2015 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

In the UAE, the cost of schooling special needs children is 3 times higher than the average, and funding does not come by easily. So as the leading bank in the Middle East, Emirates NBD with Manzil (a leading centre for special needs children) is endorsing their cause, and wanted to drive funding towards their development and progress. But in a society where special needs children are only looked at with pity, we first needed to show them that these children are capable of being independent contributing members of society.

Creative Execution

We needed to start the movement by showing all of the UAE that these children are capable of being independent contributing members of society, and change everyone’s perspective using the one strong talent the children had: Their paintings. For the first time ever in the region, children who are looked at with pity were now seen as able, contributing members of the community. We gave them the medium to being recognized as an important and equal part of our society. And gave their families confidence in their future.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We invited affluent art patrons to a special art exhibition called PERSPECTIVES, showcasing exclusively curated work created by upcoming, talented artists. We conducted a live auction in conjunction with a leading auction house, where they could own those works of art. We then gave them the opportunity to meet the talented artists. What they didn't know was that the artists were in fact, special needs children. An online video shared the idea and the story with the UAE and the world.

Results

(1) Not only did we change UAE’s perspectives but we also raised $100,000 and counting, in funds for Manzil – our partner centre for special needs children. (2) Leading art galleries supported the cause. (3) Social media video galleries further spread the word. (4) Earned media: Self-pride. And $250,000 in PR and social currency generated widespread awareness. (5) The video of the interactions was seeded online across owned, earned and shared platforms generating conversations around Perspectives and the integration of special needs children. (6) Perspectives has helped Emirates NBD launch the PRIDE initiative to integrate and empower special needs children.