Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Our campaign targetted very specific consumers with a very specific problem that they experienced. The essence of #HeartTheHate was to stand up to hate and bullying and to offer a solution where our consumers could themselves become a part of it. The nature of both the problem at hand - cyberbullying, and the solution we offered - using the purple heart emoji to drown that hate, were using targetting as its very nature. This innovative approach is very relevant to Direct messaging. The result of which earned us love and trust from the consumers we targetted.

Background

Instead of sharing and connecting, social media has become a platform for shaming and hating. Cyberbullying has become a persistent problem across online platforms, affecting our younger audiences on a daily basis. We wanted to make sure that we addressed this problem while ensuring Cadbury finds relevance in the lives of the young digital natives. To rise above just selling our product and stand for our youth in a way that spoke volumes about us. The campaign wanted to build a strong connection with young people by changing the conversation from selling them stuff to making a difference, lending a helping hand to diffuse the negativity on social media. So, we became a part of the solution that was both simple and effective.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

Our starting point was to design a safe and effective intervention tool to support cyberbullying victims and that let the bully know their behaviour is unacceptable. To inspire positive action by other bystanders. We created a symbol of solidarity, one that our younger audience has easy access to. The purple heart emoji. A one-tap tool easily available across platforms & operating systems that can act as a shorthand of solidarity whenever one identifies a trolling incident on their feed. Through films and influencers that acted like ambassadors, we were able to push the message of #HateTheHeart all over the internet. All you had to do was leave a purple heart where you saw hate. The more purple hearts you comment, the more hate was drowned with love.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Hate-filled comments on tweets, videos and posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are getting worse by the day. We wanted the people who were experiencing bullying to know that they were not alone and to show them support. We needed something that would work on every platform. Something that our younger target group would easily pick up as habit and turn into defenders, not bystanders to hate. We decided to use an existing emoji and turn it into a symbol of love and support. The purple heart emoji. Present on every key pad in the world, and easily accessible to all. All a person had to do when they saw a hateful comment was to post a purple heart on the victim’s timeline to drown the hate with love. It worked simply but effectively. With enough purple hearts, it became easy to overwhelm the hate with love.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

On 1st August 2019, Friendship Day, we launched two videos that showed how a person getting bullied online got support, with their friends drowning the hateful comments with a tsunami of purple hearts. It showed people just how easy it could be to drown the hate and extend support. It was a no-brainer to get influencers on board, after all they are the prime recipients of trolling every day. So, they became ambassadors than mere influencers. Collaborating with comics, bloggers, actors, activists, and artists, we were able to quickly spread the message behind our #HeartTheHateCampaign, and bring a spotlight to not only the issue of prevalent cyberbullying but to also show they could become a part of the solution. The video went viral and the influencer posts reached every corner of the internet, blowing up the campaign, and showing people the importance of standing up for each other.

List the results (30% of vote)

The Youtube masthead triggered an overwhelming 57 million views with a 38% view-through rate, higher than the industry benchmark of 30%. Highest ever conversations (includes actions) recorded at 36.3k which is 6x the average of any other campaign done by the brand in the last one-year. Roping in the influencers to propel reach helped create 11.6k conversations and 16.7 million video views at the back total 20 posts initiated through their handles. Twitter engagement rate soared at 16% v/s an industry benchmark of 8-10%. CDM reversed the declining rate of growth (recorded at 13.7% to 11.2%) from July - Aug'18 and accelerated the growth rate from 15.1 to 22.3% from July - Aug'19. Overall, Market share (value) jumped by 1% in Aug‘19 in just one week, which is solid considering no broadcast media was on during this activity period.

Please tell us how the brand purpose inspired the work

Cadbury embodies the glass and a half spirit - of inspiring generosity in others that reflect within our own brand ethos. We are driven by this very spirit that we took forward with our #HeartTheHate campaign. Standing up for friends, being generous with our support, love, and kindness in the face of hatred and bullying and inspiring others to do the same. From becoming more than bystanders to hate. To standing up against it.