The Hershey Company’s award-winning #HerSHE campaign, was brought alive again in India for the second year in a never seen before avatar.
On International Women’s Day, the renowned chocolate brand went live with the campaign but with a sweet twist – honouring not just the achievers, but also the unsung women heroes, the ones who surround us but whom we forget to appreciate.
Hershey. Her-She.
Never thought about it this way before, did you?
Whether it’s our mothers, sisters, children, spouse, grandmothers, relatives, friends, neighbors, colleagues, we all have at least one ‘Shero’ in our lives, and they deserve to be celebrated and recognized.
Have you ever been awestruck by your mother’s skills? Or by your friend’s compassion? Or maybe your sister’s intelligence? You have, of course! Hershey gives consumers the opportunity to honour these women in their lives with the #HerShe campaign.
The #HerSHE Anthem
Hershey kickstarted the campaign with the release of ‘Celebrating Sheroes’ on YouTube. With inspiring lyrics and a resonant bass line, this #HerSHE Anthem features American Indian rapper Rajakumari and Indian musician Meba Ofilia.
The Packaging Take-Over
Keeping up with the campaign tradition, Hershey identified and featured strong and inspiring women on their packaging. These were Sheroes from all walks of life who not only have achieved the best in their respective fields but also inspired other women.
Meet:
Aishwarya Sridhar – The First “Women Wildlife Photographer of the Year”,
Dhvani Kothari – First International Award-Winning Indian Ballerina,
Sandhya Rai – the only Indian National Rugby Player in Asia’s Top 32 Women Players,
Rukmini Vijayakumar – Founder of Raadha Kalpa Dance Company,
Pooja Taparia – Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arpan,
Falguni Vasavda Oza – Double Gold Medalist, TEDx Speaker and Body Positivity Advocate.
The Microsite
Upon scanning the QR code on the packaging, you’re taken to their microsite where you can write personalized messages with the pictures of Sheroes in your life. This gave users the opportunity to express gratitude and celebrate the women in their lives. The pictures were displayed on the microsite for everyone to see and gain inspiration from.
Mentorship Sessions
The brand also partnered with Femina to organise mentorship sessions for women on diverse subjects. Mentors shared their stories with the audience, who got to learn from their experiences. Through these sessions, the campaign was able to bring the campaign thought to life and make a real difference in the lives of women by empowering them.
Here’s why we loved the campaign:
Relatability
Everyone has been inspired by a strong female figure in their lives at least once, and can relate to how their stories go unshared, and their accomplishments go uncelebrated. With the campaign, Hershey is making the ‘Invisible Visible’.
Celebrating Diversity
By allowing consumers to share stories of Sheroes in their own lives, the campaign truly includes every single person and gives an equal opportunity to women from all walks of life to be recognised and celebrated.
The QR Code
It might be a simple QR code, but it is a window into the inspiring lives of women the brand is highlighting. Instead of just putting photos and names on the pack, the QR code enables users to dive deeper into the world of these Sheroes and at the same time gives strong visibility to the work that they are doing.
The campaign caught the attention of a wide variety of audiences with more than 16 Million unique users reached, garnering more than 15 Million views on the video. More than 11,000 users engaged with the brand through their microsite and AR Filter, and the campaign was covered by more than 150 media portals.This also included a mix of strong outdoor and in-store promotions as well.
The campaign is straightforward, but it truly strikes a chord with you. We loved the thought and the execution of the campaign, and are already looking forward to how the campaign will grow year after year.
