A question for the men in the audience: have you ever mentored a young person? The answer is almost certainly no, but Esquire wants to change that with the help of 72andSunny and its new “Mentoring Project.”
In short, the magazine enlisted a bunch of celebrities along with three ad agencies to try and sell the virtues of the practice to its uber-sophisticated readers. These spots, which will appear in the magazine as well as on its website/social feeds and video channel, aim to “puncture [the] stuffiness” that leads so many men to sit at home rather than reaching out to the young dudes who need their wisdom.
The idea is that mentoring is a bit less intimidating when framed as a simple sharing of manly pleasures. As the copy on the above ad puts it:
“That idea can seem paralyzing — like we have to be Aristotle or George Washington or something.
But you don’t need to be a philosopher or scholar, boy scout or saint. Men learn by doing. Go. Eat burgers bigger than your head. Together.”
Two more after the jump.
Young dudes need guidance, and Esquire wants readers to become “more active role in creating the next generation of good men.”
From the last ad, below: “Our boys are in trouble, and they need you. Go. Play. Together.”
No credits for this campaign.
ICYMI, Stuart Elliott tells us that Makeable and Barton F. Graf 9000 will also contribute to this project. The Times piece gives us a visual snapshot of Makeable’s upcoming website, but we can only guess as to what Graf will put on the table.
It will probably not involve spontaneous public displays of dancing.