A STATEMENT FOR LOVE DURING EUROPRIDE
| Title | A STATEMENT FOR LOVE DURING EUROPRIDE |
| Brand | HEMA |
| Product/Service | LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRTS |
| Category |
B12. Brand Voice & Strategic Storytelling |
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Entrant
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XXS Amsterdam Schiphol, THE NETHERLANDS
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Idea Creation
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XXS Amsterdam Schiphol, THE NETHERLANDS
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Credits
| Saskia Meijer |
XXS Amsterdam |
Sr. Copywriter |
| René Verhagen |
XXS Amsterdam |
Sr. Art Director |
| Hans van Nood |
XXS Amsterdam |
Executive Creative Director |
| Remy Kurpershoek |
XXS Amsterdam |
Executive Creative Director |
| Joram Helmer |
XXS Amsterdam |
Strategy Director |
| Josien de Heul |
XXS Amsterdam |
Creative Producer |
| John de Vries |
XXS Amsterdam |
Creative Director |
| René Verbong |
XXS Amsterdam |
Creative Director |
| Karlijn Marchildon |
XXS Amsterdam |
Creative Strategist |
The Campaign
With these limited edition T-shirts, HEMA (The Netherland's no.1 retail love brand) leveraged its brand by using two major brand icons to give people a unique way to express themselves, to be proud and to celebrate love, diversity and Dutch tolerance.
Execution
We targeted the LGBT community by seeding the news about the T-shirts, and making them exclusively available to them first. The next day, the news was spread via traditional press channels. Simultaneously the news started to spread on social channels with hashtags such as #limited #rookworst #hema and #europride2016. 24h after the press release, the T-shirts became available in shops. Every outlet selling the shirt,s saw a crowd gather before the shops opened. All shirts sold out within 36 hours. Because of the popularity, HEMA decided to print an extra batch.
1. The T-shirts dominated the street scape during the EuroPride Canal Parade in the City of Amsterdam. Every T-shirt counted as a visual manifestation to celebrate diversity in love.
2. Because of the popularity of the T-shirts, HEMA decided to donate the profits to charity: €X euro's were donated to COC, one of the few LGBT organizations that has a special consultative status with the United Nations.
The Situation
With these T-shirts, HEMA (The Netherland's no.1 retail love brand) gave people a unique way to express themselves, to be proud and to celebrate love, diversity and Dutch tolerance. The limited edition T-shirts became a declaration of the freedom of love, making them at least as iconic as the brand icons themselves.
The Strategy
With these special edition T-shirts, HEMA was making a statement on love. We wanted everyone and anyone to hear it. EuroPride is about celebrating free love and the emancipation and acceptance of gays, lesbians, bisexuals etc. HEMA agrees that in order to achieve this, visibility of the diversity is necessary. We targeted all major national media. And with success. Our PR planning started by seeding the news in the LGBT community, in addition, we warmed up a series of influential celebrities to spread the news on the T-shirts via their own channels. Because of this, the news boomed in the three days before the T-shirts hit the stores. Leading to them selling out within 36 hours.