The LUNA Bar Equal Pay campaign demonstrated strategic storytelling, authentic brand voice and impact. Driven by today’s climate where brands are taking a stand to initiate cultural change, LUNA Bar delivered a simple statement to the public on the brink of FIFA World Cup – and in response to a lawsuit against U.S. Soccer for gender discrimination: LUNA Bar is paying the U.S. Women’s National Team’s World Cup roster bonus gap, because equal work deserves equal pay. The integrated campaign leveraged top-tier athletes as spokespeople, executed a targeted media relations strategy and implemented a paid influencer program to further amplify.

In a post #MeToo world, where consumers and brands are standing up for women’s rights, the challenge for LUNA Bar, with a 20-year heritage of championing equality, was to authentically break through and create impact. From the International Women’s March, to an avalanche of protests, to #TimesUp and the fight for equal pay – the conversation surrounding women’s issues has grown exponentially, dominating cultural conversations and generating global awareness.

Despite all progress made, the average 20 percent pay gap for women in the U.S. is STILL a reality. LUNA Bar aimed to be a leader with purpose by focusing on both talking about the gender pay gap AND taking action to help solve it. LUNA Bar introduced an integrated campaign that doubled down on equal pay in a big way, providing support and inspiration to help women, anywhere, take action and demand the fair compensation they deserve.

The U.S. Women’s National Team are trailblazers in and beyond the world of soccer, acting as role models for women everywhere. In 2016 the USWNT made history by demanding equal pay, however, several inequalities still remain. A U.S. soccer player, woman or man, named to a World Cup roster receives a bonus. Currently, the women receive $31,250 LESS than the men. LUNA Bar created a unique campaign to address this issue. On Equal Pay Day, LUNA Bar announced it was closing the USWNT’s World Cup roster bonus pay gap by giving each of the 23 women named to the World Cup team the $31,250 difference making their bonus equal to the men’s. The objective was to communicate LUNA Bar’s continued passion and commitment to equal pay by closing one of the most prominent pay gaps in sports simply because it’s right and deserved.

On average, women make 20 percent less than their male counterparts for doing the same job. LUNA Bar was determined to make a difference in the fight for equal pay, with the key messages of 1) LUNA moving the USWNT one step closer to equal pay by closing one of the World Cup pay gaps; and 2) LUNA Bar rallies women everywhere to stand up for the pay equality they deserve by offering advice, support and inspiration at Lunabar.com. The campaign targeted 18-34 year old women. LUNA Bar distributed a press release, assets showcasing USWNT spokespeople, and branded video content that were distributed across earned, owned and paid channels. To amplify the message, LUNA Bar partnered with Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab competing in the Olympics, Ally Love, fitness influencer and Brooklyn Nets host, and Love Squad, a female empowerment community.

LUNA Bar leveraged the influence and expertise of three USWNT players: Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Christen Press – who are leaders on the team and regularly use their platforms to speak about their own equality fights. Prior to launch, the brand hosted a press junket for top-tier media, offering interviews with the three women who were most vocal in their recently announced lawsuit against U.S. Soccer for gender discrimination. The women discussed the impact of LUNA Bar’s roster bonus donation and how women everywhere could use the USWNT’s learnings. On Equal Pay Day (April 2, 2019), the embargo lifted, prompting an avalanche of earned media and social media coverage. Social posts from the three spokeswomen, USWNT players and influencer partners were activated; and the banded video content went live on owned channels. The brand distributed a multimedia press release announcing the campaign to drive media and consumers to LunaBar.com.

LUNA Bar’s 2019 integrated Equal Pay Day program continued to demonstrate the brand’s commitment to championing women’s equality. By highlighting the important perspectives of leaders, tastemakers and lady bosses, the brand sought to ensure their consumers felt heard. In an era that encourages betterment and equality, LUNA drove the cultural conversation. The campaign achieved:

Tier 1: Media Outputs

•2,945,772,361 total impressions

•Majority of the impressions (2,874,676,367) resulted from 205 earned media placements

•98.9% message pull-through

•99.5% featured a neutral to positive tone

•Paid influencer partners even saw an average of 17.35% engagement rate with their posts

•Top tier coverage spanned online and broadcast, including Associated Press, Reuters, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, CNBC, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, HelloGiggles, Bustle, AdAge, Mashable, HelloGiggles and more.

Tier 2: Target Audience Outcomes

•85% share of voice for branded conversations from social and earned media coverage during the week of Equal Pay Day, compared to other branded campaigns like Adidas and Secret.

•90% positive sentiment across social and earned media coverage, compared to other brands who were closer to 50%.

•Majority demographic reached was mainly female, age 18-34, which fell perfectly within LUNA Bar’s target demographic.

Tier 3: Business Outcomes

•Within just 5 days of the campaign going live, 60% of shoppers were competitive bar buyers, but had never bought LUNA Bar before; 15% of shoppers who had not purchased the category before

•77% increase in visits to lunabar.com

•Sales information is not yet available due to timing of Cannes entry right on the heels of launch