Our Watch launches a ‘Trojan sneaker ad’ to promote healthy masculinity via Thinkerbell

Our Watch has launched its latest campaign ‘The Line’ via Thinkerbell to promote healthy masculinity.

 

Says Siobhan McCann, director of marketing and communications at Our Watch: “Repressing emotions, using aggression to gain respect or disrespecting women and girls to be considered ‘cool’, are just some of the rigid expectations men and boys are often socialised to demonstrate.

“In order to help young men challenge society’s rigid expectations of masculinity, Our Watch’s youth campaign, The Line, has launched ‘Never follow’ – a campaign that shows that there is no one way to be a man.”

Recognising that young men (in particular) don’t like being told what to think, The Line has adopted the look, feel and tone of a street wear brand to house the message within a ‘trojan’ sneaker ad – the type of advertising they genuinely seek out and interact with.

Integrated into the campaign is the opportunity for viewers to claim a free pair of the limited edition, campaign-exclusive Volley sneakers shown in the ad by answering a question about what ‘there’s no one way to be a man’ means to them.

Says Adam Ferrier, Thinkerbell: “By using streetwear as a Trojan horse for a more meaningful message, the campaign circumvents resistance and instead prompts users to step forward and actively engage with the concept of what masculinity means to them.”

From the pressure to act tough and hide emotions to fit in, to the pressure to engage in activities that objectify women – the animation shows a hero character rejecting all of these traditional stereotypes of what it means to be man. Instead he walks his own path, as his own person.

The campaign exists predominantly within social and digital channels as well as cinema.

Client: Our Watch
Director, Marketing and Communications: Siobhan McCann
Senior Marketing Advisor: Stephanie Francas
Senior Marketing Advisor: Nicola Weston
Senior Marketing Advisor: Jess Strickland

Creative agency: Thinkerbell
Tinker: Tom Wenborn
Tinker: Anna Yates
Thinker: Josh Green
Producer: Di Nash
Chief Creative Tinker: Jim Ingram
Lead Thinker: Nikia Shepherd
Chief Thinker: Adam Ferrier

Director: Evan Viera
Creative Director: Alan Dickson
Producer: Amy Neave
Production company: Yukfoo Animation

Volley General Manager: John Szwede
Volley Marketing Manager: Sam Despotidis

Media agency: Carat