2019 Winners & Shortlists

AL UMOBUWAH: PUTTING "MUM" INTO "PARENTHOOD"

Short List
BrandBABYSHOP
Product/ServiceMOTHER'S DAY BRAND ACTIVATION
EntrantFP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryGlass
Idea Creation FP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement FP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR FP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production FP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Additional Company INHYPE Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Background

Babyshop is a children's retailer in the Middle East. It has always stood for celebrating parenthood and being an ally in parenthood. Its primary consumers are Arab mothers. Now, in the Middle East, owing to a challenging socio-economic environment, the retail category is getting more competitive, with every brand losing focus on building its equity and affinity, and instead, ending up playing the price-offs and discounts game. In the race to temporarily win share of wallet, brands have forgotten the importance of share-of-heart and consumer respect. Arab mothers prefer buying from brands that mean something to them. Even though discounts tempt the purse strings, they prefer to buy into what the brand stands for and then, buy into the products sold by the brands. On Mother’s Day 2018, Babyshop wanted to win that share of heart and win love from Arab mothers, as a retailer they’d want to associate with.

Describe the cultural/social/political climate in your region and the significance of your campaign within this context

The Middle East is changing and so are its women. Easing regulations are now enabling Middle Eastern women to enter the workforce, and motivational social movements fuel women’s ambitions and intent to progress. Yet, while these new-age, progressive Arab women are striving to progress in their careers or achieve entrepreneurial success, they want to do so whilst still being the best wives and importantly, the best mothers. Now, Arabic, like a few other languages, contains words stemming from paternal-centered roots. The word “parenthood” (Al Obuwah) is one such word. Although, many have, over time, understood that word to mean both - father and mother - the word “parenthood” in Arabic actually translates into “fatherhood” in verbal usage. So, the primary Arabic word for “parenthood” (Al Obuwah) leaves “mum” out. Other Arabic words, used for “parenthood” such as “Walediya”, are also derived from words such as “Waled”, meaning “father”. There is NO word for “parenthood” that includes or implies "mother". Arabic isn't a language that people change around. But, as a brand that has stood for "celebrating parenthood", we got Babyshop to make a bold move and create a new Arabic word for "Parenthood", giving mothers and fathers an equal footing.

Describe the creative idea

Arabic, like a few other languages, contains a variety of words stemming from paternal-centered roots. The word “parenthood” (Al Obuwah) is one such word. Although, many Arabs have, over time, understood that word to mean both - father and mother - the word “parenthood” in Arabic actually translates into “fatherhood” in verbal usage. The primary Arabic word for “parenthood” (Al Obuwah) leaves “mum” out.Other Arabic words, used for “parenthood” such as “Walediya”, are also derived from words such as “Waled”, meaning “father”. There is NO word for “parenthood” that includes or implies "mother". So, we did something no brand had ever attempted. Working with linguists, we created a new Arabic word, giving equal importance to both parents and putting "Mum" into "Parenthood". Introducing: AL UMOBUWAH. A word that means "Motherhood AND Fatherhood".

Describe the strategy

We wanted the word to be propagated by all Arabs, beyond simply a video for Mother's Day. But, Arabic isn't a language that people change around. This meant that we needed support and endorsement from people who were trusted. In the Middle East, highly popular influencers are known to be commercial sell-outs and have been losing credibility. But, we found an opportunity in micro-influencers, who weren't sell-outs, had a credible voice on important topics and would be believed by people. And given the prevalence of social media, we chose these micro-influencers as the perfect trigger to spark conversations and create interactions, and also anticipating negative sentiments, we on-boarded these influencers to be the logical voices they were known to be. We also integrated the social nature of the idea into other mediums: social influencers launched our collection, a new magazine was printed, schools and on-ground activations spread the word further.

Describe the execution

On Mother’s Day, we launched the word on social media, inviting people to use it. Instantly, it sparked positive support. But, it also provoked 50% negative sentiments, mainly from traditionally-minded men, who were outraged about a new word added to Arabic. Now, we anticipated that negative feedback and had planned to counter it, turning it in our favour. We partnered with 40 Arabic influencers who endorsed the word, engaging with negative commentators. Online, we launched a new children’s collection, that also featured in a Dubai fashion show. The proceeds go to a charity for mums and kids. Interactive in-store and online audio-based experiences, created more familiarity. Babyshop published and distributed a new Arabic magazine, titled Al Umobuwah. The word was featured on Arabic poetry platforms, and endorsed by leading Arab media voices. School children learnt the word across classrooms and events. Leading news channels endorsed the word and the idea.

Describe the results/impact

Generated 2 billion earned media impressions. Reached 200 million people regionally (91% of people across key markets). Earned $2.3 million earned media and rising, across leading regional and local news and mass media online platforms. +27% brand buzz (March-April 2018 vs. January-February 2018). +32% brand love with Arab mothers (March-April 2018 vs. January-February 2018). +21% relevance (March-April 2018 vs. January-February 2018). +12% consideration (March-April 2018 vs. January-February 2018). +4% new customers (March-April 2018 vs. January-February 2018). +2.3% wallet volumes (March-April 2018 vs. January-February 2018). And despite 50% negative sentiments in its first week, the word achieved 87% positive sentiments across key markets. Importantly, a petition to include the word in the Arabic dictionary, reached its goal (50,000 signatories), in just 32 days, with an Arabic dictionary publication considering the word for its 2019 updates. We've also heard about more initiatives from institutes about extending the approach to other words too.

Credits

Name Company Role
Tahaab Rais FP7 McCann MENAT Creative Director
Tahaab Rais FP7 McCann MENAT Regional Head of Strategy
Kartik Aiyar FP7 McCann Dubai Creative Director
Oliver Robinson FP7 McCann Dubai Executive Creative Director
Tahaab Rais FP7 McCann MENAT Copywriter
Kartik Aiyar FP7 McCann Dubai Copywriter
Nima Askari FP7 McCann Dubai General Manager - Business Unit
Vicky Kriplani FP7 McCann Dubai Senior Account Director
Marine Deneufbourg FP7 McCann Dubai Account Manager
Devya Ghosn InHype Social Campaign Manager
Jad Gosen InHype Commercial Manager
Katarina Vasilj FP7 McCann Dubai Art Director
Fanny Abou Rached FP7 McCann Dubai Copywriter
Mohtab Arabiat FP7 McCann Dubai Social Media Director
Maggie Joseph FP7 McCann Dubai Social Community Manager
Rey Amio FP7 McCann Dubai Senior Digital Art Director
Sameer Ketkar FP7 McCann Dubai Senior Designer
Ashraf Muhammadunny FP7 McCann Dubai Editor and Motion Artist
Mohamed Hamdan FP7 McCann Dubai Senior Graphic Designer
Ruban Shanmugarajah Babyshop Chief Operating Officer
Deepak Mahnot Babyshop Head of Marketing
Mitin Chakraborty Babyshop Senior Marketing Manager
Dina Barakat Babyshop Marketing Manager