Watch 3 Brand Examples of How To Celebrate Women’s Month With Video
Every March, brands participate in Women’s History Month, which traces its roots to the first International Women’s Day adopted by Europeans in 1911 and made official by the United Nations in 1975. This period is an opportunity for companies to create and share compelling video stories that reflect on and honor the courage of women. We’ve rounded up three videos made by banks to food delivery services that celebrate women’s achievements in the social, cultural, economic, and political realms. They will leave you inspired in more ways than one.
BNP Paribas
Storyhunter freelancer Eric Laplante has 15 years of experience filming commercials and documentaries for Airbnb, Warby Parker, and PNC Bank. In 2020, BNP Paribas, a French international banking group, approached him to film an employee video celebrating International Women’s Day. In the three-minute piece, female employees in North America reflect on and share their proudest achievements, ones that have empowered them to be the change they want to see in the world.
BNP wanted a behind-the-scenes production look, Laplante told us. They were looking for “a vibe that reflected a corporate environment but still felt intimate,” he said. “The goal was not to overwhelm the bank employees coming in to tell their personal stories, so we kept the crew very minimal.”
Laplante said the bank went on to create similar videos at other BNP locations worldwide based on the success of this shoot.
Nike x HighlightHER
HighlightHER, Bleacher Report’s platform focused on female athletes and teams, has garnered the attention of brands who are increasingly understanding the power of women’s sports. In 2021, Nike partnered with HighlightHER as part of its “We Play Real” campaign to show its firm stance in elevating the next generation of black women.
In the video, HighlightHER’s Ari Chambers asks the WNBA’s A’ja Wilson what the Nike campaign means to her. “This campaign is just so special to me because being that young black girl, it wasn’t really seen growing up. I am a firm believer in if you can see her, you can be her…I know how it feels as a black woman to constantly be swept underneath the rug, always being overlooked. But then you have things like this, and with a huge company and a platform like Nike really taking time out to shine that light on black women because we need it. We need it just like everyone else.”
Storyhunter freelancer and documentary editor Cassady Tromba worked on this almost 40-minute roundtable video discussion published on March 8. The video has tallied over half a million views on HighlightHER’s YouTube channel to date.
Grubhub
Hannah Welever, a Chicago-based DP, filmed this video for online food delivery company Grubhub. It tells the story of several female restaurant entrepreneurs and the challenges they face in the industry. One of them is Hema Potla, an Indian immigrant to the United States who opened Hema’s Kitchen.
“She’s a woman entrepreneur, a hard-working person who has come up in her life,” her daughter Pam Potla is quoted as saying in the video. “When she started the restaurant, people did say that she’s going to close within six months. Now, they respect her.”
Grubhub provides statistics conveying that few women are head chefs and restaurant owners and the video ends a company commitment to supporting and investing in women. The screen reads: “This is just the beginning.”
By Shivan Sarna, Head of Stories
