Charities, Public Health, Safety & Awareness Messages
Entrant Company
IMPACT BBDO Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Advertising Agency
IMPACT BBDO Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production Company
BIGFOOT FILMS Cairo, EGYPT
Brief Explanation
There exists a peculiar taboo in Egypt, where men never disclose their mother’s names in public, fearing they could be shamed or ridiculed.
So much so that mother’s names are forgotten over time, and they are only referred to as ‘the mother of her eldest son.’
A name is a fundamental right for every person. And to have someone take it away from you, no less your own son, stands against gender equality and human rights in the context of a modern and progressive society.
Starting Mother’s Day, UN Women wanted men across Egypt, to ‘Give mom back her name’.
Results and Effectiveness
Every leading newspaper and television channel in Egypt, the Middle East and the world covered the issue, debated the stigma and spread the message.
They took the debate to the Schools, Community Forums and the Streets.
Most Trending Content on Feminism & Gender Equality - Trendolizer
2nd most shared film on Facebook worldwide in less than 24 hours-Mashable
118 million regional twitter impressions
315 million regional facebook impressions
Worldwide Viral No.6 on 3rd Week March - Campaign Viral Chart, UK
Scores of Egyptian men, women and leading celebrities, questioned the stigma and revealed their mother’s names proudly in public.
Creative Execution
Before Mother’s Day, we went down the streets of Cairo and asked men one simple question - ‘What is your mother’s name and launched a film on social media, to begin an initiative for the men of Egypt, to ‘Give mom back her name’.
The film was picked up, leveraged and spread across every corner of the nation by Egypt’s mass media and on social blogs. This created a ripple effect of awareness across the Middle East region and beyond.
To amplify this sentiment and create on-ground momentum, we filled Egypt with interactive posters where people wrote their mom’s names.
Insights, Strategy and the Idea
Our strategy was to primarily target males in Egypt. They were the agents of the change who we were aiming at. Our secondary target were mothers who would subsequently become more conscious of the taboo that surrounded their name.
In Egypt’s urban areas, our target audience was more active on social media whereas in the rural parts, mass media was popular. We wanted to ensure we could create a talking point for both sections of society and work hand in hand with an on-ground phase of the campaign, which would drive real change at all levels of the country.