• Situation

Position HSBC as a brand that appreciates and celebrates the cultural diversity and traditions of India, thereby fostering a positive brand image.

• Brief

• Create content that is relevant and shareable, drives engagement and maintains consistency to build brand loyalty.

• Growing social community organically through increased engagement/organic follower growth

• Extend the campaign's impact beyond the social audience, reaching internal employees and leadership at HSBC's global network.

• Objectives

• Stand out from other brands and solidify its connection with Indian audiences while also garnering recognition and appreciation from its internal international network.

Establish thought leadership: Position HSBC as a thought leader in understanding the cultural nuances of India by creating innovative content

Festive Hexes campaign exemplified creativity, cultural sensitivity, and strategic execution. It not only celebrated India's festive spirit, not only connecting with local Indians but also with Indians across the globe.

The creative idea viewed festivals through a hyper-local lens. Looking beyond to find the finer points that made each festival special for different communities.

The creative visuals embraced India's festive spirit to form the #FestiveHexagon, integrating the key brand element –HSBC Hexagon and gave it a festive twist. From decor to food and rituals, the brand brought these details to life using vibrant design on visuals and animation.

The idea set out to maximize the reach and visibility of HSBC India on social by creating shareable content consistently under #FestiveHex to resonate better and leading to increased shares. Creating a sense of curiosity along the lines of – What would be the festive look of Hexagon this time?

The strategic idea was to leverage festive moments to build a positive association with the brand. This was a powerful example of a global brand connecting with a diverse audience using local insight and celebrating their cultural heritage.

• Increase brand relevance and resonance

• Drive Customer consideration and followers Acquisition

• To showcase to Indian audience the celebration and love for culture

• Help global audience understand the meaning of these local festivals

• The campaign aims to resonate with the diverse cultural and religious sensibilities of the Indian population, globally and create content that strikes a chord with them, global country pages who need a local lens approach to wish creatives. Leadership and a huge staff base (40K+).

It was aligned to our value - We value difference, Seeking out different perspectives across communities and festivals and being mindful about religious sensitivities while designing and selecting the elements

The execution was flawless, with the iconic HSBC Hexagon becoming the anchor for festive elements. A creative expression to showcase cultural intricacies and weave it beautifully around the hexagon.

This approach allowed for the integration of the brand beautifully into the traditions and celebrations that were significant to the audience. The detailed visuals and animations further brought the festivals to life, capturing the essence of Indian festivities.

HSBC's Festive Hexes stood out from typical topical day campaigns, showcasing the bank's commitment to understanding and embracing the cultural nuances in India.

• Creative use of visuals and animation to bring the festivals alive

• Multiple versions of designs capturing many aspects of the same festival (like Diwali with lights, firecrackers, flowers, rangoli, sweets etc.)

Anchored the festive elements with the iconic HSBC Hexagon, making the content visually appealing

It not only celebrated India's festive spirit but also showcased HSBC's connection to the country and its people. Generated positive word-of-mouth: the content was shared widely, both internally and externally, on social channels, LinkedIn, and messaging platforms like WhatsApp, generating positive word-of-mouth and organic growth.

Impressive campaign results

Impressions: ~83.5 Million+

Reach: 78 Million+

Engagement: ~8.6 Million+

Average engagement rate > 20% (highest being 66% engagement for Indian Republic Day post)

More than numbers, the success of the Festive Hexagons was in its ability to evoke emotions and connections with the audience, demonstrating HSBC's genuine commitment to India.

The success of the campaign was evident through the impressive reach, engagement, and shares, both locally and globally, and the widespread sharing by staff globally of the content on various platforms.

• Ensured consistency in content to drive stickiness and maintain audience engagement

• Received highest number of follows, organic reach, shares