2022 Winners & Shortlists

ABAAD #PRIORITYTOO

Short List
BrandGENDER EQUALITY NGO
Product/ServiceABAAD RESOURCE CENTER FOR GENDER EQUALITY
EntrantLEO BURNETT Beirut, LEBANON
CategoryBrave Brands
Idea Creation LEO BURNETT Beirut, LEBANON
PR LEO BURNETT Beirut, LEBANON
Production LEO BURNETT Beirut, LEBANON

Why is this work relevant for Creative Strategy?

In Lebanon where people are plagued with a shortage of basic needs, gender-based violence (GBV) has grown into an absurdly overlooked reality. Consequently, this campaign feeds into Abaad’s journey of breaking through decades of silenced conversation on the preservation of women’s right to safety. It bravely pushes past an outdated Lebanese perception that GBV is inferior to all other issues. The work done on this campaign bravely lays the ground for women survivors to make their voices heard and spearheads a new school of thought that GBV can’t be muted, let alone deprioritized- a radical shift from the usual and

Background

Knee-deep in crisis, Lebanon is flashing red on the political, economic and social fronts. With a growing impoverished class, to a lack of electricity, to medicine shortages, women’s safety is compromised for more “important” issues while gender- based violence (GBV) is on the rise. As an NGO whose sole existence is to sustain gender equality and woman empowerment in the MENA region, Abaad wants to reshuffle the priority list and place women’s safety at the top. Because undermining women’s safety risks an entirely silenced generation of GBV victims. Because her right to safety is a priority too. And because the time to talk about her rights is now or it’s too late. Such a crucial message requires a grand entrance, which is why we launched the campaign during the UN’s 16 Days of Activism- to bring women's protection to the forefront of popular discussion and media interest.

The Interpretation of the Challenge (30% of vote)

The challenge that our client faces as an NGO advocating for gender equality and the protection of women’s rights- to safety and to life- isn’t quantifiable. It takes on many forms, from domestic abuse, to unjust laws to anything else that compromises a woman’s wellbeing and equal treatment in society. Lebanon’s deteriorating economic and political climate in 2021 accelerated the rise of gender-based-violence (GBV) and lowered the importance of addressing the issue. Making women’s safety a priority too became client’s main focus, which is why the resulting campaign was created to spread awareness and empower GBV survivors to come forward and speak up.

The Insight / Breakthrough Thinking (30% of vote)

Abaad executed a survey to gather information on gender-based violence (GBV) in Lebanon- a country constantly bombarded with problems. Findings included statistics around women in Lebanon, what they consider the most prominent issues they face relative to abuse, their awareness about Abaad’s abuse hotline amongst other information. The key finding was loud: GBV is on the rise, and in the midst of Lebanon’s sea of problems, GBV survivors aren’t speaking up due to a belief that other issues are of greater priority. The message was clear: Women’s right to safety is a priority too, no matter how bad the circumstances around them. Since society is the strongest factor in the belief that it’s not the time for GBV survivors to speak up, the target became the general public, and a campaign leading a new belief that her time to speak is now or it’ll be too late, was born.

The Creative Idea (20% of vote)

Rather than allowing women in Lebanon to believe that women’s right to safety is a backseat topic, we’re stopping this perception in its tracks to avoid risking an entire generation of women who have been abused and silenced. Comparing the importance of starvation to gender-based violence is out of the question. And so is comparing a lack of medication to abuse. And so is comparing a lack of electricity to silenced sexual assault cases. That’s why the time to talk about her rights is now or it’s too late. That’s why her safety is a #Prioritytoo/ #دايما_وقتها

The Outcome / Results (20% of vote)

A change in behavior stems from a change in mentality, and the campaign’s ability influence the latter was an anticipated challenge. However, with over 10M views on original campaign content, over 160M people reached online and $2.5M in earned media, it’s clear that the target resonated with women’s safety becoming a priority too. The Twitter storm we triggered shot our #Prioritytoo campaign to Lebanon’s number 1 trending hashtag in a couple of hours. With a 200% increase in call logs using Abaad’s safety hotline, we simultaneously influenced gender-based violence survivors to speak up. Over 5000 direct messages flooded our mega social influencer’s inbox, all filled with survivor stories and cries of encouragement to remain vocal about the issue. All of the above indicate stronger consumer awareness about GBV and a willingness to speak about the issue in parallel to the country’s dire state, creating a safe environment to survivors.

Credits

Name Company Role
Malek Ghorayeb Leo Burnett Beirut Campaign Supervision
Natasha Maasri Leo Burnett Beirut Campaign Supervision
Rana Khoury Leo Burnett Beirut Developed initial idea & led overall campaign execution
Nada Abi Saleh Leo Burnett Beirut Campaign Supervision
Farah El Beaini Leo Burnett Beirut Developed initial idea & led overall campaign execution & Led Media & PR amplification
Selena Jammaz Leo Burnett Beirut Campaign Execution support & PR amplification
Nour Hazzouri Leo Burnett Beirut Main Lead on Campaign Execution
Tracy Houeiss Leo Burnett Beirut Led on Arabic Writing
India Arida Leo Burnett Beirut Design Lead
Maia Sahyoun Leo Burnett Beirut Offline Analytics
Links
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