International Women’s Day 2023: Brand & Media Tactics
Published 08 March 2023
With 37% of American women saying brands have the power to change some of the world's most urgent women-centred issues (see Key Stats), the imperative for branded support is clear. We distil this year's best campaigns: Hershey’s, make-up brand Lottie London, American animators Nexus Studios and global educational organisation Room to Read turn rights advocates, while eBay caters to female sneakerheads.
Hershey’s Gen Z Activist Microsite
Using its ubiquity to achieve visibility for under-represented interests and groups, Hershey’s Canadian division has created a politically charged International Women’s Day microsite, which continues its #HerShe campaign with a slight rebadging (#HerforShe).
The microsite comprises a 30-second video featuring five Canadian women’s rights activists – a predominantly Gen Z coterie, aged 16-27 – alongside written bios and 15-second videos of each of them. The activists include Kélicia Massala, founder of Girl Up Québec, a United Nations (UN) Foundation initiative, which aims to arm girls with leadership and advocacy skills. Also featured is indigenous rights and water activist (First Nation citizens’ lack of safe water is so acute that many Indigenous leaders are suing the Canadian government) Autumn Peltier, who has been speaking to world leaders at the UN General Assembly and World Economic Forum since the age of 12, and LGBTQ+ activist Faye Johnstone, whose inclusion has sparked an anti-trans backlash. Each of the activists also features on a limited-edition IWD chocolate bar, the designs of which reflect their aims (such as waves on Peltier’s bar).
Lottie London’s Trans Beauty TikTok Push
Focusing on the potent, transformative effects of make-up, Lottie London’s #EmbraceTransition TikTok campaign features transgender TikTokkers Aryana Bynés, Mabon Harper, Donnie Jackson and Charlie Nuttall talking about the role of make-up in their transition while creating beauty looks aiming to “celebrate self-expression”.
Products can be purchased via the brand’s TikTok shop, with 10% of sales donated to US-based charity partner and trans advocacy organisation Global Action for Trans Equality (Gate).
Room to Read x Nexus Studios Animated True Stories
Nexus Studios has partnered with Room to Read to produce She Creates Change, a six-episode animated live-action series aimed at children. The episodes tell the real stories of six young women and girls in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Vietnam, each of whom has participated in Room to Read educational programmes.
Covering issues including arranged marriage early in girls’ lives, food scarcity and sexual harassment, the series will be accompanied by live-action mini documentaries. Initially available in English, Hindi and Spanish, it will be translated into dozens of other languages. During the series’ first six months, it will be distributed via educational organisations, before a general release (platforms TBA) in October.
eBay’s Female-Sneakerhead-Authenticated Auction
Extending branded support further into the male-dominated sneakerhead world, eBay’s partnership with American sneaker industry veteran and trailblazer Joy Claire sees her auction 50 pairs of her sneakers.
Each pair, authenticated by eBay will have a starting price of $0.99 in an attempt to give enthusiasts from all backgrounds the chance to bid. All proceeds will be donated to Los Angeles-based Downtown Women’s Center, which supports homeless women.
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