The United States most recent presidential election brought with it a slew of gender equality issues, revealing hurdles for women that many Americans believed were a part of our country’s past, not our future. Women were once again taking to the streets to protect their rights and assert their place in a world that seemed continually dominated by men.

Throughout America, and indeed the world, women and girls needed something to make them feel defiant, not defeated. The first International Women’s Day after the 2017 presidential election was the perfect time to deliver this message. We needed a reminder that women are not to be quieted, marginalized or diminished. That the status quo is there to be challenged. That women will not be bullied—today or tomorrow.

On the eve of International Women’s Day, we challenged the symbol of corporate America—Wall Street's Charging Bull—with a bronze statue of a young girl, appropriately named “Fearless Girl.” Fearless Girl was designed to represent the power of women today and tomorrow. Hands on hips, chin high, she stands strong in a place the business community couldn't ignore.

Along with the statue, we created #FearlessGirl and invited people across the world to use it in joining our fight by lending their voice and sharing images of the statue. With this social media campaign, we created the opportunity for Fearless Girl to be more than a single statue, but a unifying symbol that transcended her place on Wall Street.

Nearly thirty years ago, a Charging Bull statue appeared on Wall Street in the middle of the night, as a symbol for the American economy. On the eve of International Women’s Day 2017, in the middle of the night, we placed a Fearless Girl on Wall Street to challenge him.

In creating Fearless Girl, we wanted to ensure that, despite her size, her presence came with the same power as the Bull. Chin high, hands on hips, she stands for the power of women today and tomorrow. With the statue, we built an online and social media campaign that started with a behind-the-scenes film for International Women’s Day and the launch of #FearlessGirl across social media platforms and female influencers. We wanted Fearless Girl to be more than a statue, but a rallying cry for fearless women and girls everywhere.

Fearless Girl garnered such overwhelming support that, in April 2018, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced she would become a permanent fixture in New York City, calling the statue “a powerful symbol of the need for change at the highest levels of corporate America.”

Fearless Girl is 1 of only 6 statues in NYC dedicated to women.

Fearless Girl inspired Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney to re-introduce her Gender Diversity in Corporate Leadership Act.

Following Fearless Girl’s launch,152 major companies have added women to their boards and an additional 34 have pledged to do so.

Over 1 billion Twitter impressions within 12 hours; 5.3 billion Twitter impressions to date

745 million Instagram impressions

SSGA’s SHE Fund saw a 384% increase in average daily trading volume in the week following Fearless Girl’s launch.

SSGA’s share of voice jumped 379%

Fearless Girl reached 128 countries in the first month.

State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) wanted to make a statement: they had proven that companies with strong female leadership performed better than their male-led counterparts. To allow investors to leverage this fact, SSGA developed “SHE” – the first ETF comprised of corporations with the highest percentages of women in leadership positions. This was definitely a strong action from the brand, but it only spoke to financial insiders. Now we needed to deliver our message to a larger audience.

To get broader awareness, the strategy was simple: choose the right moment (the first International Women’s Day of the Trump era), the right place (opposite Wall Street’s Charging Bull), and the right figure (a proudly defiant and expertly sculpted bronze girl). The strategy was all about context—cultural as well as physical.

Here’s a simple fact: Year after year, the number of women in corporate leadership positions continues to be disproportionately low.

Here’s another: Research from MSCI Global reveals that companies with higher percentages of women in leadership roles outperform those without.

The implications are obvious: women in corporate leadership positions are good for business. This isn’t simply about gender equality; this is about the bottom line.

To allow investors to leverage this fact, State Street Global Advisors developed “SHE” – the first ETF comprised of corporations with the highest percentages of women in leadership positions.

Last International Women’s Day, we wanted to craft a bold message to draw attention to and ignite conversation about, just how essential women in leadership positions are. We wanted to alter the course of corporate leadership, not with a gentle nudge but with a formidable push.

And we did. With one Fearless Girl.