Gillette and footballer Raheem Sterling promote positive role models in new ad

Raheem Sterling, a 25-year-old footballer, represents Manchester City F.C. and the English national team as a forward. He's a role model to young kids aspiring to play professional football. They observe his moves on and off the pitch. Daresay, he's got a huge responsibility on his shoulders, and it's not all about scoring goals for club and country.

A few days ago, he told the BBC, "The only disease right now is the racism that we are fighting." On June 7, The Guardian said that he "has previously challenged the British media’s perception of Black players, and taken a lead in calling out racism in both the domestic and international game."

To speak up against injustice when it happens is one of the qualities of a good role model. It is also the theme of Gillette's new ad that features Sterling. It is called 'Made of What Matters', and talks about role models. The brand says, "We’ve seen time and time again how football has come to be a vehicle through which people better themselves, and those around them."

The 70-second ad examines positive masculine values, such as the refusal to resort to violence to your enemies, strength in unity, to never leave anyone to fend for themselves, and to never forget where you came from. In the end, we hear a voice-over, "... when we show our best side, we don't just play the game, we change it."

In 2019, Gillette was bombarded with both praise and criticism for its ad during the #MeToo movement. The ad introspected Gillette’s journey till that time, and talked about how right actions will define 'The Best Men Can Be'.

Gillette's parent company Procter & Gamble (P&G), too, is in between an ad campaign on bias and racism. It feels the world has finally had enough of this centuries-old unjust mentality, and Black American George Floyd's death recently has acted as the final catalyst for people and institutions to take steps to end racism.