Hulu
The Handmaid’s Tale + Hulu Brand Extension Case Study
Innovation SABRE Awards Best-In-Show, Eventex Awards, 2x Gold PromaxBDA, One Show Merit
A powerful in-person experience that sparked conversation on social media, and expanded from one-off show activation, to a Hulu Brand campaign and a national conversation with cultural impact.
For the premiere of The Handmaid’s Tale, Season 3, Hulu wanted to create a memorable experience beyond simply watching the show. The goal was to spark authentic conversation and to generate action around gender inequality in today’s world.
Digging into the themes of The Handmaid’s Tale we discovered a surprising statistic: only 8% of all statues in the US are of women. From there, an incredible idea came to life. What if we could change those numbers with a memorable, buzzworthy installation?
Drawing on the show’s core message — “History is written by those who tell it” — we decided to bring statue parity for one day, in one city. We chose New York City, where 145 statues exist of men and only 5 of women.
Shape of History
On the morning of June 7, 2019, 140 mirrored statues stood tall. From afar, they looked invisible, dramatizing just how fleeting women’s representation can be. Thousands of people walked through the exhibit and commented on the surprising statue disparity. Visitors posted photos thanking Hulu for highlighting the need for equality.
Shape The Future
Hulu Brand Campaign
Based on the tremendous response in New York, Hulu decided to expand the project and adopt it as a brand campaign. So on Women’s Equality Day, the Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage, we brought the statues to Boston, Atlanta, and San Francisco, other major cities in dire need of representation, raising further awareness of the lack of equal representation in statues and monuments. Each installation was met with just as much engagement and social buzz, and increasing pressure on elected officials to take action.
While we can’t change history, we could give women the chance to see a new future — all while driving word-of-mouth, social conversations, and Hulu subscriptions.
Role: Creative Director, Director of Special Projects, Courageous / WarnerMedia
Initial Event: Flatiron Public Plaza / Madison Square Park, New York, NY
National Event: The Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA, The Hub at Peachtree, Atlanta, GA
