The “Khédé Kasra” global communication campaign made by Leo Burnett Beirut (no I do not work for them, I am just really appreciative and fond of their work) for the Hariri Foundation and their Women Empowerment Program, was released in June 2009 after a big buzz was generated on all traditional media and public sphere.
The Women Empowerment Program aims at raising awareness on women’s status and rights in Lebanon and incorporating gender equality in the social culture
I find it brilliant the idea of the simple “kasra” used to encourage Lebanese women and inspire them to bring gender equality in the society. The whole creative concept on which the campaign was based is very simple but yet you really had to think of that since it is based on both common sense and something people are not really aware of: the idea that all men and women read words in Arabic as being automatically addressed to men.
The increased buzz as the result of a massive street marketing strategy (posters were set up, stickers were distributed in all areas on the streets of Lebanon) generated growing interest of journalists and other opinion leaders such as online bloggers who adopted the campaign and decided to promote it.
This video explains how the whole campaign was executed. Its whole success relies on how each and every mean was leveraged to serve the other. “Khédé Kasra” was awarded with PR Lions in the “Charity and not for profit” Category at the Cannes Lions 2009
This campaign comes in a context where Lebanese women need to actively participate in society and stand up for themselves since they are deprived of many essential rights:
- They cannot give their nationality to their children if they are married to a foreigner
- They automatically lose custody of their children above 9 years old in any divorce battle
- They are still very frequently victims of domestic violence
