accepting of others. It’s not a shift, but an expansion in the spectrum of masculinity. Our objective was to raise awareness of Harry’s as not just a razor startup, but a grooming brand that embraces all men while amplifying the ongoing conversation around what it means to be a man today.