Australia – Following the viral ‘See The Signs #ShareTheLoad‘ film by Ariel India that spotlights the long-term impact of unequal distribution of chores on relationships, 100 house staff has uncovered signs of equality and inequality in the household and its impact on the relationship in a first-of-its-kind event that celebrates Ariel’s ‘ShareTheLoad’ movement.

The event was facilitated by Indian actress and model Neha Dhupia who delved deeper, with the 100 house helps, into the signs of equality and inequality within the household. In the event, a live survey was conducted with the house staff in attendance to gather their observations and insights. 

The live survey showed that 95% of house helps observed that couples are happier when the husband takes interest and helps with household chores. Meanwhile, above 80% of house helps said that when husband and wife do not equally divide household chores, distance sets in a marriage. 

They further shared that equal distribution of chores between a couple removes stress and burden from one of the partners and can boost companionship and happiness. More than 85% of house helps agreed that communication between couples reduces when husbands do not help with household chores. 

“It was an insightful experience to facilitate this session with 100 domestic helps, in which they shared their observations and experience. House helps offer an outside perspective on relationships and how they change over time. The results we obtained were quiet staggering but, at the same time, they also highlighted the importance of sharing the load,” said actress Neha Dhupia.

She added, “Household duties are not dependent on gender. It is not ‘his’ or ‘her’ job, it’s our life and our shared responsibility. By sharing the load, husbands can ease the burden on their wives and strengthen their bond to create a more harmonious household. It’s time we break free from the traditional gender roles and create a culture of equal partnerships in our homes. If there is continued inequality; it may create an emotional distance in the relationship. I urge everyone to see the signs and #ShareTheLoad.”

Sharat Verma, chief marketing officer and vice president – fabric care at P&G India, also remarked, “At Ariel, we want to trigger meaningful conversations that will help drive positive change. This year, with our #ShareTheLoad movement, we want to urge everyone to see the signs of the equality and how it affects the relationship. To delve deeper into this, we invited house helps who observe relationships as an outsider to share signs of equality and inequality they see between a couple.” 

The Ariel ‘See the Signs #ShareTheLoad’ film has already garnered more than 40 million views across YouTube and social media. Leading voices and influencers have also shared the film on social media supporting the movement.

Mumbai, India – Since 2015, detergent brand Ariel in India has been sparking meaningful conversations to drive equality in the division of household chores through its campaign, ‘Share The Load’. 

Up until today, managing the family’s household is still a responsibility seen to be exclusive for the women of the house – the wives and the mothers – and Ariel, the brand, is determined to continue with strides that would shatter this uncompromising stereotype. 

In the latest instalment of ‘Share The Load’, we see a sentimental film about a senior married couple whose relationship is hitting the rocks. The interesting feature of the latest narrative is that the ‘problem’ is unbeknownst to the couple themselves. 

Whilst in the car, the senior couple’s daughter asks the father what is wrong between him and the mother, and the other half of the couple is obviously stumped. Through their conversation, the daughter bravely comes clean and emphasises to the father that the ‘Silent separation’ may very well be because the mother has been continuously ‘giving her all’. The mother who has been owning all the responsibilities in managing the household and taking care of the daily chores may have had her zest – and most importantly, her trust – dampened.

The latest ad in the campaign is a diversion from last year’s narrative where the length of the feature is a straightforward conversation perpetuated by the wife to ask that things be changed and that the relationship be more of a teamwork. 

Sharat Verma, CMO of P&G India and VP of Fabric Care in the company, shared that this year’s communication is based on the insight that the unequal distribution of chores can have a long-term effect on relationships. 

“Over time the unequal distribution of household chores can lead to one partner giving up and create a distance in the relationship. But on the other hand, we know that the foundation of a strong relationship is based on equality, where both partners feel respected, appreciated, and valued,” said Verma.

The brand’s creative partner for the campaign, BBDO India, also shared its insights on the latest ad. 

Josy Paul, chairman & chief creative officer, said that this year’s edition is an eye-opener for married couples and for the younger generation. The narrative has been based on something they have been noticing in society – a growing section of men who are discovering that they have lost out on their relationship but don’t know why. 

“It is a hidden truth that no one is talking about. The truth that there is an emotional distance between couples because of the unequal distribution of household work. As we see in the film ‘the woman keeps on giving and giving… till she finally gives up’. ‘See the signs #ShareTheLoad’ is a resolution, a step towards realizing that to share life together, we need to share the load,” said Paul.

Each year, within the ‘Share The Load’ campaign, Ariel engages audiences with a thinker – a profound question or message – that aims to leave a lasting impression so they could further reflect on the movement for gender equality. 

For the first edition in 2015, it asked, ‘Is laundry only a woman’s job?’. Other past instalments such as in 2019 saw the campaign asking, ‘Are we teaching our sons what we are teaching our daughters?’, whilst just last year, in 2022, it communicated the message ‘When we see equal, we share equal.” 

This year, the ad chronicling an elderly couple’s plight, wants audiences to ponder, ‘Are you growing together or apart?’ 

As of this writing, Ariel’s latest ad ‘See the signs’ has already garnered a total of 3 million views within only 18 hours of its launch.

Singapore – Ariel India has launched the fifth edition of its #ShareTheLoad campaign titled ‘See Equal’. Conceptualised by BBDO India, the film raises a pertinent question: “If men can share the load equally with other men, why not with their wives?”

The film aims to be reflective of the reality of today’s times and wants to remind families that true equality is only reflected when everyone ‘shares the load’ of domestic chores. 

On one hand, the film depicts a woman who refuses to accept inequality in her marriage, and on the other, it depicts what men are capable of and shows how they are changing. The two neighbours in the film could be roommates, friends, brothers or in a relationship themselves, but irrespective of their relationship, they represent the men of today who are open to change. 

Speaking about the new campaign, Sharat Verma, CMO of P&G India, and VP of Fabric Care, P&G India, shared that this year’s communication is based on this simple insight – when men can share the load equally with other men, then why not with their wives? 

“With Ariel #ShareTheLoad, we strive to trigger meaningful conversations that will help drive positive change. With #SeeEqual, we want to address years of unconscious bias and conditioning, that may be coming in the way of us all sharing the load,” said Verma. 

The first edition of the #ShareTheLoad campaign was launched in 2015, with Ariel raising the question – ‘Is laundry only a woman’s job?’ Since then, each film released every year under the campaign focuses on a specific issue within the equality movement.

In 2020, the campaign highlighted the impact of the unequal division of chores on wives’ well-being and leveraged it with men to drive an urgency to act.

Priyanka Rishi, GM & EVP of BBDO India in Mumbai, commented, “Ariel #ShareTheLoad is an urgent call to action – to uncover the most relevant context and insight that will trigger conversation to drive positive change in society. Unsurprisingly, this journey becomes personal. Every member brings their deep emotional confession and experiences to sharpen and nuance the idea. This continues through the executional leg where each action, every word, including the tone of delivery is minutely debated, discussed, and debated once more.”