Last summer, Procter & Gamble’s Always scored a big hit with its stereotype-crushing Like a Girl ad, which then got a slot on the Super Bowl. Now, the feminine products brand is back with another powerful commercial aimed at building the confidence of women.
The new Leo Burnett ad, Unstoppable, is directed, like its predecessor, by documentarian Lauren Greenfield. And it features a diverse group of girls and young women talking about the limitations they’ve experienced as a result of social norms.
Video: #LikeAGirl UNSTOPPABLE
It’s particularly heartbreaking when one kid suggest she doesn’t feel like she can be a hero—because in all the stories, it’s always the boys doing the rescuing. But eventually she and the other interviewees start kicking and standing on literal cardboard boxes symbolizing the limits they hope to conquer.
That sequence borders on melodramatic, and risks feeling a bit like a kind of hokey corporate trust-building exercise. But it also effectively punches up an incredibly important message. And the consensus among commenters so far seems to be that it resonates.
Indeed, it’s almost easy to forget the brand is ultimately hawking product.
Always is also partnering with TED, the nonprofit devoted to disseminating ideas, to develop and spread confidence-inspiring content through TED-Ed, an educational platform specializing in lessons worth sharing.
Always #LikeAGirl Confidence Summit 2015
The Always #LikeAGirl Confidence Summit series kicked off in New York City on July 7, 2015.
During the event, Always unveiled the newest social experiment video ‘Always #LikeAGirl – Unstoppable.’, and the new Always Confidence Teaching Curriculum, a new school program with top experts in an effort embolden girls everywhere to be unstoppable and to continue to grow the #LikeAGirl movement in their own lives and communities.
The Confidence Teaching Curriculum will be created in partnership with TED and leading confidence and education experts.
Through the Always Confidence Teaching Curriculum, Always is taking action to help girls maintain confidence during puberty by incorporating the latest confidence teaching expertise into its 30-year heritage in puberty education programing.
Featured conference speakers include Maisie Williams, Lauren Greenfield, Zuriel Oduwole, Rachel Simmons, Carissa Romero.
Source: Adweek, Always #LikeAGirl