For International Women’s Day on March 8, 2017, Benetton put a global push behind its “United by Half” ad campaign, an effort that pushes for equality between men and women.
First launched in India in February, the video shows Indian women speaking about wanting their half of opportunities, including jobs, education and sport. The great part of the video is it not only shows women in the workplace, but also reveals them picking up a check at dinner and in one scene, initiating sex.
According to Creative Review, the campaign pops out not just for its push for equality, but also because it depicts Indian women from an array of backgrounds. “What the Western audience may not notice is that the ad represents a spectrum of regional ethnicities, including some often-marginalized groups, which is quite rare in Indian advertising,” reads the article.
What’s also unusual is the campaign originated in India and was then rolled out globally, a first for Benetton. Traditionally, ads are made for a European audience and rolled out to India with little local adaptation. Benetton counts India as one of its top markets in the world.
Check out the campaign below.
