The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) wanted to play its part in helping to combat racial inequality in the workplace and wider America.
Introducing "A Show of Hands," a passionate call to action dedicated to encouraging Americans to move forward together, to build a nation of inclusion and a workforce that is as diverse as the hands that built it. Because now more than ever, it takes many hands to change the world of work into a world of work that works for all.
As part of a larger SHRM campaign #TogetherForwardatWork targeted at fighting inequality, HEVĒ creatively developed and produced the spot, photography and website. Artfully captured in partnership with renowned photographer James Macari, the hands represent the diversity of our workforce and are a true representation of what one nation really means.
Together Forward at Work sought to encourage their audience of executives, HR professionals, people managers and emerging professionals to commit to eradicating racial inequality in their workplaces and provide them with the resources to do so.
SHRM looked to HEVĒ to provide creative ideation, script writing, direction, video production, photography, website development and distribution support – we were responsible for all media planning and buying – to bring this important message to life in a :60, :30 and :15 used across linear, web and social and help make SHRM’s objective a reality.
We asked ourselves: what if we only focused on hands? The hands that built America’s workforce. The hands that fight to make us better. The hands that clasp to hold us together?
Our core creative idea was derived from this and spoke to the notion that our hands don’t need to look the same to be together.
With this in mind we crafted the following :60 second script, along with :30 and :15 variations:
These are the hands of our nation Proud… Diverse… These are the hands that taught our children, raised our leaders, fought for freedoms, defended our country… And that today contribute to the most productive, inventive, industrious workforce in the world.
These same hands push the bounds of acceptance, tear down the barriers of resistance, hold us up when we need it, point out injustice when we see it, come together in union and stay together in unity. These hands can build a nation of inclusion, a workforce that is as diverse as the hands that built it.
That empowers our teams, lifts up our communities, rewrites our future to understand what one nation really means. It takes many hands to change the world of work into a world of work that works for all. Now more than ever, we need a show of hands… To move forward TOGETHER.
We carefully selected a diverse cast of 15 hand models to feature in the spot. The hand models represented various races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities and abled and disabled communities.
The hands were photographed by James Macari (Vogue, GQ, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Glamour, Marie Claire, Elle UK) over one day at Butter Tree Studios in NYC. Shot during COVID-19, we ensured strict protocols were adhered to throughout the day, with masks worn and models not permitted to touch hands in the spot.
The models were captured with their hands arranged in various positions, and some hands carried messages such as ‘break barries’ and ‘stand together’ meanwhile others leveraged props including LGBTQ wristbands.
For maximum impact the spot was produced so that the visuals lined up with the narrated script. For example, as a prosthetic hand amputee appears on screen, we hear the narrator state “And that today contribute to the most productive, inventive, industrious workforce in the world.”
We managed all media buying for the spot, which aired on major networks including CNN, CNBC, ABC, FOX News and FOX Business.
HEVĒ was also behind the Together Forward @ Work website, an important resource for SHRM’s audience. Here we managed the creative direction, ensuring it complemented the spot, UX, and copywriting.
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