It is that time of the year again when the whole world stops to recognize women and their contribution towards the advancement of humanity and the world as a whole. Then again women are the source of humanity, but that a topic for another platform.
Even if you had not known about it, a glance at your timeline must have made you know it is International Women’s Day today or as it is trending; #IWD or #InternationalWomensDay. Many posts are being made online, some are moving tributes, others political stances, and others simply cracking jokes.
However, brands are perhaps the most careful how they post tributes to this great day for acknowledging women folks. UK telecom Vodafone, in particular, has stood out by running two online campaigns in celebration of International Women’s Day.
One campaign, dubbed Connect, is running internationally while another, ReConnect, is running with the UK. Both of these campaigns highlight the struggles women face, their triumph and everything else in between. Vodafone as a brand is putting itself out there as a staunch supporter of bridging the gender gap worldwide by running country-specific women empowerment program across the globe.
Under the #ConnectedSheCan hashtag
Under this hashtag, the Connect ad by Vodafone begins by showing a woman harvesting crops with the subtitle ‘People thought she couldn’t start a business here’. The woman shortly receives a text message reassuring her that she will get the market price. In a nutshell, Vodafone is saying: strong communication can help women become successful in their ventures.
Vodafone message plays out in different scenes. In one instance, we see young women struggling to teach themselves how to read in tough circumstances. They then proceed to start their own business and sparking a social movement while at it. Again, here Vodafone as a brand is communicating that women can forge business deals and that friendships can be sustained via text messages.
Under the #ReConnect hashtag
The following is a video of the ReConnect ad campaign by Vodafone and Women Returners being run in the UK. The ad campaign serves to reintegrate women coaching after having a career break. It is certainly an area not given much focus in gender dynamic workplaces, and the Vodafone campaign is aimed at sparking this conversation. How are women reintegrated back into the organization after they had a career break; maybe after a maternal leave or something similar.
