P&G's Ariel gets Tinkle's Shikari Shambu to #ShareTheLoad

P&G India's #ShareTheLoad movement for detergent brand Ariel Matic has found another supporter in Shikari Shambu, a popular character from the children's comic magazine Tinkle, an ACK media publication, which also owns Amar Chitra Katha.

In the May issue of Tinkle magazine, children will see Shikari Shambu help his wife with household chores. The idea is to propagate 'laundry equality' among children so that they start inculcating the values of gender equality early in life.

As far as the branding element goes, there will be 'in-page placement' of Ariel (see image).

Talking about the association, Sharat Verma, associate brand director -- Fabric Care, P&G India, says, "We are delighted to have a brand like Tinkle and the ACK group partner with Ariel India on our Dads#ShareTheLoad movement to further spread awareness on the issue of household inequality. With two out of every three children believing that laundry is only a mother's task, the conditioning of gender stereotypes is being sub-consciously passed down to the next generation. Ariel India joins women across the country to address this cycle of prejudice by encouraging more dads and husbands to #ShareTheLoad, since with Ariel Matic anyone can get great laundry results."

The 'Dads#ShareTheLoad' film has already received close to 50 million views globally.

Anuraag Agarwal, chief executive officer, Amar Chitra Katha Media, says, "Tinkle as a brand has always stood for values and principles that can positively shape and mould the next generation. It was important for us to do our part and pledge support to Ariel India's Dads#ShareTheLoad movement, to ensure that the prejudice of household inequality does not pass on to the next generation."

Rajani Thindiath, editor, Tinkle, adds, "Tinkle has been actively addressing the issue of gender equality through its strong female characters and its portrayal of personality types, skills, talents, and career choices as gender neutral. Ariel India's Dads #ShareTheLoad campaign beautifully captures this idea by showing how we can be the change we want to see. I'm sure watching the iconic Shikari Shambu #ShareTheLoad with his wife Shanti, will get children to question commonly-held notions of gender-defined roles at home. In achieving this, Tinkle and Ariel would have broken down that first wall of all gender stereotypes for the next generation, which is ignorance."