2015 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

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.

Creative Execution

KAFA is an organisation in Lebanon that has been advocating for women’s rights for many years. But theirs is an uphill battle in a male-dominated society that expects women to be submissive. There’s also a cultural tendency not to report abuse or interfere in other’s affairs that has prevented any effective laws being passed. KAFA had made strong headway in their push for a new law, but they needed a final push to get it passed. This social experiment got people talking and generated so much publicity it helped KAFA finally get the law passed.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

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.

Results

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.