2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

BUSINESSMAN CLASS

BrandETIHAD AIRWAYS
Product/ServiceETIHAD AIRWAYS
EntrantETIHAD AIRWAYS Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategorySocial Behaviour & Cultural Insight
Idea Creation ETIHAD AIRWAYS Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement ETIHAD AIRWAYS Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR ETIHAD AIRWAYS Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production DÈJÁVU Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

We're proud of the fact that we champion gender equality to empower the strong, ambitious and talented women working with us. But we recognise there’s always more that can do to shift perceptions and stand up against stereotypes. For International Women’s Day 2020, we wanted to take a different approach and strive to change the way we think about the business world and the place of women in it. We made the first step towards this change, by launching a social media to eliminate the word ‘MAN’ from the Arabic word for ‘Business Class’ which translates into ‘BusinessMAN Class’.

Background

In the Arabic language, ‘Business Class’ is written as ‘BusinessMAN Class’ which translates to: درجة رجال الأعمال And we have changed it to ‘Business Class’ which translates to: درجة الأعمال If you paused for a moment and pictured what first comes to your mind when you think of a ‘Business Class traveller’ - do you think of a woman? Perhaps not. In Arabic, Business Class translates as ‘BusinessmanClass’. It became clear that our language needed to change, to reflect our business guests and the real world around us. So, our objective was clear: to begin a shift in the way the ‘business’ traveller is perceived; to make a small, but important and fundamental change that would resonate strongly with our audience. Globally and regionally, we wanted to challenge preconceived ideas and stereotypes and replace them with something positive.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

We reached out to Etihad’s Operations team and to Abu Dhabi Airport International Airport. We discovered that the terminology used on signage and communications across all touchpoints displayed ‘Business-man Class’. Additionally, we conducted a survey to ask people to visualise a business passenger – the majority of responses we received described the ideal business man.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Leveraging the 2020 theme of International Women’s Day, #EachforEqual, we wanted to create a powerful video that put women in the forefront of our Business cabin. The campaign premise set out to challenge assumptions about well-known sayings such as ‘…behind every successful man is a woman.’ and rebut them with a powerful social truth.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

Since the idea stemmed from a word, we chose to craft the video with bold and stand out typography and the usage of words paired with subtle animation. This video was then used across our social media channels to raise awareness about the cause. We not only wanted to make a difference locally but also open this up to every international traveller. We identified every single signboard and consumer touchpoint at the airport that used “Businessman Class” and worked with Abu Dhabi International Airport to change them. The entire project, from social execution to the change in signboards, was carried out in less than two weeks.

List the results (30% of vote)

Our objective was to take a small step forward in gender-equality which would resonate with our audience. This was our most successful content campaign ever in celebration of International Women’s Day, reaching a global audience of 6 million and with over 4.5 million views across our social media channels. Overall engagement rates were at 28%. Did we change the world? Perhaps not. But as Gandhi once said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world”. We know it’s a small change, but every step is a step forward.

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

With a workforce made up of almost 7,000 women, Etihad is committed to creating a diverse, innovative and collaborative workplace, and we continue to focus on increasing the representation of women within our organisation. On 8 March 2020, we pledged to increase our female workforce by 25% over the next five years, making us the first airline in the UAE to make this commitment. This pledge is aligned with IATA’s 25by2025 campaign, which aims to improve gender balance and increase female representation within the aviation industry by 25% by 2025. But to really bring diversity and inclusion to life, we know that our efforts need to extend far past our organisation. Across the Middle East and the rest of the world, we’re doing everything we can to empower women and create equal opportunities – and that starts with the language we use. Welcome to Business class, not Business-man class.

Credits

Name Company Role
Amina Taher Etihad Airways VP
Shefali Vyas Etihad Airways Head of Department
Abdulla Al Ahbabi Etihad Airways Manager, Social Media
Tim Larkin Etihad Airways Manager, Social Media
Sukriti Godiwala Etihad Airways Manager, Social Media
Links
Social Media URL