Changing Places Trading Roles

Prototypes such as the Raymond Complete Man notwithstanding, the trend of showing men in domestic settings is a fairly recent one. What factors have contributed to this change? Eliott Moss, Client Service Director, Chaitra Leo Burnett the ad agency that created the Ariel commercial says: 8220;The opening up of the economy and the arrival of satellite technology have been the most important catalysts in bringing changes in the representation of the sexes in commercials. Images of western lifestyles and attitudes have permeated both the Indian male and female consciousness, leading to a reappraisal of traditional gender roles. This is reflected in advertising.8221;

Moss claims that the shift from the perception of advertising as a means of promoting a product to that of promoting a brand, has also been an important factor. Brands by their very definition stand for a certain set of values and gender equality fits in perfectly with the spirit of the 90s.

So has the New Age man really arrived? The one who cooks, does the washing up and even opts to stay at home? Says ad guru Shunu Sen currently CEO, Quadra Advisory Pvt Ltd: 8220;There is enormous change in the gender equation in contemporary urban Indian society, though not necessarily of the kind reflected in advertising. The portrayal of sexual prototypes in such commercials is mostly assumed to be aspirational for the target group.8221; Agrees Moss: 8220;In the area of gender equality, commercials generally set, rather than reflect, social trends.8221;

Yet is the sexual ideal of the New Age man presented in these commercials really so different from his older, more traditional counterparts? Well, the jury8217;s still out on that one: take the recent Double Diamond tea commercial. A husband proudly greets his wife with a steaming cup of tea when she returns home. When the wife asks him the secret of this oh so perfect cuppa, our man is totally clueless for the tea has been made by the domestic help. He stammers: 8220;Two cups 8230; no sorry, two spoons of tea, and a pinch of sugar!8221;

In the Samsung refrigerator ad Kapil Dev is entertaining while wife Romi is away, pleasantly surprising his friends by turning out some mouth-watering fare for dinner. Though the food has been laboriously prepared and stacked into the refrigerator in neatly labeled jars by his wife, Dev happily takes all the credit for the meal, even going as far as to assert men8217;s culinary knowledge as an axiomatic truth. In a third Peposent toothpaste commercial, the kids feign tooth ache when they discover that papa has cooked dinner. Funny? Sure. But then any attempt to redefine traditional roles at home is almost always a joke. Or isn8217;t it?

Without doubt, the increasing portrayal of women as successful professionals in commercials points to advertisers8217; acceptance of a fast-evolving gender equation at the workplace. But when it comes to matters domestic, the roles remain as traditionally defined as ever. The Ariel commercial is perhaps the only exception. Here too, the husband8217;s contribution in lightening the wife8217;s domestic chores is in the nature of a favour, an expression of goodwill towards her which she cannot take for granted as an accepted form of their domestic arrangement. Moreover, the commercial tells us that the product is so efficient that anyone can use it. As Anthony Rose of Pamp;G puts it: 8220;The TVC highlights how Ariel8217;s superior cleaning ability takes away the burden of washing clothes and makes it so simple that anybody even a husband can get an impeccable clean using Ariel.8221; Even a husband!

Conceding that commercials often reinforce gender stereotypes, Moss argues that the age-old notion of man as provider and woman as nurturer is too deeply imbedded in the Indian psyche to be dispelled easily. 8220;The aim of advertising is to sell a product; it cannot lead to a social revolution. In order to connect with the viewers, the commercial must have an element of truth. If we go the whole hog and show men making gourmet meals, people will tell us to do a reality check.quot; Perhaps. But is the trend of highlighting changing sex roles in commercials likely to gain popularity in the days to come? Smiles Sen, 8220;The New Age man is only one more creative trigger to appeal to the consumer. If showing more men pitching in at home in commercials helps in selling a product, then this will become more widespread until the next sucessful trend comes around.8221;