2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

THE NEW BRAVE

BrandALWAYS / PROCTER & GAMBLE
Product/ServiceFEMININE CARE PADS
EntrantLEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
CategorySocial Behaviour & Cultural Insight
Idea Creation LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
Media Placement STARCOM Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR MSL Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production PRODIGIOUS MIDDLE EAST Beirut, LEBANON
Production 2 ALAIN AOUN Beirut, LEBANON

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

Always is the leader in Feminine care products in UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Pakistan, as witnessed by market share results. Yet, one key area of opportunity for the brand is to connect with women on a more emotional level and win on our key equity driver “championing women”, especially during the COVID-19 times. This is how The New Brave was born. Always intended to celebrate the courage and bravery of women particularly during the pandemic. The brand associated itself with bravery by weaving itself into the stories of their consumers and building an atmosphere of trust and dependability.

Background

In times of global confinement and unprecedented disruption due to the COVID-19 outbreak, women’s lives were redefined in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Pakistan. Their duties were multiplied and the pressure on them drastically increased. As a feminine care brand, Always felt obligated to stand by women, to care and support them. The challenge was to live up to the brand’s purpose of being ‘the force for female good’ when the core of its consumers was facing hardships. Always set out to stand close to the women, build their confidence, and celebrate them. The campaign was conceived as a global movement, catering to different markets, mindsets and cultures. The intent is to solidify Always’ role in their lives while bringing them together during these tough times. Our objectives were focused on further pushing brand presence and engagement, measured by the primary KPIs of reach, engagement rate and UGC.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

COVID19 affected every person and every gender, but women have been on the frontline during this period, whether at home or at hospitals. They’ve taken on extra duties, had to learn new skills, and were literally first responders in every aspect at home. They redefined what bravery means, with courage, compassion, softness, and strength. Their bravery saw no limit, and not one definition. With mounting pressure in and out of home, they emerged as the unsung brave heroes of the lockdown. Always wanted to celebrate this New Brave by creating a platform that built-up women’s confidence, made them feel appreciated, and redefined through their actions, how they stood up to the occasion. We built affinity and celebrated women’s bravery not only via a pushed video but also by forming a two-way conversation with them that could create human connections and strengthen a community of women defining the New Brave.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

We addressed women from the UAE, who are part of the generation of possibilities, propelled forward by the government and the society to take the leap and achieve their dreams. The Saudi Arabians, part of the generation of firsts, who have taken advantage of the governmental and societal support to lead a wave of change and firsts, together. The women of South Africa, who are defying expectations of how society perceives them and fighting societal barriers. The women of Pakistan who are advocating freedom from societal pressures and expectations. Our communication had to cater to all of them under an umbrella message that established the Always “Force for female good” character. They are all on the forefront of history, trailblazing the way for change, and the pandemic had become their common denominator. Each woman rose to the occasion to be brave during COVID-19 and it’s what brought them together.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

The campaign was launched with a branded affinity film pushed on YouTube in mid-June 2020 to celebrate #TheNewBrave through slam poetry. We then opened up the conversation to the public with the help of KOLs, to drive awareness and engagement on Instagram and Tiktok. To reach out to the women individually, 34% of the budget was allocated to mobile. Influencers were a major contributor to the work because in today’s world, the online community would rather listen to people than brands. Our content on social platforms focused on creating engagement through stickers on Instagram, relatable stories from KOLs, and a CTA on Tiktok pushing for UGC. We also utilized our footage in programmatic, targeting look-alike audiences, to maximize on reach.

List the results (30% of vote)

The campaign surpassed expectations. Following 2 months of airing, the iVideo reached 3.5 million users, and the mega influencers’ activation helped us reach 9.8 million people across 3 markets. In the first week, the average view time in South Africa was at 51 seconds (versus 6 seconds industry benchmark). The Arab Peninsula set new records with 39% View-through Rate (+13% versus benchmark). We also piloted the Tiktok activation for the first time in the Arab Peninsula and garnered 818,000 organic reach with 62% VTR for a 17-second video. The campaign has witnessed the highest ever engagement with mega influencers’ posts: Pakistan 3.75%, South Africa 5.25%, and UAE & KSA 11.5% engagement (versus 2.5% average benchmark). The brand observed a 5% increase in equity for KSA and UAE on the parameter of championing and empowering women (Brand Health Track, Jul’20). Also, 306,6240 were donated in Pakistan and 4,407,680 in South Africa.

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

Bravery has always been a notion reserved to men who are physically strong or powerful in social settings – especially within this region. We want to show how bravery has nothing to do with gender, but with the strength, softness, compassion, empathy, and support that women have always brought forward, during these unprecedented times and beyond.

Credits

Name Company Role
Malek Ghorayeb Leo Burnett Beirut Campaign Supervision
Fadi Bustros Leo Burnett Beirut Campaign Supervision
Natasha Maasri Leo Burnett Beirut Campaign Supervision
Ralph Arida Leo Burnett Beirut Campaign Supervision
Shayna Suidan Leo Burnett Beirut Conceptualization and project coordination
Lana Khayat Leo Burnett Beirut Conceptualization and project coordination
Lama Bawadi Leo Burnett Beirut Conceptualization Arabic writing
Mariam Shour Leo Burnett Beirut Conceptualization English writing
Noura Assaf Leo Burnett Beirut Conceptualization and execution
Jennyfer Harb Leo Burnett Beirut Planning Lead and overseeing the quality of the work
Estelle Khayat Leo Burnett Beirut Digital Lead
Gabriel Abou Daher Leo Burnett Beirut Overlooking the production and managing the production process
Jessica Younes Leo Burnett Beirut Overlooking the production and managing the production process
Saria Francis MSL Dubai PR lead, overlooking all PR plans
Links
Video URL