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  • SUB CATEGORY :
    INTEGRATED LOTUS
  • COMPANY ENTERING :
    FP7 DUBAI, DUBAI
  • TITLE :
    AL UMOBUWAH: PUTTING 'MUM' INTO 'PARENTHOOD'
  • BRAND :
    BABYSHOP
  • ADVERTISER :
    BABYSHOP
  • AGENCY :
    FP7 MCCANN DUBAI, DUBAI
  • EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR :
    OLIVER ROBINSON
  • CREATIVE DIRECTOR :
    TAHAAB RAIS/KARTIK AIYAR
  • COPYWRITER :
    TAHAAB RAIS/KARTIK AIYAR/FANNY ABOU RACHED
  • ART DIRECTOR :
    KATARINA VASILJ
  • ACCOUNT DIRECTOR :
    VICKY KRIPLANI
  • ACCOUNT MANAGER :
    MARINE DENEUFBOURG
  • GENERAL MANAGER BUSINESS UNIT :
    NIMA ASKARI
  • STRATEGIC PLANNING DIRECTOR :
    TAHAAB RAIS
  • MEDIA AGENCY :
    INHYPE, DUBAI
  • EDITOR :
    ASHRAF MUHAMMADUNNY
  • DESIGNER :
    REY AMIO/SAMEER KETKAR
  • TYPOGRAPHER :
    MOHAMMED
  • CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :
    NO BRAND IN THE MIDDLE EAST HAS DARED TO TOUCH THE ARABIC LANGUAGE OR ADD TO IT, BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF BACKLASH AND NEGATIVE SENTIMENTS OVERPOWERING THE BRANDS' IMAGE. BABYSHOP - A CHILDREN'S RETAILER - SET OUT TO REFORM A WORD'S ETYMOLOGY, THAT REFLECTED A TRADITIONAL, PATRIARCHAL OUTLOOK. AND CREATED A NEW ARABIC WORD.IT COUNTERED NEGATIVE SENTIMENTS, ANTICIPATED THEM, AND CONVERTED THEM INTO POSITIVE ONES. AS WELL AS BEING AN EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MOVE, GETTING BABYSHOP'S CORE TARGET OF ARAB MOTHERS RESONATING MORE WITH THE BRAND, THE IDEA HAS ALSO NUDGED AND INFLUENCED CULTURE AS WELL AS THE LEXICON.
  • THE BRIEF :
    BABYSHOP IS A CHILDREN'S RETAILER IN THE MIDDLE EAST. IT HAS STOOD FOR CELEBRATING PARENTHOOD, AND BEING AN ALLY IN PARENTHOOD. ITS PRIMARY CONSUMERS ARE ARAB MOTHERS. ARAB MOTHERS PREFER BUYING FROM BRANDS THAT MEAN SOMETHING. EVEN THOUGH DISCOUNTS TEMPT PURSE STRINGS, THEY PREFER BUYING INTO WHAT BRANDS STAND FOR AND THEN, BUY INTO PRODUCTS SOLD BY BRANDS. ON MOTHER’S DAY 2018, BABYSHOP WANTED TO WIN THAT SHARE OF HEART FROM ARAB MOTHERS, AS A RETAILER THEY’D WANT TO ASSOCIATE WITH. THIS WOULD HELP THE BRAND IMPROVE ITS IMAGE AND TRIGGER A GROWTH IN ITS FLAT-LINE PERFORMANCE WITH ARAB MOTHERS.
  • THE STRATEGY :
    ARABIC, LIKE A FEW OTHER LANGUAGES IN THE WORLD, CONTAINS A VARIETY OF WORDS THAT STEM FROM PATERNAL-CENTERED ROOTS. THE WORD “PARENTHOOD” (AL OBUWAH) IS ONE SUCH WORD. ALTHOUGH, MANY ARABS HAVE, OVER TIME, UNDERSTOOD THAT WORD TO MEAN BOTH - FATHER AND MOTHER - THE WORD “PARENTHOOD” IN ARABIC ACTUALLY TRANSLATES INTO “FATHERHOOD” IN VERBAL USAGE. THE PRIMARY ARABIC WORD FOR “PARENTHOOD” (AL OBUWAH) LEAVES “MUM” OUT. OTHER ARABIC WORDS, USED FOR “PARENTHOOD” SUCH AS “WALEDIYA”, ARE ALSO DERIVED FROM WORDS SUCH AS “WALED”, MEANING “FATHER”. THERE IS NO WORD FOR “PARENTHOOD” THAT INCLUDES OR IMPLIES "MOTHER". ARABIC IS NOT A LANGUAGE THAT PEOPLE CHANGE AROUND. BUT, AS A BRAND THAT HAS STOOD FOR "CELEBRATING PARENTHOOD", WE GOT BABYSHOP TO MAKE A BOLD MOVE. BECAUSE LIKE PARENTHOOD IS A SHARED AND EQUAL RESPONSIBILITY, GIVING MOTHERS AN EQUAL PLACE IN THE EXISTING ARABIC WORD FOR “PARENTHOOD” WAS OURS.
  • THE EXECUTION :
    AN ONLINE FILM, ON MOTHER’S DAY, LAUNCHED THE WORD. INSTANTLY, IT SPARKED CONVERSATIONS, PROVOKING 50% NEGATIVE SENTIMENTS, MAINLY FROM TRADITIONALLY-MINDED MEN, OUTRAGED ABOUT A NEW WORD ADDED TO ARABIC. THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS HELPED FUEL THE CONVERSATION. WE PARTNERED WITH 40 ARABIC INFLUENCERS, WHO ENDORSED IT ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA, ENGAGING WITH NEGATIVE COMMENTATORS. THROUGH OUR INFLUENCERS, WE LAUNCHED A NEW COLLECTION THAT WAS FEATURED IN A DUBAI FASHION SHOW. PROCEEDS FROM THE COLLECTION WENT TO A CHARITABLE CAUSE FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED MOTHERS AND CHILDREN. AUDIO-BASED INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES CREATED MORE FAMILIARITY. WE CREATED AN AUDIO PRONUNCIATION GUIDE ON YOUTUBE, AND LAUNCHED INTERACTIVE SCREENS ACROSS BABYSHOP STORES THAT WERE ACTIVATED BY SAYING THE NEW WORD ‘AL UMOBUWAH’, SHOWING THE CHANGE FROM THE OLD WORD TO THE NEW WORD. SCHOOL CHILDREN LEARNT THE WORD ACROSS CLASSROOMS AND EVENTS. A NEW ARABIC MAGAZINE - TITLED WITH THE WORD ‘AL UMOBUWAH’ - WAS PUBLISHED, AND DISTRIBUTED.
  • THE RESULT :
    LEADING ARABIC NEWS CHANNELS AND TALK SHOWS ENDORSED THE IDEA: “EVERYONE SHOULD USE IT. IT ADDS TO THE LANGUAGE WITHOUT INSULTING IT.” “AN INNOVATIVE IDEA. SHOWS BOTH PARENTS MATTER. DOESN’T PREJUDICE AGAINST FATHERS.” GENERATED 1.2 BILLION EARNED MEDIA IMPRESSIONS. REACHED 200 MILLION PEOPLE REGIONALLY (91% OF GULF). EARNED $1.3 MILLION EARNED MEDIA AND RISING, FEATURING ON LEADING REGIONAL AND LOCAL NEWS AND MEDIA PLATFORMS. EARNED AND TRIGGERED: +27% BRAND BUZZ VS. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2017. +32% BRAND LOVE WITH ARAB MOTHERS VS. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2017. +21% RELEVANCE VS. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018. +12% CONSIDERATION VS. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018. +4% NEW CUSTOMERS VS. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018. +2.3% WALLET VOLUMES VS. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018. IMPORTANTLY, DESPITE 50% NEGATIVE SENTIMENTS IN ITS FIRST WEEK, TODAY, THE WORD HAS 87% POSITIVE SENTIMENTS. AND A PETITION TO INCLUDE THE WORD IN THE ARABIC DICTIONARY, REACHED ITS GOAL, IN JUST 32 DAYS, WITH ONE AUTHENTIC DICTIONARY PUBLICATION CONSIDERING THE WORD FOR ITS 2019 UPDATES.