2019 Winners & Shortlists

#SHAMEONWHO

Short List
BrandABAAD
Product/ServiceGENDER EQUALITY NGO
EntrantLEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
CategoryUse of Social in a PR Campaign
Idea Creation LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
Media Placement LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
PR LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
PR 2 MSL BEIRUT, LEBANON
Production ROAD 2 FILM Beirut, LEBANON

Why is this work relevant for PR Lynx?

Through a social experiment, interactive OOH, stunt, and immersive play, we brought the country’s attention to the rape taboo and bluntly exposed a patriarchal society that shames women survivors of rape. To spread the message effectively, an integrated influencer and PR amplification program was indispensable. We mobilized the whole country through key voices that participated in denouncing the current situation. Media figures, celebrities, influencers, activists were selectively chosen to be spokespersons for our campaign. Through this ecosystem, we were able to break the taboo, spreading the word across social media creating public outrage thus gaining local and international media attention.

Background

Lebanese society is deeply rooted in patriarchy to the point of shaming and blaming women who are victims of rape. Victim blaming is the main reason women do not report rape cases in Lebanon fearing scandal and stigma. Abaad, a Lebanese NGO, wants to shift the blame from the victim to the rapist, and empower women to speak up.

Describe the creative idea.

#ShameOnWho? (#MineElFelten) – Judge the rapist not the victim In the Lebanese patriarchal society, people tend to blame the woman who was victim of sexual abuse as if she was “Looking for it”. They criticize the way she dresses, the way she looks, her actions, etc… Victims of rape are accused of being at fault and called names. A very common Lebanese word is used when “accusing” a rape victim is “Feltene” which means someone who is morally loose. This is why we asked the rhetorical question #Min_ElFelten (#shameOnWho?) to highlight that the woman is not to blame, but the rapist is. He is the one to be blamed for his lack of humanity and loose morals. The shame needed to be shifted from the victim so that people could finally judge the rapist not the victim.

Describe the strategy.

Our audience was the Lebanese society: public figures, influencers and the public at large. To expose the Lebanese patriarchy for what it truly is, we conducted a social experiment in the popular streets of the capital to show how people reacted to the cries of a rape victim. Our aim was to spark the debate at a local, regional and international level. Locally, we identified key opinion leaders through monitoring and social media listening on previous similar advocacy campaigns. Collaborating with influencers who became our activist spokespersons helped us fuel the conversation which went global. To intensify our reach, we disseminated global media pitches amplifying every leg of the campaign, propelling our social experiment on a global scale, creating an iconic image of a rape survivor facing her rapist’s Graffiti on the street, headlining local and international news with our Marathon stunt, and gaining immense coverage for our immersive play.

Describe the execution.

We launch an unbranded teaser SMS asking #ShameOnWho, followed by the campaign reveal through a national outdoor network. In parallel, we launch a social experiment film where we document people’s real reactions to a rape victim. Our film sparks national outrage and we trigger our media &influencer program to further fuel the debate. Adding to primetime national television coverage, we collaborate with media figures and influencers who adopt the campaign as their own. This encourages rape survivors to publicly face their rapists as we graffiti their facial composites on the city walls attracting more media attention. We then hijack Beirut Marathon, where rape survivors refuse to run and face their rapist. The PR stunt headlines local/international news. Next, we create an immersive play where media, influencers, politicians, policy-makers and the public relive the stories of the survivors who came forward. Finally, we begin to put the blame where it belongs.

List the results.

Influencers+Media adopted the campaign: - 150 opinion leaders posted their support including politicians/celebrities/public figures like MP Samy Gemayel, journalist Rima Maktabi and Iraqi activist Zainab Salbi. - Local/regional TV news coverage+international coverage including CNN (International+Website+Arabic)/BBC/Huffington Post France/Daily Mail/Reuters/AJ+/France 24/New York Times. - 497 publications (34 countries online+offline) - $12.23 Million+ earned media Turning the rape taboo into the #1 trending topic: - 4 Billion+ impressions - 13.9 Million+ views - 226,000+ engagements - #ShameOnWho recognized as the prime #MeToo campaign of Lebanon. - Huge debate in LebaneseAmericanUniversity over #ShameOnWho question. - Instagram artist Audrey Ghoussoub created #ShameOnWho comic. - Irish movement #ThisIsNotConsent joined the #ShameOnWho campaign. The conversation led to the ultimate campaign goal: Get women to speak up and face their rapist - 238 cases of sexual assault reported to Abaad versus 13 in previous year - International influencer ULAP came forward as a rape survivor with #ShameOnWho

Credits

Name Company Role
Bechara Mouzannar Leo Burnett Beirut Chief Creative Officer
Malek Ghorayeb Leo Burnett Beirut Executive Creative Director
Nada Abi Saleh Leo Burnett Beirut Managing Director
Jo Chemaly MSL Beirut Managing Director
Rana Khoury Leo Burnett Beirut Creative Director
Christina Salibi Leo Burnett Beirut Associate Creative Director
Lea Salibi Leo Burnett Beirut Creative Director
May Chaker Leo Burnett Beirut Communication Supervisor
Samer Chamata Leo Burnett Beirut Communication Manager
Farah El Beaini Leo Burnett Beirut Senior Communication Executive
Lama Bawadi Leo Burnett Beirut Senior Copywriter
Sara Egavian Leo Burnett Beirut Art Director
Christopher Nehme Leo Burnett Beirut Communication Manager
Zeina Mokdad Leo Burnett Beirut AV Production Manager
Elias Achkar Leo Burnett Beirut AV Producer
Philippe Araman Leo Burnett Beirut Regional Digital Director
Jennyfer Harb Leo Burnett Beirut Digital Palnner
Annie-Rita Kassarjian MSL Beirut Junior Communication Executive
Mariam Shour Leo Burnett Beirut Junior English Copywriter
Lama Assaf Leo Burnett Beirut Art Director
Rania Waked Leo Burnett Beirut Digital Director
Layla Gaussin MSL Beirut Junior Communication Executive
Maia Sahyoun MSL Beirut PR Executive
Roy Khachan MSL Beirut PR & Communication Executive
Links
Video URL