Gender diversity has been a buzzword over the last few years, but there are few who really walk the talk.
Women across the world have broken the glass ceiling in the corporate world, crossed unimaginable frontiers in science and have been at the forefront of social change. And yet, their immense achievements often go unrecognised under the looming shadow of the traditional roles they are forced to fit into. Their contribution to the world is mostly unacknowledged even by those whom they nourish and unseen by whom they help nurture.
But there are institutions which do care and do not pay mere lip service to femme power. One such venerable 125 year old company, chocolate manufacturer Hershey India decided to go the extra mile this Women’s Day to celebrate woman power. Drawing on the ‘HER’ and ‘SHE’ words which form a part of the company’s moniker, Hershey India decided to turn the chocolate bar packaging into a canvas for showing the work of women achievers in India.
Catalyst for change
Hershey’s has been committed to fair, ethical and sustainable operations over the years, and has always believed in letting its actions speak louder than words. It could not have chosen a better setting than International Women’s Day this year to showcase the talent of a diverse set of women achievers from the country, all of whom have blazed a trail of excellence in their respective fields. In another innovation, Hershey India decided to give the task of recreating these women’s journeys visually to budding women illustrators across the country. These design divas transcreated the achievers’ personas and milestones into special customised commemorative packs for Hershey’s bars and shared them with the women leaders as a tribute, turning the HERSHE campaign, as one of a kind.
The real change makers
For the campaign, Hershey India focused on four achievers who have made a huge difference in their fields, yet are the “‘unsung heroes” of society as they continue to usher in a change in the world silently. Kriti Bharti, founder of the Saarthi Trust which fights against child marriage; Roxanne Davur, an animals rights activist who runs a shelter to tend to injured and abandoned animals; Sairee Chahal , the founder of SHEROES , a community platform for women; and Dr Falguni Vasavada , a body positivity campaigner were chosen to be honoured by the company. Their journeys have been beautifully illustrated on the commemorative packaging of Hershey’s bars. Hershey India then zeroed in on promising illustrators like Maanvi Kapur, Surabhi Banerjee, Anandhi Kumar, Anushri Saraogi, Tanya Paul and Shwetha Vishwakarma to lend their own visualisation and creative skills to portray the phenomenal work of the chosen 4. Vibrant and aesthetically stunning, a chocolate bar packaging has never been so meaningful before, speaking as it does of partnership and togetherness in a way never attempted before.
More power to femme force!
These customised packs will be presented to women achievers by Hershey India , as a mark of respect and acknowledgement for their pioneering work. The top notch artwork not just spreads the message of gender equality and emphasises the need for diversity, it gives a platform to the creative female talent that rarely gets its due.
Be part of this story
Gender diversity has been an integral part of Hershey’s culture. The company has always made consistent efforts to promote diversity in every way within the organisation. Through this campaign, inspired by a similar one undertaken in Brazil last year, Hershey India is taking yet another step in that direction. But the initiative doesn’t stop at that. The company has now invited consumers to share the stories of unsung women heroes in their life, with #HERSHE. Select few of the most inspiring stories will be illustrated by an artist and will be recognized with a commemorative sleeve, and will also be featured on the Hershey India social pages. Hershey’s acknowledges that there are several more women out there, whose success stories need to reach out to a wider world!
Get going then, this Women’s Day, channel your inner diva and get a chance to be recognised for the honour you deserve!
