The film «Just a Triangle» is built on match-cuts around triangular objects. Using various triangular attributes we present an alternative view that success is different. We alternately showcase scenes from the life of a successful man imposed by advertising and society, and the life of an ordinary Gen Z man for whom success is measured by simpler things relevant to his lifestyle.

In the end, we see the main triangle on the men's restroom door. Voiceover says: «Even Elon Musk is just a triangle», conveying the idea that even super-successful men, first and foremost, are ordinary men with basic needs (to be happy and to pee).

Then we offer the line «Look at success from your own angle», encouraging each man to have his own vision and understanding of success, and we invite viewers to visit The Unstereotype Alliance website to learn more about a world without stereotypes.

Situation.

For today’s young men true success is about finding happiness in their daily lives, building good relationships, taking care of their health, and having supportive partners. However, the media, society, and advertising still often push outdated ideas of success that focus on money and muscles. This mismatch has deeply problematic effects — many young men feel misunderstood and dissatisfied. Besides, this contributes to the deterioration of their mental health.

Brief.

The Unstereotype Alliance is a platform that seeks to eliminate harmful stereotypes from advertising. Challenge is to address the disconnect between how men perceive success and how it’s portrayed in the media.

Objectives.

⁃ To create a compelling film that captures new narrative of masculinity, challenging stereotypes and inspiring a redefinition of what it means to be a successful man in today’s world.

⁃ Film should inspire young men, presenting success as multifaceted and individualized, and resonate within Gen Z.

Insight.

Our main TA, Gen Z, is very specific, so we chose a specific insight. Although calling it an insight might be an exaggeration, it's more like an observation. It's a bit fun, a bit stupid, and a bit meme-like.

The triangle icon on the men's restroom door is the same for everyone. Both for the image of super-successful men in advertising and for ordinary men, for whom success is measured by simple everyday things. This somewhat silly metaphor is meant to convey that every ordinary man is no worse than a successful advertising hero.

Strategy

The topic is very delicate, so our task is not to confront the long-standing norms of success. We simply propose and show an alternative. Our strategy is to set a new narrative where we portray men as «real» people: moving from figurative thinking to individualized, from objectivism to subjectivism, from stereotypical to multifaceted.

We showcase the alternative concept through life moments relevant to our TA that make them happy — like hobbies and digital-scrolling in their favorite spot. It’s important to bridge the gap between the internal feeling of success among today’s men and the stereotypical representation, and to add some humor so the audience better receives the key message.

About the visual form (triangle, haha). Gen Z — visual learners, so we used the trick of match-cutting to give the film a memorable hook.

Placing the «triangles» in the center facilitates easy adaptation to vertical digital-spaces where Gen Z spends a lot of time.