2019 Winners & Shortlists

#SHAMEONWHO

Short List
BrandABAAD
Product/ServiceGENDER EQUALITY NGO
EntrantLEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
CategoryGuerrilla Marketing & Stunts
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 Brand Experience & Activation?

Through a social experiment, interactive OOH, a stunt, an immersive play and an Integrated influencer/PR amplification program, we brought the country’s attention to the rape taboo and bluntly exposed a patriarchal society that shames rape survivors. Through this ecosystem, we witnessed the cultural shift our campaign triggered on-ground. Overnight we turned the rape taboo into the most discussed topic in Lebanon and the region. The public outrage caused by the campaign allowed us to start shifting the blame from the victims to the rapists and encouraged many survivors to report their rape cases, finally paving the way for justice.

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. Our objective was to reach the Lebanese mass, however, given our limited budget of $60,000, we had to adopt an effective approach to maximize our reach. Thus we took our campaign to the streets to expose people’s true views on rape and victim blaming, creating real uncensored content that every Lebanese would watch and share.

Describe the creative idea.

#ShameOnWho? (#MinElFelten) – 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 #MinElFelten (#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, including public figures, influencers and the public at large. It was crucial for our campaign to portray reality to the fullest so our insights stemmed from the experiences and testimonials of 6 rape survivors who shared their stories on how their families’ and society’s shaming forced them not to speak up and report their rape cases. Entrenched in the survivors’ testimonials, this reality was at the core of our campaign. 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. While her part was scripted, their reactions were real. As expected, their shameful reactions sparked popular outrage as well as some negative reactions of shaming thus pushing the rape taboo out in the open.

Describe the execution

We launch our social experiment, where we document people’s reactions to a rape victim. Given the shoot’s unpredictability, we assess the locations beforehand to ensure the maximum number of passers-by. The film is shot in different streets in Beirut with only two hours to capture all reactions. We film through cameras placed in neighboring buildings and parked cars, and through our undercover producers’ phones and hidden microphones. The film sparks unprecedented outrage, encouraging survivors to speak-up and describe their rapists. With the help of graffiti artists, we transform these descriptions into huge facial composites on the city walls, captivating pedestrians with the survivors’ stories which are triggered by motion-detector VO-technology. An iconic image is captured of a survivor facing her rapist. We then hijack Beirut Marathon – Lebanon’s largest and most mediatized event - through a stunt where survivors refuse to run and face their rapist, headlining local/international news.

List the results.

Unprecedented conversation on rape and massive local/international resonance pushing 238 rape survivors to speak up. VIEWS+ENGAGEMENT - 4 Billion+ impressions - 13.9 Million+ views - $12.23 Million+ earned media - 226,000+ engagements - 497 publications (34 countries-Digital+offline) CASES REPORTING - 238 cases of sexual assault reported to Abaad during the month of the campaign versus 13 in previous year - ULAP–Major Lebanese international influencer, came forward as a rape survivor following the campaign and is met with unprecedented support and praise. COVERAGE+SUPPORT - Prominent politicians, celebrities and public figures tweeted/posted their support. - Local/regional TV coverage (news bulletin)+international coverage including CNN International, BBC, France 24, AJ+, Brut India etc. - #ShameOnWho recognized as the prime #MeToo campaign of Lebanon. - Huge debate sparked in the Lebanese American University around #ShameOnWho. - Instagram artist Audrey Ghoussoub created #ShameOnWho comic series. - Irish movement #ThisIsNotConsent joined the #ShameOnWho campaign.

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
Roy Khachan MSL Beirut PR & Communication Executive
Maia Sahyoun MSL Beirut PR Executive
Links
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