2022 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Integrated?

With 1 in 50 people affected by paralysis yet with public awareness and innovations being low, a Dubai-based brand earned attention and conversations for paralysis for the very first time in the region - by making people feel, across an integrated channel mix, what those suffering from paralysis feel. In integrating paralysis into media and social conversations, we helped attract attention from people and also, from leading news and media platforms, all of which helped make paralysis more known, more searched for, more talked about and more supported through innovations and R&D to care as well as cure paralysis.

Background

1 in 50 people in the Middle East suffer from some form of paralysis. This makes it critical to provide those suffering with comprehensive, high-quality treatment as well as preventative care whenever possible. But paralysis remained unspoken of in the UAE. No brand in the Middle East has ever created any communication or education about preventing or managing paralysis. Dubai Science Park is a leading science and healthcare business community, home to more than 400 companies in fields such as biotechnology and healthcare among others, employing over 4,000 professionals. Dubai Science Park wanted to help generate and conversations around paralysis to attract more research and innovation in the region in paralysis cure and relief. This meant we need to create the right level of awareness and capture the right media attention.

Describe the creative idea

Our idea to break the apathy around paralysis, was to give people the experience of feeling stuck (as paralyzed people do). In cinemas, influencers, in the UAE across a cross-section of age groups and nationalities, were invited by Dubai Science Park to a new film’s screening. But the entertainment experience expected, was disrupted by a 365-second film that showed the reality of people suffering from paralysis 365-days-a-year. Stuck in seats, they experienced what people with paralysis feel, 365 days, every year, until the rug pull - when it was revealed that this was how it felt to be paralyzed every day of the year - yet there was hope in preventing and managing paralysis with Dubai Science Park’s facilities and innovations. In a social media-led initiative with Jessica Tawil, an influencer who is partially paralyzed, we created a social media challenge inviting people to feel what being paralyzed feels like.

Describe the strategy

HUMAN TRUTH: Our unconscious empathy. As human beings, our unconscious empathy influences how we classify the importance of things we should focus on. It’s only when we feel what others are going through that we really become aware of their need and their anxieties. And only then do we care. STRATEGY: Feel what a paralyzed person feels. To break the apathy and catch attention, a disruptive approach was needed to trigger the conversation. To get people aware and talking about paralysis and inviting innovation to help research and cure paralysis, we wanted to trigger the feeling of being locked down, while people were out in their world (relatively) unrestricted, creating that unconscious empathy. Highlighting the challenges facing people with paralysis would shed light on how to prevent it. And earning attention of people and of influential channels, would create the buzz and conversations needed to influence public awareness and action.

Describe the execution

To air the film in cinemas within the limited budgets, we partnered with Roxy Cinemas - affiliated with the same group that also includes Dubai Science Park. Across Roxy Cinemas, for 3 months, a 365-second film let people feel what someone with paralysis goes through 365 days a year. With Jessica Tawil, a partially paralyzed influencer, the paralysis challenge generated UGC and social conversations. Contextual online ads, radio ads, social and educational content, created more awareness. Famous influencers like Zainab Al-Eqabi (who is paraplegic) joined in and spread the word. And the idea, travelled across the world. Leading news channels, and talk shows, made paralysis a conversation. With partners, health-tech innovations were introduced, to help those, who suffered from paralysis. We also made history by creating the World Paralysis Awareness Day, registered on June 24, 2021, to be held on October 1 every year, for paralysis awareness and education.

List the results

“STUCK” received acclaim from leading marketing media platforms along with people: “Uncomfortable, arresting cinema ad.” (Adweek) “Haunting. Impressive. Terrific job.” (Shots) “Goes against entertainment trends.” (The Drum) “Chilling. Traps viewers.” (Little Black Book) “Eerily Effective.” (Branding in Asia) “Perplexing yet powerful experience.” (ArabAd) “You know when you feel like you’re stuck? And then,you realize you’re experiencing something life-changing? Honestly, it’s an amazing idea.” (Hazem, cinemagoer) “It just made you feel what people in this condition felt.” (Tom & Sabine, cinemagoer) “I’m glad we saw something like this. It’s very good.” (Ahmed cinemagoer) We saw a spike in conversations: $1.22 million earned media value. 522 million social media impressions. +147% awareness about paralysis. +328% searches about paralysis. +163% conversations about paralysis. And witnessed investments and interest from businesses towards partnering with Dubai Science Park for paralysis cure as well as care: +72.2% qualified business leads as partners at Dubai Science Park.