#PenguinDad- an identity we created for the new generation of working, Indian fathers- inspired by the most dedicated father in the animal kingdom- the Male Emperor Penguin, who shares equal responsibilities in parenting with the mother.

In the unlikeliest of ways, the ‘Male Emperor Penguin’ from Antarctica, became an inspiration for India’s patriarchal society to understand their new generation of fathers. To show them it is possible for a father to balance work & home. To take a proactive interest in raising a child. To change diapers while taking work-calls. To help his child with homework while finishing office work. We wanted to show his life and his values to the country, and empower him by making him an inspiration to others. To reveal to India that feminism had spread over to their men too.

We conducted India’s first survey on its current generation of fathers. Nearly a dozen national dailies picked it up, revealing to India that across 17 of its biggest cities, over 50% of fathers were more involved in child-raising. By turning its results into a music video by one of Bollywood’s biggest directors, and mother- Ashwiny Tiwari, never-seen-before visuals of a diaspora of fathers braiding hair, buying diapers & cooking food… hit India. Launched on digital and amplified through TV, it became a celebration of the male community’s first efforts to break gender-roles in parenting.

On LinkedIn, we nudged 1000s of #PenguinDads to change their corporate mugshots to pictures with their kids, symbolizing to their professional circles that they’re more than their professions. As a commitment from the product’s end, we launched the first e-commerce store for the #PenguinDad- with essentials like the first line of baby-friendly sweatshirts for men.

#PenguinDad is now Indian e-commerce’s most viral campaign. The term has been used by India’s

millions-strong mom blogger networks, Bollywood celebrities, sportstars, authors, musicians and gender writers, to begin a discourse around Indian men and parenting. It’s earned over 5X its media investments- regional media is even competing to see which city has more “Penguin Dads”. Flipkart brand sentiment has soared, leading to 9% higher Daily Active Users than Amazon, and 16.6% lift in brand recall. The ‘normalisation’ of the proactive father continues making uninvolved fathers realize a relationship with their children they’re missing out on. As a brand that serves mainstream India, we realised our role isn’t to spark the fire but partner with those who do to ensure it catches on. In a price-sensitive, volatile industry like e-commerce, #PenguinDad has elevated Flipkart’s perception from a supermarket to a loved store-next-door. And you can’t put a price on that.