GSK’s Women’s Horlicks – Stand Strong Campaign

Goal: The Women’s Horlicks Stand Strong campaign seeks to break through the stereotypical image of Indian women in advertising. Traditionally Indian women have been represented as dutiful daughters, wives and mothers - loving, feeding and making sacrifices. Through the use of real stories, and by featuring strong role models, the Horlicks campaign brings to life how Indian women can aspire to being much more.

What it is:  Within Indian society women have been marginalized to a duty-bound life revolving around their roles as mothers, wives, daughters. In advertising they are often shown as the ones who make sacrifices, put their interests behind and rarely have an identity beyond performing their duties and responsibilities. As a brand focused on women, Horlicks wanted to break the mold and lean into a more progressive point of view.

Women’s Horlicks is a nutrition brand that helps to give women strong bones. 1 out of 2 Indian women are at risk for low bone mineral density which could lead to osteoporosis, impairing mobility in later years and limiting their body’s ability to keep pace with their passions.

Our brand belief is “Women should be as strong in body as they are in mind”. Developing this into a campaign we picked 3 stories of women from different walks of life, education and income levels and showed how in each of their stories they had pursued their passions by having mental and physical strength.

The campaign features Dr Seema Rao, India’s first and only woman commando who trains the elite forces; a Dhaaki (local musical instrument) player who has challenged an age-old tradition of this being an only-male profession; and India’s first woman naturalist who shows that women can succeed in any profession.