2011 Winners & Shortlists

Results and Effectiveness

1,200 original paintings were created by Saudi women. By displaying their art in local branches, we reinforced women’s voice in their community and turned the branches of Al Rajhi Bank into galleries where women were free to discuss the pieces – delivering on our commitment to their voices. With over 5,000 women entering Rajhi Bank every day, the voices on our walls were heard, remembered and discussed. Press coverage provided over $200,000 worth of free media. Women embraced Rajhi by opening 30% more accounts than year ago. Finance loans for female entrepreneurs increased 15% – moving voices further.

Creative Execution

We went on a mission to create a movement: enlisting bloggers, professors at art colleges and the Al Rajhi customer database to raise awareness of Al Rajhi’s commitment to give women a voice in society, financially and emotionally. The countdown to the first female "Gallery Opening" had begun and 1,200 paintings were submitted from across the kingdom. The paintings were revealed to society in a virtual & physical space. Unveiling a few paintings at a time, consumers were introduced to the voices of women on the Al Rajhi Bank website. The campaign culminated in a two-day Gallery event where Rajhi celebrated women in a Gala dinner and selected 300 paintings to be displayed on local branch walls across the kingdom; one painting was given a prestigious spot in the office of the Rajhi Bank CEO. Rajhi brought the female voice into local communities using the walls of local branches.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Saudi is a world of contradiction. Women live within social constraints and yet are as expressive and business oriented as other societies – just in a Saudi way. Al Rajhi is a Sharia-compliant Islamic bank, meaning that interest rate based incentives do not apply, giving Al Rajhi the ability to truly act like a member of the Islamic community, not a balance sheet. For thousands of years, Saudi women have used calligraphy and Islamic art as their voice. This voice is her signature in her home; she is on the walls, in the tapestry. Even in the Majlis of her home - the male social room - you find her paintings, allowing her voice to be heard even when she isn’t seen. Rajhi Bank set out to celebrate the voice of Saudi women and create something quite revolutionary. Taking voices from the walls at home to the walls of society.