2019 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for PR?

Traditions are cherished in Saudi Arabia. And yet food-related traditions are causing Saudis to be diabetic. To break through the clutter of awareness messages addressing the usual health and diet choices, we needed to rely heavily on PR and be bold and controversial with our messaging. We told Saudis: “Lose Your Habits”. We produced a sing-along film that went viral online, as well as shareable social media posts that showcased relatable Saudi caricatures practicing unhealthy behaviors. This sparked a long-overdue debate on how to balance between respecting traditions and health, generating $2.6 million in earned media.

Describe any restrictions or regulations regarding Healthcare communications in your country/region (imposed by healthcare regulatory bodies, government, TV stations, etc.)

In general, any communication in Saudi should not include the use of religion, politics or controversial topics like tribal affiliation or regional divisions. Additionally, nudity, sexual language or female characters that are not veiled along with any language deemed indecent are all strictly forbidden.

Describe the target audience

the numb to public awareness messages, so we needed to break through and make our audience connect with what we’re saying. Our campaign was all-encompassing and addressed Saudi men and women of different age groups who were guilty of practicing traditions and habits that were bad for them.

Background

Saudi Arabia is facing a major health challenge: almost one fifth of Saudis are diabetic and the numbers are only increasing. To combat the disease, our brief was to launch a nationwide awareness campaign about the causes of diabetes. Our objective was to create a long-term behavioral change by educating the public about the various lifestyle behaviors that increase the risk of diabetes, while doing so in an attractive, convincing and memorable manner.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Our creative idea was “Lose Your Habits”. Why this idea? For a long time, people have tackled only poor diet and lifestyle choices when approaching the topic of diabetes. But in Saudi, the problem runs much deeper than that. It lies in deep-rooted food-related behaviors and traditions specific to Saudi culture. You can never show up empty-handed to a gathering, so you bring food. Even in hospital visits, you bring sweets. If you don’t finish your plate, it’s a sign of disrespect. When you’re having just two friends over, it’s your duty to prepare a feast. That’s why we went one step backwards and addressed the root cause of diabetes in Saudi and urged Saudis to face the harsh: they needed to lose these habits that are making them sick. We launched the idea through a memorable and fun song that made Saudis stop, think and ultimately change behavior.

Describe the strategy (30% of vote)

Saudis have become numb to public awareness messages that talk about avoiding diabetes. And our challenge was: how do we break through to people and inform them that diabetes is not just genetic but that it also comes from bad lifestyle choices and bad age-old food-related traditions? For our social criticism to be heard and well-received, our strategy was to ditch the traditional way of preaching and stating hard-facts, and instead use a more fun tone, that is less annoying, more enjoyable and memorable. Instead of going “hard sell”, we decided to deliver the serious topic of diabetes in a light-hearted way, especially since Saudis notoriously share fun songs and content and not preachy awareness messages. That is why our film (which was sing-along and catchy in its nature) and our social media visuals, were seeded where Saudis spend most of their time: online.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We launched with a sing-along music video showing different bad habits, traditions and behaviors that are common among Saudis. Although the message was serious and urged them to lose these habits, its entertaining nature ensured it stuck in their minds. We launched on the most popular online platforms along with mini-videos showing specific scenarios of behaviors leading to diabetes. On social media, we spread sharable posts showing relatable Saudi caricatures practicing unhealthy behaviors. The same creative was used on the Ministry of Health’s physical and online assets. The whole campaign was also endorsed by online celebrities, public figures and medical experts, giving it more credibility and reach. Not to mention, brands used our hashtag as promo code to reward good and healthy behavior, from gyms and food delivery apps to ride-hailing apps. This was supplemented by on-ground activities and nationwide PR coverage. The campaign ran for one month during November.

List the results (30% of vote) – must include at least two of the following tiers:

Our campaign was one of the most successful public awareness campaigns in KSA, with an earned PR Value of 10 million Saudi Riyals (2.6 million USD) and a total of more than 5,199,246 views across social media. Media impressions were about 6M and interest in the topic of diabetes increased by 25% compared to previous months, becoming the #1 trending healthcare topic in Saudi Arabia. And the cherry on top was that we changed a serious preachy public awareness topic into a fun, sharable and palatable one.