Washing Away Men’s Laundry Excuses
“I never learned how to do it.”
“If the colors bleed, you’ll yell at me.”
“How do you turn the washer on?”
“Oh, you meant now?”
“My mother always did it for me.”
“I was going to, but you beat me to it.”
Women spend an average of 21 hours per week on household tasks, and FCB Brasil’s “Washing Away Excuses” for Brastemp addresses that inequality.
When it comes to the division of household tasks, gender inequality in Brazil is real. A 2018 study by IPEA found that while 93% of Brazilian women are responsible for laundry, only 56% of their partners do the household task regularly.
That is supported by additional research from the Think Eva collective in partnership with appliance brand Brastemp, which found that women spend an average of 21 hours per week on household chores—including laundry-related tasks such as separating, hanging out to dry, ironing, folding and storing. This is time their spouse can devote to everything from hobbies to professional development.
This unequal division of labour is a literal hot-(and sometimes cold) button issue that’s the basis of a new campaign from Brastemp that aligns with its strategy of doing away with traditional stereotypes around the division of household tasks.
“Doing the laundry is everyone’s job; our society can no longer tolerate a gender-based division of tasks,” says Allyne Magnoli, Marketing Director at Whirlpool, which owns the Brastemp brand. “With that in mind, we are including in the campaign (in)famous excuses given by family members who do not engage with tasks in the laundry room, preferring to ‘outsource’ the work.
Some of those excuses, which range from “I never learned how to do it,” to “I was going to, but you beat me to it” are the basis of “Washing Away Excuses,” a playful and incisive campaign from FCB Brasil.”
Some of the excuses have been printed on t-shirts sent to about 200 opinion leaders, including journalists and influencers. When the shirts are laundered, the excuses disappear to reveal the message “Household chores are everyone’s chores.” A small number of shirts were also sold on an online pop-up store, enabling people to send them as a “gift” to a partner or significant other.
The campaign’s :60 anchor spot shows those excuses literally being washed away with the easy-to-use Brastemp washing machine. Videos are also running across digital media and apartment building elevators, and the campaign will also be discussed on the Globo Network’s Atlas Horas TV show. The idea is to bring the debate to the masses and add a new perspective on household chores, said Magnoli.
“The information about how to do the laundry, or other household chores, is available to everyone,” says FCB Brasil executive creative director Marcelo Rizério. “Many say they don’t know how, and yet they routinely perform tasks that are much more complex. The excuses are so superficial, and so dirty, that we decided to literally wash them away.”
The “Washing Away Excuses” campaign is a continuation of the “Brastemp Shared Edition” campaign that launched in May demonstrating just how ingrained the idea that laundry is “woman’s work” has become in society.
Timed to coincide with Mother’s Day, which tends to feature an abundance of ads propagating the idea that women are primarily responsible for household tasks like laundry, the campaign promoted the brand’s fictitious new “Sharing Edition” washing machine—featuring an exclusive “Household Chores Division” cycle. The accompanying spot described it as innovative technology that’s been around for 60 years.
Credits: Washing Excuses
Agency: FCB Brasil
Client: Whirlpool
Product: Brastemp Washing Machines
Title: Washing Excuses
CEO/ CCO: Ricardo John
Client Services: Elton Longhi, Thiago Iusim, Mayara Nunes, Samia Reiter, Letícia Hengles, Carolina Andrade
Planning: Renata Davila, Bruna Rodriguez, Marcella Huche, Isabela Katayama
Media: Fabio Freitas, Eliane Bernardino, Nicola Aguiar, Teresa Urbano, Tiago Santos, Robson Cruz.
Creative: Anna Martha, Ana Becker, Marcelo Rizério, Kaue Sá, Lucas Buled, Marta Carvalho, Renata Reigota, Thea Rodrigues, Thiago Moralles, Juscelino Vieira, Liandra Monteiro
Production: Fernanda Geraldini, Carolina Ferreira, Amanda Fonseca, Camila Galdencio, Daniela Fonseca, João Albertini
B.I: Barbara Feitosa, Priscilla Olegario
Production Company: Landia & M&A
Director: Aline Lata
Managing Directors & Ep: Carolina Dantas, Sebastian Hall
Executive Producer: Valentina Baisch
Executive Producer Assistant: Larissa Delfini
Production Coordinator: Camilla Bastos
Production & Coordination Assistants: Natália Petrechen, Luciana Andrade, Mari Prado
Dop: Erico Toscano
Art Director: Rafa Blass
1st Ad: Tati Klein
Production Director: Andrea Beni
Location Production: Tati Setton
Art Production: Gisela Villalva
Art Assistant: Mari Godone
Post-Production Coordinator: Elton Bronzeli
Post-Production: Landia & M&A
Copywriter: Breithner Monteiro
Color Grading: Marla Colour Grading
Sound Production Company: Cabaret
Production: Bruno Peras
Maestro: Guilherme Azem
Mixing and Sound Editing: Luiz Ortega, Guilherme Azem
Client Services: Ingrid Lopes, Flavia Caparelli, Barbara Russiano
Coordination: Verusca Garcia, Chandra Lima, Carol Oliveira
Voiceover: Michele Bittencourt
MField Crew
Director: Flávio Santos
Product and Relationship Director: Gustavo Almeida
Artistic Director: Victor Godoy
Director of Operations and New Business: Gabriel Lima
Client Services: Viviane Costa
Influencer Marketing Specialist: Georgia Murta
Client approval: Andrea Salgueiro, Gustavo Ambar, Allyne Magnoli, Gabriel Silva, Wendel Teixeira and Stefany Saraiva
Credits: Brastemp Shareding
Advertising Agency: FCB Brasil
Client: Whirlpool
Product: Brastemp Washing Machines
Title: Brastemp Shareding
CEO/ CCO: Ricardo John
Client Services: Elton Longhi, Thiago Iusim, Mayara Nunes, Ana Paula Mancini, Samia Reiter, Letícia Hengles.
Planning: Bruna Rodriguez, Marcella Huche, Renata Davila.
Media: Fabio Freitas, Nicola Aguiar, Tiago Santos, Robson Cruz, Mateus Madureira, Tamires Santos.
Creative: Anna Martha, Marcelo Rizério, Renata Reigota, Thea Rodrigues, Bibiana Saldanha, Henrique Aquino, Pedro Paes, Rodrigo Resende, Rafael Merel, Suzana Haddad, Thiago Ehlke, Yllo Pedra.
Production: Fernanda Geraldini, Carolina Ferreira, Amanda Fonseca, Camila Galdencio, João Albertini, Andreza Cursino, Luiz Eduardo Doria, Pedro Lazzuri.
B.I: Barbara Feitosa, Priscilla Olegario
Production Company: Saigon Filmes
Director: Juliana Curi
Executive Producer: Marcelo Altschuler, Carol Pessini
Client Services: Fernanda Gomes, Rafael Costa, Karin Diniz
Production Coordinators: Katiucia Soares, Natalia Cardoso
Photography Director: Licia Jardim Arosteguy da Rosa
Art Director: Carol Ozzi
Assistant Director: Flavia Meszberg
Production Director: Roberto Bellezia
Wardrobe: Juliana Prysthon
Casting: Rodrigo Hoffmann (Chuck)
Assembly: Daniela Guimarães
Post Producer: Fabio Abreu
Post-Production Coordinator: Virgini Fares
Color: Adonias Dantas
Post Production: NASH Production
Sound Production
Sound Production Company: Canja
Sound Directors: Lucas Sfair, Eduardo Karas, Filipe Resende
Musical Score: Diego Zorrilla
Sound Services: Guga Costa
Sound Coordinator: Matheus Brandão
MField Crew
Director: Flávio Santos
Artistic Director: Victor Godoy
Executive Director: Flávio Santos
Technical Director: Gabriel Lima
Client Services: Ariane Gancear
Think Eva Consulting / Think Olga NGO
Maíra Liguori – Think Eva and Think Olga Impact Director
Mariana Cordeiro – Think Eva and Think Olga Strategy Manager
Camila Camargo – Think Eva and Think Olga Strategy Lead
Débora Torri – Content and Strategy Lead
Isys Maciel – Data Scientist and Production Coordinator
Luciana Nogueira – Think Eva and Think Olga Project Manager
Client approval: Andrea Salgueiro, Allyne Magnoli, Gabriel Silva, Gabriella Rosa, Victoria Sagula.
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