Does Women’s Horlicks ‘Stories of Strength’ stand as a differentiator out of the many pro-women campaigns?

With an aim to celebrate the physical strength of women, Women's Horlicks weaved 'Stories of Strength'. Experts review if the stories make a mark.

For decades, only men have trained and mentored India’s elite commandos. In 1997, one woman decided to change that - Dr.Seema Rao, India’s first and only woman commando trainer. Her story remained quite unmapped until Women’s Horlicks in it’s the latest campaign attempted to narrate it with the ‘Stories of Strength’ series.

Campaign Insight

Women are always known for their mental/emotional strength for being the backbone of the family, but rarely for their physical strength. Women’s Horlicks wanted to break this very notion through ‘Stories of Strength’.

Objective behind ‘Stories of Strength’

The campaign aimed at celebrating women who dared to follow their unconventional dreams and showed the world that they are not just mentally but physically strong too.

The brand also urged strong women to take care of the very thing that makes them strong from within their bones. Bone health is extremely important, as every 1 out of 2 Indian women are at risk of low bone mineral density (BMD) which can lead to osteoporosis.

About the films

The ‘Stories of Strength’ series comprises of three different stories unraveled through 3 minutes films where the women explain the challenges and difficulties they faced in their unique career choices along with the physical and mental strength it required to fulfill their dreams. Conceptualized and executed by FCB India the series adds more depth to the brand’s ‘Stand Strong’ narrative launched last year around Women’s Day and asked women around the country to write their own stories of strength and share them at #StandStrong.

Also Read: Horlicks carries forward “Fearless” legacy with new campaign ft A R Rahman

This time, Women’s Horlicks collaborated with Dr. Seema Rao – India’s first women commando trainer; Ratna Singh – India’s first female naturalist, and Uma Das – India’s first woman Dhaki player to breakdown the misconception that women can’t be physically strong.

While the ad world has been blamed of objectifying women in it’s earlier communication consistently, today it has been riding the wave of feminism to portray women as the repository of beauty, strength and an all-achiever. Femvertising has attracted a huge chunk of marketers of off late and it remains to be seen if it comes out as a mere ‘branding tool’ for the company or a genuine standing.

With a million of pro-women brand campaigns around the globe revealing various facets of ‘gender equality’ since decades, does Women’s Horlicks ‘Stories of Strength’ creates a difference?

Experts Speak:

Ankit Nalotia - Founder, Mo Mantra

With this new film, the brand has extended its reach by opening up to a newer target group. The story very conveniently connects both, strong will power and physical strength with the brand. It has made a way to the minds of women having hidden talents and to share their story of being extraordinary. The confidence of being independent, the confidence of being self-reliant and the courage to change the mindset of orthodox people out there will obviously be a trendsetting campaign.

Sherina Kapany, Founder, sunSTRATEGIC

Unlike their previous campaigns #StandStrong or #StrongToTheBone, I believe this time they couldn’t connect with the new-age women.  

There is no doubt that these ladies are not only breaking stereotypes, but are also a source of inspiration for everyone around them.
But when I look at the campaign it was created to be the first attempt at bringing such stories to the forefront. This is not the first attempt. Secondly, it has missed the mark in resonating with the new aged modern woman whose life is full of challenges and keeping her health and bones in perfect shape is part of her busy lifestyle. In their campaign, #StoriesofStrength Horlicks has successfully created Heroes out of unconventional stories of the society, however what about the women who are fighting daily to be strong in their health a composition in order to meet and beat the odds. For instance, the woman who is standing in overfilled trains trying to make place for herself to breathe and has to be strong to travel and many more.

With 100% research, and an amazing idea in hand, Horlicks has not been successful in creating a conversation on why it is important for women to invest in their physical strength.A simple campaign targeting regular and everyday women would have helped Horlicks connect with the audience at the larger scale. Sometimes simplicity gives you greater results than being extravagant.

Nikhil Agarwal, Co-Founder, Brandwitty

Marketing as an activity is talking to users in their own language so that they can relate to it. Horlicks have done that very well in this campaign. They have targeted English, Hindi & Bengali audience to capture the overall market. Most of the Bengal region lies in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, but there are highlands in its north, northeast and southeast which shows women working hard for basic needs & the hence the need of #StandStrong bones. Womens Horlicks overall have done very good market research & not only touches the sentiments of women but also gives very clear brand message to all age group. I think this campaign has potential to trend on Twitter & collect more stories which will create an impact in users mind across India if executed well.