Mumbai: Modern fine jewellery maison Her Story has made a mark at this year’s Red Dot awards, one of the most prestigious global design awards, respected internationally as a touchstone of good design. The brand brought home the Red Dot Award for Brands and Communication Design 2023, celebrating creative thought, impact and the seamless integration of a powerful concept across touchpoints. This win is particularly noteworthy as it positions a young modern Indian brand’s in-house efforts towards aesthetic and conceptual excellence ahead of some of the world’s top advertising agencies and global brand campaigns. On 3 November 2023, winners will be celebrated in Berlin at the Red Dot Gala, while their work will be published in the Red Dot International Yearbook - Brands and Communication Design. The award-winning brands and creative works are also presented to a wide audience in exhibitions at the Museum für Kommunikation in Berlin and the Red Dot Design Museum Essen. Other exhibition locations include the Red Dot Design Museums in Xiamen and Singapore.
The meticulous evaluation process for the Red Dot Distinction for the Advertising, Integrated Communication category, which had over 9,000 entries from more than 50 countries, included the criteria: originality and creativity, design quality and innovation, and impact and emotional significance. The Modern Perspectives campaign (2022-2023) opened up a dialogue on modernity and questioned stereotypes, gender-assigned roles and expectations. It celebrated the perspectives of modern women through the stories of five inspiring personalities – Anoushka Shankar, Smriti Mandhana, Kalki Koechlin, Twinkle Khanna, and Sobhita Dhulipala, capturing aspects of women that are often challenged by constructs of society. The campaign brought alive their personalities, showcasing keywords and ideas that resonate with them, through black-and-white and colour portraits and authentic visual storytelling that allowed audiences an intimate look at each woman’s real-life thoughts.
Each woman answered a question, contextualised to her own life. How does one achieve ‘balance’, as women are expected to ‘perfectly’ handle multiple roles; what does ‘freedom’ mean to a woman in different aspects of her life and in various societies? Who defines ‘ambition’, and what does ‘tradition’ mean to a woman who considers herself a global citizen? And in it all, we celebrate the beauty of choice of the modern woman.
Launched at the close of November 2022 leading to the opening to the brand’s one-of-a-kind flagship at Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, as a combination of a ‘teaser’ and ‘reveal’ campaign, Modern Perspectives caught the attention of consumers through five questions without immediately unveiling the identities of the five women. The intent was to create a moment of intrigue and introspection. The treatment of the campaign was unique in the brand’s decision not to counter those stereotypes with a stance of its own, but rather extend a seemingly simple question – so that every woman may discover her own answers in the context of her own life.
Brand director Sitanshi Talati-Parikh, who conceptualised and directed the campaign said, “As a meaningful brand, it was important for us to open up a dialogue on modern values, with subtlety as well as depth, and without presumptions. It has been wonderful to receive global validation on the concept, execution and emotional significance from an award that is truly respected and coveted by the creative minds of the world. What really brought home the award to us, though, were the voices of people who shared how the campaign impacted them in their lives. How it made them think, and made them question fundamental modern values that we often don’t stop to consider. To have made a difference in the way someone thinks, to have impacted someone’s life in a positive way, is what is truly humbling and gratifying.”
The impact of the campaign extended across an array of touchpoints. From prominent billboards in Mumbai and thought-provoking conversations on digital platforms, to luxury media coverage, meaningful events with the faces of the campaign, and a synergy with the brand’s own editorial-style communication, Modern Perspectives left an indelible mark – forging a meaningful connection with a diverse audience.
