As one of the world’s leading men’s brands, Gillette had a responsibility to tackle the regressive stereotypes that encourage young men to hide their emotions. To do so, it needed to spark a cultural conversation more than a brand conversation. Based on the true story of a war veteran, this dissection of the male stereotype started a debate that had a profound impact on popular culture - it united the voices of sportsmen, army men, policy makers, actors and poets alike, taking Gillette a step forward in their mission of inspiring young men to be the best they can be.

From a formative age, every young boy is taught the same toxic lie – men don’t cry. Inherited from the previous generation, this pervasive stereotype is held up as a moniker of machismo, reinforced by pop-culture, role models and society overall. In fact, ‘Mard ko dard nahi hota’, i.e. men feel no pain, is among the most iconic lines in Bollywood history. Exposure to these influences encourages young boys to hide their pain and distance their emotions, causing severe repercussions in their mental makeup.

Gillette, one of the world’s leading men’s brands, wanted to tackle this notion of masculinity in an overtly patriarchal society like India. To groom the next generation of men to be the best they can be, it was important to define new standards of manliness, by triggering a nation-wide conversation on the matter, starting on International Men’s Day, 2019.

Accepting your vulnerabilities doesn’t make you less of a man. We realised that we could bring alive this idea through the true story of a soldier, traditionally considered to be the epitome of manliness. Lt. Col. M.K. Sinha – a brave war veteran whose emotional recovery from a near-fatal injury exemplified our message with an authenticity that a whole new generation needed to see.

We crafted the story through the lens of his relationship with his father, an ex-serviceman who extolled the outdated notions of masculinity that always encouraged him to hide his emotions. The period of his subsequent injury and emotional recovery became a turning point for both men, as they realised that accepting your vulnerabilities and not hiding them, can be deeply liberating.

In fact, that’s what made shaving the beard that hid Lt. Col. M.K Sinha’s scar and his inhibitions, an act of self-acceptance and strength.

In a patriarchal society like India, every young boy inherits a regressive masculine stereotype from their greatest male influence – their fathers. To tackle this, we deliberately chose to tell the story of war veteran Lt. Col. M.K Sinha’s journey of recovery, through the lens of his relationship with his father.

Our intention was to inspire younger generations to question these stereotypes, while empowering fathers to teach their children a healthier definition of masculinity. Because only when fathers accept that it’s okay for their boys to show vulnerability, will young boys grow up free of these outdated notions of masculinity.

The campaign was crafted to spark a cultural turnaround, changing crying from an act that’s ostracised, to one that’s openly accepted.

Launched on International Men’s Day, the Gillette Man Enough campaign quickly garnered over 70 million views, stirring conversation on the male stereotype. It sparked a primetime debate on the leading news channel CNN News 18, bringing the issue to the mainstream.

Simultaneously, we released an open letter in the country’s largest English daily, penned by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar sharing his greatest moment of weakness and how he was brave enough to accept his emotions. Within 10 days, the most important opinion leaders, men and women alike – Hrithik Roshan, Rajkummar Rao, Shabana Azmi, Shobhaa De and others, shared their support on social media and joined the movement. Subsequently, the campaign message was disseminated thorough content partnerships with the country’s leading creators and influencers, increasing audience engagement.

The Gillette Achiever’s Academy also organised college talks on the importance of displaying emotions and vulnerabilities, led by Lt. Col. M.K Sinha.

• 70 MN views

• 4.7 BN PR impressions

• +9 points brand awareness

• 99% positive sentiment

• +12% sale on razors

The Gillette Man Enough campaign was covered across news and television, garnering over 500 articles in national and global print, and dominating social media. It inspired a primetime debate on India’s leading news channel CNN News 18.

The campaign stirred public sentiment, inspiring numerous people to share their stories of vulnerability. It’s most dramatic impact on social behaviour was normalising the act of crying, evident from the comfort with which notable public figures like action hero Salman Khan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly displayed their emotions.

This cultural dissection of the male stereotype united the voices of poets, comedians, influencers, sportsmen and celebrities alike, helping Gillette inspire not just a whole new generation of men, but the generation they learnt from too.