2016 Winners & Shortlists

BEHIND THE FACADE

BrandNO MORE TEARS
Product/ServiceNGO
EntrantSTARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryUse of Audio Platforms
Media Agency 2 STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Entrant Company STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Agency STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Brief Explanation

Domestic abuse is a taboo subject in UAE. Every month, hundreds of incidents go unreported as victims live in fear and do not report. It’s a taboo to even admit to yourself that you are a victim, let alone talk about it. So how do we bring such as private sensitive issue to the surface ?

Results and Effectiveness

The campaign reached 2m people and implored people to listen to the signs of domestic violence around them and play their part. For No More Tears, this was a beginning of a new movement.

Creative Execution

We created a spot and disguised it as a live call-in conversation between an RJ and a caller Sara. On the surface, it looked like a typical woman talking about her happy married life. But in reality, she was a victim revealing the harsh truth and asking for help. There was a message hidden inside a message. Using sub-audible frequencies we inserted a low volume message inside a louder message which could only be heard if you listened carefully or used a headphone. The left speaker played the audible message and the right Speaker played the hidden real story as sub-audible message.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

So instead of talking to the victims, No More Tears decided to talk to the residents of the UAE so they can understand and listen carefully to the signs of domestic violence. But how do we encourage people to do that. We knew victims of abuse always hide behind a mask of happiness to keep up a socially acceptable façade. The challenge was to convey to people what’s behind the façade using media. But this wasn’t easy given this subject was taboo. We had to find a discrete yet effective way of communicating with our audience.

Credits

Name Company Role
Somy Ali No More Tears Inc Founder
Mohit Lodha Starcom MediaVest Group Regional Director - Human Experience
Nikita Masillamani Starcom Mediavest Group Senior Media Executive
Tauseef Anwar Starcom Mediavest Group Associate Media Director
Nisha Wagh Independent Copywriter
Leo Joseph Mile Studios Executive Producer
John Kochanczyk Mile Studios Sound Editor