2011 Winners & Shortlists

Results and Effectiveness

The campaign struck a chord with the community resulting in 48 inspiring stories.* The most resounding results were in the digital world. Philadelphia’s website received over 27,000 hits and 21,000 unique visitors in less than 4 weeks. ^ The campaign generated USD 969,000 worth of PR value*. Philly’s value share rose 30 percent compared to the previous year. More importantly, the community picked up on the stories and shared them widely over Twitter and Facebook, thus starting a narrative of credit and recognition that made it easier for women to receive support for their causes.

Creative Execution

But how did we find our heroes in a society determined to keep them hidden? We had to dig them out from blogs and forums – this is where they lived, and where the stories were born. We created an interactive portal (www.phillyarabia.com), where women could express themselves freely–something unheard of in the local media! The stories were from the community, for the community, and were voted to excellence by the community. In parallel, these stories were seeded through news channels. Influential publications like the three Ahlan! weeklies became the voice of the campaign, encouraging women to open their hearts. The stories submitted were extraordinary, to the point that the editor herself became a spokesperson. What had started as a campaign had become a cause. The winners were celebrated via a public event, and received funds to continue their work. Spreading the Inspiration has become a narrative that keeps on... spreading.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Ordinary women. Extraordinary contributions. These are the stories of unsung heroes who’ve made a difference. Women who’ve worked tirelessly for causes they believe in. Philanthropists who’ve done much yet haven’t received recognition, just because they live in a society where self-expression for women is still a luxury. Public representation of women is still taboo in Arab societies. Enter Philly’s Spread Some Inspiration campaign. Philly wanted to create space in the consumer heart, but more importantly, wanted to tell untold stories: stories that could inspire, that could heal. That could change the world, one little step at a time. With traditional media being a no-go, digital media, with its ability to empower societies, was our only saviour. Philly decided it was time to give the community a space to celebrate the achievements of women in the region.