2015 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Lebanon is a male-dominated society that expects women to be submissive which is why, shockingly it has never had an effective law to protect women against abuse. There is also a cultural tendency not to report abuse or interfere in other’s affairs. The situation does not favour women speaking up on TV or in public, so branded entertainment is one way to engage and share an idea more effectively.

Results

In Lebanon there’s never been a law protecting women against abuse, and more women are being killed by husbands each year. In a male-dominated society that expects women to be submissive, there’s a cultural tendency not to report abuse or interfere in other’s affairs. We needed more women to start speaking up and help KAFA, an organisation that fights for women’s rights in Lebanon, get an effective law passed that would finally protect women against abuse. We conducted a social experiment with a women’s only taxi service, replacing the GPS system with a remote one we connected to the taxi’s radio. The abusive human GPS then directed the driver from another vehicle, giving our surprised captive audience an experience that made it impossible to stay silent. We had the registered passengers mobile numbers, so before the passengers were dropped off they received a text explaining the campaign and asking them to speak up and share the message. We then created a short film of the experiment and shared it online and through social media.

We conducted a social experiment with a women’s only taxi service, replacing the GPS system with a remote one we connected to the taxi’s radio. The abusive human GPS then directed the driver from another vehicle, giving our surprised captive audience an experience that made it impossible to stay silent. We had the registered passengers mobile numbers, so before the passengers were dropped off they received a text explaining the campaign and asking them to speak up and share the message. We then created a short film of the experiment and shared it online and through social media.

The campaign generated 128 million media impressions globally. It gained so much attention in Lebanon and around the world, it was the final push KAFA needed to get the law passed and the first man in Lebanon jailed for brutally assaulting his wife, driving change in the way Lebanon treats women.