2017 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Discreetly communicating to local and Arab women on a subject that is taboo in their culture through the use of a unique yet cost effective method in a very unexpected venue.

Creative Execution

The execution involved using pebbles stamped with a simple message. They were then placed in the shoes of women who went to mosques or prayer halls. When they returned and put on their shoes, the “lump” could be felt immediately and the message seen. The instant reaction should ideally be the same when a lump is discovered on the breast. Medcare’s Toll Free number was also stamped on the pebble. The Call Centre Operators were briefed to schedule a free-of-cost consultation appointment for those who enquired. Discretion was maintained with the use of the pebble to communicate and no taboo was broken. More importantly, some lives may have been saved as early detection of breast cancer has a 98% chance for cure. The entire campaign utilized only pebbles with a rubber stamped message. Permission to mosques and prayer halls were granted on a goodwill basis with no cost incurred.

Results

• 8250 pebbles reached women personally at mosques • 33.3% responded by calling the toll-free number • 2480 women came along with their family and friends for checks • 0 taboo broken

The entry has a high level of relevancy as it communicates directly to the targeted audience. In this instance, it reached out women on a one-to-one basis and communicated about a taboo subject in a unique and highly cost effective way.

To gain attention on the communication, something impactful had to be implemented. The strategy was to use Breast Cancer as an anchor point as it was culturally sensitive and it affected a large number of women in the Middle East. Being early in the year, it was also unexpected as the focus about this disease is traditionally communicated in October. This would therefore create a buzz with higher number of enquiries.