2022 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for PR?

TENA set out to challenge the misconception that menopause marks the onset of an ‘Age of Despair’ – the name for ‘menopause’ in Arabic –and raise confidence in women aged 45+. PR worked to deliver evidence-based research to strengthen the premise that women’s attitudes and beliefs around menopause were far more empowered and progressive than the term used to describe this stage.

Background

TENA’s position as the world’s leading Adult Incontinence Product brand was not translating into market penetration in the region. TENA was lagging with a market share of 18% and found itself in a solid challenger position. With this context, a re-set was needed to gain traction in key markets such as KSA. Analyzing market conditions, the challenges became clear. Incontinence is globally the most stigmatized of health conditions, but in Saudi, the stigma was elevated to a taboo. The result is that 90% of women in KSA seek don't seek medical advice for incontinence as the topic is sensitive and the result is that most women chose sanitary pads as opposed to a specialized product. Additionally, TENA suffered a perception challenge and was being viewed as a medical product for older women that didn’t resonate with a younger audience, making it difficult for the brand to gain a cultural foothold.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

To erase “The Age of Despair” across MENA and change it forever, we called on women to submit their positive alternatives and replace ‘despair’ with words of empowerment. On international women’s day, we launched a film featuring traditional Arab music - Tarab - and gave it a modern twist. With Tarab Star Ghalia, we created a song that turned the negativity of ‘the age of despair’ into a call for positive change. We also launched the music live on Anghami. Through social & digital platforms, strategic partnerships, and activations we created a movement for women, by women. We called on women across the region to tell their stories and invited them to submit alternative words. Thousands of women joined the conversation and suggested words that could replace ‘despair’, a female panel chose the one that stood out. “Renewal.” – Labeling menopause as the beginning of a new, exciting life chapter.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

The campaign narrative was aligned to International Women’s Day (IWD) 2021 theme, #ChooseToChallenge, and launched during IWD. The story and narrative around the campaign was strengthened through advocates such as the United Nations Population Fund, a surround sound of key opinion leaders, including well-respected healthcare practitioners who joined the conversation to not just elevate the discussion, but also to educate women and normalize the conversation around a sensitive topic of incontinence. Further, the research driven story backed by a survey of over 600 women from the region, gave substance and proof-points of a groundswell of sentiment that urged the region to move beyond the existing cultural phrasing for menopause.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

Implementation of the PR • Through engaging with top tier media outlets locally and globally, and via partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, PR worked to deliver the campaign narrative challenging negative perceptions associated with menopause and the use of the negative label ‘Age of Despair’. Timeline • PR efforts were launched in two phases, starting with phase 1 with the goal of raising awareness around the campaign in March, and ending in Phase 2, showcasing the results of the campaign and how the label Age of Despair, was changed. Scale • More than 100 unique clippings we’re secured with top tier global and local news outlets such as Campaign live and Sayidati magazine. The campaign was endorsed by the UN and achieved a PR value of more than 200,000 USD and a reach of more than 20M, locally and globally combined.

List the results (30% of vote)

On average our social content over performed on engagement metrics by over 15% and generated positive comments for TENA and on the topic of changing the conversation around menopause. We achieved over 48k engagements, 829k in reach for our social content and over 7.5m in reach for earned coverage across Tier 1 regional media.