Indian male stereotype. The 85-second commercial shows a young man proud of his partner’s achievements. He even clears the table after a party and backs her up when she tells the parents that they don’t want children.
This instalment of ‘Takes you to the new’ by Metro Shoes has been pitched as celebrating ‘extraordinary men’ and ‘redefining modern masculinity’.
It’s not enough. It’s not groundbreaking. It’s not revolutionary. It’s not the new standard of masculinity. Men supporting their partners is the bare minimum.
Real change involves addressing deeper issues, dismantling societal stigma, showing men express vulnerability, and promoting equal partnerships beyond symbolic gestures. It’s a tough ask for a minute and a half, but other brands have done it better. There’s Ariel, with its hugely popular ‘Share the Load’ campaign, Havells’ ‘Hawa Badlegi‘, where the husband takes the wife’s name after marriage, and Gillette’s ‘Man Enough’.
No narrative
The ad film, conceptualised by Talented and directed by Ria Singh, has the hazy glow, like a dream-like sequence of the ‘perfect man’ supporting his talented wife.
What makes it jarring is the constant shift from the supporting husband and the happy wife to their sparkling shoes. Ad campaigns with a message only work when the service or product they’re selling merges seamlessly with the social cause being promoted. That does not happen here. The camera jumps from glowing faces to shiny shoes without any narrative to support it.
The shoes are just there, more like a showpiece, with no relevance to the conversation. It’s not the best fit.
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In-depth conversations
The concept of ‘modern masculinity’ has been explored brilliantly in previous campaigns.
The Man Company’s 2019 collaboration with Ayushmann Khurrana is one of the better ones.
Instead of opting for a glamorous commercial where women are simply swooning over Khurrana, or where he is just endorsing products, the brand took a refreshingly different approach with a nearly four-minute long video.
Khurrana recites a powerful poetry titled ‘Gentleman Kisse Kehtay Hai’, expressing that a man crying, feeling hurt, doing household chores, or showing vulnerability doesn’t make him any less of a man.
It got over eight million views on YouTube, with viewers praising both the actor and the brand for highlighting the damaging effects of patriarchy on men as well.
Then there is Ariel, which has tackled shared household responsibilities—an important social issue—effectively. Released six months ago, it demonstrated how a man can take on household chores, like washing clothes, to support his wife, who is struggling to balance her career with family responsibilities. It has clocked over 55 million views.
Tata Tea’s ‘Jaago Re’ initiative, launched in 2007, touched upon the ‘gender inequality’ that is casually imposed in households. From mocking sons for losing to a girl to instructing only daughters to learn household chores, the message is clear: “Inequality is learned, but equality must be taught.”
Beardo has been shattering perceptions around the professions a man can pursue. In one of their commercials, released six years ago, the brand portrayed how a son, despite being discouraged by his father, pursued painting as a profession and was able to make a career out of it. At the same time, it positions grooming as a vital aspect of modern masculinity, promoting the idea that men should take pride in their appearance and grooming without feeling insecure or emasculated.
The audience is now accustomed to deeper, more socially relevant content, and is demanding more from brands. In this backdrop, Metro Shoes’ latest commercial is uninspired and dated.
Brand: Metro Shoes
Agency: Talented
Director: Ria Singh
Views are personal.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)
Ms. Triya Gulati’s understanding of “modern masculinity” is absolutely messed up.
Men do not like being reduced to a weak effeminate caricature of their real self just to satisfy the ego of some feminist advertising agency professionals.
Woke elements have successfully infiltrated the advertising industry and their understanding of manhood and masculinity is amusing indeed.