2019 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Media?

To communicate the horror and shame an acid attack victim faces, we strategically chose the medium that would most aptly convey our message: one in which the victim didn't have to show their face.

Background.

Thousands of women and children are the victims of acid attacks in Pakistan. The aim of perpetrators is to disfigure rather than murder their victims, the reasoning behind this being the belief that a woman's face is her most valuable asset. Our brief was to raise awareness of the trauma and social stigma that a victim faces in order to build more empathy. A secondary goal was to make people aware of the Depilex brand.

Describe the creative idea/insights

The casting process for this radio commercial is the concept in itself: we chose to cast an actual acid attack victim who had lost her job due to not being able to show her face. Kanwal had been hired as an air hostess when her husband threw acid on her face to deter her from taking the job. Following devastating injuries to her face, Kanwal was at one point told that she now had the face for radio. So we let her beautiful voice tell the horrific story, and communicate the shame and pain that acid attack victims live with everyday.

Describe the strategy.

In order to raise general awareness of the horror of acid attacks, our target audience on radio was the adult public. We also targeted run times during prime time to target white collar workers to attract donations.

Describe the execution.

The following is the radio execution: Woman’s voice: My name is Kanwal. When I was born, my father said I had the face of an angel. When I was 5 years old, my aunt said I had a face like the moon. In school, my teacher said I had the face of a princess. When I turned 18, my girlfriends said I had the face of a beauty queen. When I was married, my husband didn’t like the fact that I got a job. So he threw acid on my face. And then people said I have a face for radio. Announcer: Pakistan sees hundreds of such acid attacks every year. Please donate at www.depilexsmileagain.com So we can help victims face life again.

List the results.

In just two weeks of running these radio spots, the Depilex brand had received hundreds of visits to their website, along with hundreds of calls. Early indication from this campaign is that awareness rose exponentially: callers mentioned that they had no idea how bad the situation was, an increase in donations was noted during the run time of these commercials.