2013 Winners & Shortlists

RESCUE RADIO

Short List
BrandSAWA MNINJAH
Product/ServiceSAWA MNINJAH
EntrantMEMAC OGILVY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryNON-CORPORATE
Entrant Company MEMAC OGILVY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR Agency MEMAC OGILVY PR Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Campaign

Foreign Domestic workers have no rights in Lebanon. These women are often subjected to sexual and physical abuse by their employers. The Employers confiscate their passports, lock them in their rooms and often prevent communication with the outside world. Sawa Mninjah, a local Lebanese charity is fighting for Domestic Workers rights, but with no way of talking directly to the victims, their job is almost impossible. So we found a way in. But instead of just telling the affected workers what we could do for them, we developed a smart way to actually show them we were serious. Radio ads, disguised as typical radio commercials were aired on popular radio stations, but they were played in the languages only the domestic workers could understand. Unnoticed by their employers the message broke into homes and reached out to the workers. Since the campaign launched, 4 domestic workers have already been rescued across Lebanon and the calls keep coming.

The Brief

We needed to find to reach out to the domestic workers suffering from abuse by their employers. Our aim was to get a message of support, helpline number and an opportunity to rescue the abused workers, without their employers realising.

Results

Since the campaign launched, Sawa Mninjah has already successfully saved 4 Domestic Workers, supporting them with legal and psychological aid.

Execution

Solution We created a series of radio ads that disguised a message of support with a helpline number that broke into the employers homes without them realising. The radio ads sounded like typical hard-sell commercials but were spoken in the languages only the Domestic Workers could understand. Every day the message broke in and delivered a message of hope, and a helpline number directly to the abused domestic workers, giving them an opportunity to escape. The initial burst was for a month, but the campaign is ongoing.

The Situation

Domestic Workers have no legal rights in Lebanon. These workers are subjected to daily sexual and physical abuse from their employers. The employers confiscate their passports, lock them in their rooms and deny them any communication with the outside world. There is a charity that is fighting for domestic workers rights but they have no way of talking directly to the victims.

The Strategy

Challenges Domestic Workers have no legal rights in Lebanon. These workers are subjected to daily sexual and physical abuse from their employers. The employers confiscate their passports, lock them in their rooms and deny them any communication with the outside world. There is a charity that is fighting for domestic workers rights but they have no way of talking directly to the victims. We found an unconventional, but highly targeted and effective way in.

Credits

Name Company Role
Steve Hough Memac Ogilvy Executive Creative Director
Ben Knight OgilvyAction Creative Director
Ramzi Moutran Memac Ogilvy Creative Director
Logan Allanson OgilvyAction Script Writer
Ali Mokdad OgilvyAction Script Writer
Dylan Kidson Memac Ogilvy Script Writer
Sascha Kuntze Memac Ogilvy Script Writer
James Purdie Memac Ogilvy Script Writer
Diana Jebaly Memac Ogilvy Agency Producer
Chris Atkins Bkp Music Audio Engineer
Christian Louzado OgilvyAction Designer
Christian Hayne Mudville Other