2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

#HOPEISBORN

BrandPROCTER & GAMBLE / PAMPERS
Product/ServiceN/A - CSR
EntrantLEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
CategorySocial Behaviour & Cultural Insight
Idea Creation LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
PR LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
PR 2 MSL BEIRUT, LEBANON
Production LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
Production 2 1505 STUDIO Beirut, LEBANON

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

#HopeIsBorn is a CSR campaign that was created by using a powerful cultural insight to add purpose to our activation and create an impact on our target. With Pampers being a brand that is a spirit-lifting ally, this initiative is one that emotionally connects with our audience and truly delivers our brand message, allowing for creative brand building and increased brand affinity.

Background

Since 2019, Lebanon has been facing an economic collapse; a breakdown in the country’s banking system, as well as a global pandemic, which have created a profound effect on people’s livelihood. The cataclysmic explosion that rocked Beirut on August 4th 2020 could not come at a worse moment, hurtling the Lebanese people into a dangerous unknown. As part of Procter & Gamble’s pledge to donate $1 million to help the Lebanese families affected by the blast, Pampers distributed 1 million diapers to the babies of Beirut. However, we wanted our contribution to go beyond material assistance, to give back to the Lebanese people what had been sorely lacking: hope. Our objective was to create a piece of content that would inspire people to think of a better tomorrow despite all the negativity that surrounds them, through a hopeful message that is both relevant to the brand and to the Lebanese.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

After the devastating blast, social media was replete with phone and security camera footage of the giant mushroom cloud that engulfed Beirut and its destructive impact turning homes, hospitals and streets to ruins and rubble. Amidst the sea of gut-wrenching footage that was flooding our feeds on social media, we wanted to share some good news, an inspiring story that would stand out from the clutter and would spark hope in the hearts of people. So we created a film with a powerful message – a film of Baby George – the miracle baby who was born moments after the explosion in a ravaged hospital. His story was to remind the Lebanese that with every new baby, #hopeisborn.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

With social media becoming an outlet for emotional expression, there were so many emotional stories being shared. We caught on to a piece of footage that showed a delivery room in St.Georges Hospital being shattered by the blast while a baby’s delivery was in progress. We dug deeper and learned the miracle story of Baby George, who was born just moments after the explosion in the ravaged St.Georges Hospital. Baby George was determined to make it; he was delivered under the flashlights of mobile phones thanks to the perseverance of the medical staff and his parents. With Pampers being a brand that is a spirit-lifting ally, this story is one that would emotionally connect with our audience and truly deliver our brand message. While our film would target the mass and everyone affected by the blast, our message specifically speaks to mothers, fathers and caretakers of the babies of Lebanon.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

#HopeIsBorn is a 100% social media led campaign featuring the story of Baby George. We created a film that depicts the unfathomable circumstances surrounding his birth, using real footage recorded by his father. We wanted to accentuate the magic of his story by bringing to light the mayhem surrounding his birth and using real raw footage, which further highlights how Baby George exemplifies the birth of a new life as a beacon of light and hope in our darkest times. In our film, we welcome Baby George, and thank the heroes who brought him safely to the world, while sending love and donating 1 million diapers to all the babies of Beirut. This film was deployed across Instagram, Facebook and Youtube on August 31st. More than 50 of the region’s top influencers shared it organically with $0 spent on media, creating an incredible amount of reach in just 5 days.

List the results (30% of vote)

Pampers is a brand that stands for uplifting parents and caring for their baby’s happy and healthy development. It is a brand of positivity and spirit-lifting, a brand which is loved and valued. With George’s story, a new hopeful conversation emerged on social media, and created global press coverage on ‘George the miracle baby’. Baby George’s story reached +1,000,000 people in just 5 days. The film was organically shared 20x more than the next best Pampers film in the region, with more than 50 of the region’s top influencers supporting this initiative and organically sharing the film. The Results: - 16,100,000 Impressions - $0 Spent - $363,000 Earned Media The film generated a lot of positive sentiment and truly lived up to Pampers’s brand purpose. The campaign was able to provide a beacon of hope to the people of Lebanon, reminding them that with every new baby, #hopeisborn.

Please tell us about the social behaviour and / or cultural insights that inspired your campaign

After the devastating blast, social media was replete with phone and security camera footage of the giant mushroom cloud that engulfed Beirut and its destructive impact turning homes, hospitals and streets to ruins and rubble. Social media feeds became outlets for emotional expression, with people sharing their horrifying stories. While everyone was using mobile and social media for news, updates and as an emotional outlet, we decided to bring out a piece of content that would truly stand out from the clutter and would shift the conversation to a more hopeful one. With all eyes turned towards Lebanon after the devastating explosion, it was time that the brand spoke up and delivered a meaningful message to the people of Lebanon.

Credits

Name Company Role
Malek Ghorayeb Leo Burnett Beirut Oversee the work making sure the brand pillars are kept
Nada Abi Saleh Leo Burnett Beirut Overseeing the quality of the work making sure the communication objectives are met
Youmna El Asmar Leo Burnett Beirut Planning Lead and overseeing the quality of the work
Rami Rikka Leo Burnett Beirut Ideation, Overlooking the entire campaign
Alisar Daher Leo Burnett Beirut Ideation, Copywriting and overlooking the entire campaign
Gabriel Abou Daher Leo Burnett Beirut Overlooking the production and managing the production process
Christopher Nehme Leo Burnett Beirut Communication Lead, Overseeing the quality of the work making sure the communication objectives are met
Line Mansour Leo Burnett Beirut Communication Lead, Ideation, Overlooking the entire campaign
Farah El Beaini MSL Beirut PR lead, overlooking all PR plans
Layla Gaussin MSL Beirut PR project management and overlooking the entire PR amplification of the campaign
Links
Social Media URL