2016 Winners & Shortlists

A STORY OF WOMEN, FOOD AND CHANGE

Bronze
BrandMAGGI
Product/ServiceCOOKING AIDS
EntrantPUBLICIS MIDDLE EAST Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryNon-Fiction: Series or Film
Entrant Company PUBLICIS MIDDLE EAST Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Contributing Company PUBLICIS MIDDLE EAST Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Agency MEC MENA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production Company FILMMASTER Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Campaign

Women in the Middle East may rule their homes, but feel increasingly trapped inside them. They feel constrained by the social conventions that define what they can and can’t do. Women want to make a difference to their families and communities, but believe that they don’t always have the power to. The objective of the campaign was to prove that every woman can be a force for change, regardless of how much freedom she has. Knowing that Arab women draw inspiration from other women, we told true, empowering stories about women on a mission to make a difference. “MAGGI Diaries” was released as a first-of-its-kind series of weekly webisodes, to discover the rewards (and the challenges) in being an agent of positive change. We told the story of Noura from Saudi Arabia, who didn’t stop until she got government approval to open her own catering company, employing women who were eager to work. Sunita turned a girls’ orphanage into a place of hope for the future. And the tea pickers in Munnar, India, who, despite harsh working conditions, are an uplifting example of joy and enthusiasm for life. The content was amplified through an interactive ecosystem, consisting of adaptive content that was leveraged across all social media platforms, allowing real time interaction and extending the conversation with women out of the kitchen, discussing the “bigger” issues (gender, equality, obesity, personal fulfillment) that concerned and interested them the most. The audience’s own stories and experiences were also the inspiration for other women, proving that every woman can be a force for change.

MAGGI’s message of empowerment resonated with women across the region. 69% of those who watched MAGGI Diaries said that the series inspired them to bring about a change in their lives. Women engaged avidly with our content, helping the brand to achieve: • Over 26 million views across all channels. That’s more than 50 years’ worth of watch time, consumed in 4 months. • Facebook engagement was 24%, 5x the category norms for the region • An 18% View-through-rate on YouTube -- versus a regional norm of 14% • A unique reach of 4.2 million out of a potential 3.75 million, or 87%, on Facebook

Credits

Name Company Role
Alex Brunori Publicis ME/Dubai Regional Executive Creative Director
Ramzy Haddad Publicis ME/Dubai Executive Creative Director
Charles Niquinto Publicis ME/Dubai Creative Director
Kamel Zeitouny Publicis ME/Dubai Copywriter
Myrna Khoury Publicis ME/Dubai Deputy General Manager
Stefania Hurtado Publicis ME/Dubai Account Director
Kimi Nath Publicis ME/Dubai Regional Planning Director
Khaled Shehab MEC Dubai Business Director
Raja Paul Youssef MEC Dubai Associate Account Director
Fatima Shaikh MEC Access Director