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  • SUB CATEGORY :
    EDUCATION
  • ENTRANT COMPANY :
    IMPACT BBDO, DUBAI
  • TITLE :
    SCHOOLGIRL NEWSCASTERS
  • BRAND :
    EBM
  • ADVERTISER :
    EBM
  • AGENCY :
    IMPACT BBDO, DUBAI
  • CHAIRMAN :
    DANI RICHA
  • CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :
    ALI REZ
  • EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR :
    ATIYA ZAIDI/MARIE CLAIRE MAALOUF
  • CREATIVE DIRECTOR :
    MARIA SHAMSI
  • ART DIRECTOR :
    BIJOY PURAYIL/SAAD HUSSAIN
  • COPYWRITER :
    TAMARA PINTO
  • ACCOUNT MANAGER :
    SARAH NADEEM
  • OTHER CREATIVE CREDITS :
    AROOJ ANWAR
  • FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :
    DIAGRAM FILMS, KARACHI
  • DIRECTOR :
    BABAR SHAIKH
  • POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY :
    SHINY TOY GUNS, KARACHI
  • POST EXECUTIVE PRODUCER :
    ASMA HUMAYUN
  • CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :
    Pakistan’s education system faces a 13% gender disparity. Parents pull girls out of school early, with only 34.2% making it to high school. Most believe that education is wasted on girls, the primary reason behind the fact that half of all Pakistani women are illiterate.
    We wanted to persuade more parents to send girls to school through an impactful activation that would show millions of people the power of educating girls.
    Instead of a typical advertisement asking parents to send their girls to school, we wanted to demonstrate the impact of being educated. And to do it with girls who couldn't read or write just three years ago.
    So we made our campaign big news, by taking over the newsroom. Pakistanis turned on their TVs to watch the regular primetime news, but instead of the regular newscasters, found two little schoolgirls in their uniforms sitting where the broadcasters should have been, reading the day's news to millions of people across Pakistan confidently from the teleprompter. They ended their broadcast with a poignant message: when you educated girls, they do amazing things.
    These weren't just words - they were living proofpoints of what they were claiming. Mentioning that they couldn't even read three years ago, but now thanks to being educated, could read to millions was the powerful close to our broadcast.
    EBM's activation brought around an immense amount of coverage on the topic of education, impacting on ground numbers. The 160+ schools that EBM works with saw a rise of girls' enrolment all the way to 57% of the total school numbers, overtaking boys and the national average of 38%.
  • CREATIVITY/IDEA/INSIGHT :
    We turned regular news into breaking news, with a special new broadcast. Two school-going girls,who could not even read three years back, took over as newscasters for the evening, reading the news to millions of people on Pakistan’s three leading news channels.
    The girls, wearing their school uniforms, confidently shared their literacy journeys and how it had enabled them to read the news to millions of people in impeccable Urdu and English. They also highlighted the role of education in making them better caretakers of future generations.
  • STRATEGY :
    Our strategy was to demonstrate the future possibilities that education opens for girls, by putting them on national TV, showcasing future career potential, and proving the power of education by having them read on national TV.
    Television is the dominant medium in Pakistan with nearly ¾ of the country tuning in to the news every day. Everyone dreams of being on TV. Seeing the school girls broadcasters made the news of the literacy rate more impactful.
  • EXECUTION :
    Pakistan switched on their TV sets and tuned in to the news only to be greeted by an unusual sight – two school girls, wearing their public school blue and white uniform, sitting in the broadcasters chair and announcing the news.
    The news segment ran on the top three news channels, as the girls announced the rise in Pakistan’s literacy rate, then shared their literacy journeys and how it had enabled them to go from not being able to read three years ago, to reading the news to hundreds of millions of people today. The girls read the news in both English and Urdu.
    This special new edition was broadcasted on various news channels in Pakistan and reached millions of viewers across the country.
  • RESULT :
    Following from the campaign, EBM introduced a policy of only working with schools that have an equal representation of male and female students. Their efforts have led to 160+ schools in Pakistan returning figures that now see girls' enrollment lift to an astounding 57% of total student numbers. This is an astonishing change figure, since the national average for girls enrollment is 38%.
    Being broadcasted on the top 3 news channels in Pakistan, the campaign had an incredible impression count of more than 150 million, and trended over social media. The conversation around educating girls has never been louder.
    Seeing the girls so confidently take over the newsroom made for a powerful image that resonated with parents all over Pakistan, stirring hope from more girls like them to make their way toward a brighter future.