2022 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

In Lebanon where people are plagued with a shortage of basic needs, gender-based violence (GBV) has grown into an absurdly overlooked reality. We hooked the attention of traditionalists who believe that now is not the time to speak about women’s safety through captivating content delivered by provocative stunts and disruptive collaboration with bold on line influential opinion leaders. The entertainment factor that all of our collaborators delivered bravely pushed past the loudly outdated Lebanese perception that GBV is inferior to all other issues, and successfully laid the ground for women survivors to make their voices heard.

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.

Describe the creative idea

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

Describe the strategy

Abaad executed a survey to understand how exactly gender-based violence (GBV) is affecting women in Lebanon. 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 driver behind making GBV survivors believe it’s not the time for them to speak up, the target became the general public. Because survivors that dare to come forward need the people around them to understand the importance of women’s safety. Accordingly, the on-ground stunt targeted the Lebanese at large, and our collaboration with key opinion leaders validated the reality that women’s safety as a priority too, while also aiding in message dissemination.

Describe the execution

On day one of UN’s 16 Days of Activism, women survivors stood in front of key Beirut locations holding banners with messages hammering the dichotomy of women in Lebanon choosing between death and another kind of death. Big names in the Arab world triggered a hurricane of Tweets with hashtag #دايما_وقتها (#Prioritytoo). We also paired up with 2 Insta influencers whose wittiness aligns with the campaign tone, allowing us to speak to an audience who already enjoy satirical humor while discussing issues plaguing Lebanon. We created (un)skippable YouTube pre-rolls with famous Lebanese figures to play on the idea that many skip past the importance of discussing women’s safety. The campaign went out with a viral bang as the most famous Arab influencer used her own platform to capture the audience’s attention and spread greater awareness that women’s safety is a priority too.

Describe the outcome

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.