2013 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

The Challenge: Breast cancer affects women in the Middle East earlier than in other countries, yet young women in the region were not getting screened for breast cancer. The Objective: Educate young people about the importance of screening and early detection in a way that’s relevant to them. The Strategy: Low screening rates meant young women weren’t listening to traditional awareness campaigns. So we decided to target someone they would listen to: their loved ones. We wanted people to ask the important women in their life to get screened. The Execution: We designed and produced pairs of rings: 1 for the woman, symbolizing a promise to get screened. The other, for a loved one, and a promise to support her throughout the process. Because cancer doesn’t just affect a woman – it affects everyone around her as well. We launched the campaign with a special event in Dubai, which spread the word through media coverage. We distributed the rings at events, jewelry stores, gyms, universities and more – including lingerie and flower shops on Valentine’s day. We sent special DM’s to journalists and bloggers. RJ mentions reached all the way to India. The campaign was covered on blogs and websites. The rings were featured in a fashion editorial in a popular women’s magazine. And of course, people shared their promises in social media. The Outcome: With zero media budget, we got 98,000 promises. And we showed women they aren't alone in the fight against breast cancer

The Brief

We wanted to educate young people about screening and early detection in a way that was relevant to them, and to turn this awareness into action. It's fashionable to wear bracelets and other items to represent a cause. This worked perfectly for us, as rings also symbolize a commitment between two people. This is why we used the rings as a way to start the conversation. We also knew traditional awareness campaigns weren't standing out to our target, which is why we focused on their loved ones instead.

Results

With zero media budget, we got over 98,000 promises as a result of the campaign. P&G was able to spread the message of screening and early detection in a unique way. Young women and their loved ones were educated about the unique issues facing the region, and the importance of screening. Most importantly, women were reassured that breast cancer doesn't just affect them - it affects the people who love them. The promises of support showed thousands of women there weren't alone in the fight against breast cancer.

Execution

We used specific channels to target young women and their loved ones by identifying the places where they spend the most time. We launched the campaign a mass proposal event at a popular club, which was covered by media and quickly spread the word. We sent DM's to journalists and cultural influencers, who shared the campaign with the public. The rings were distributed for free in malls, boutique gyms, jewelry stores and universities - with special one-day-only events in lingerie stores and flower shops on Valentine's Day. The rings were featured in a fashion editorial in a top women's lifestyle magazine. The campaign was also picked up by radio jockeys - it even reached all the way to one of India's most popular RJ's. And of course, they campaign was shared all over social media.

The Situation

P&G supports breast cancer awareness and research, and wanted to create a breast cancer awareness campaign to educate women in the region about the importance of screening. Breast cancer affects women in the Middle East at least 10 years earlier than in other countries, and no one knows why. This means early detection is essential - yet screening rates among young women in the region remain low. They weren't listening to the traditional awareness campaign, so we had to change something. We decided to target people young women would listen to: their loved ones.

The Strategy

The strategy was simple: A request from a loved one has more impact than a request from a campaign. This is why we targeted friends and family of women. We encouraged these people to ask the women in their life to get screened - and they promised to support her throughout the process.