Schoolgirl Newscasters.
Two schoolgirls who couldn't read three years earlier read the evening news on Pakistan's leading channels, for EBM's campaign to get more parents to send their daughters to school.
- Brand
- EBM
- Agency
- Impact BBDO
- Market
- Pakistan
- Region
- Global
- Year
- 2022
The challenge
'Parents pull girls out of school early, with only 34.2% making it to high school, mostly due to a widely held belief that education is useless for women' (D&AD entry; the statistic is the entrant's). English Biscuit Manufacturers (EBM), the Pakistani maker of Peek Freans, wanted to change that mindset.
The idea
Impact BBDO created a special broadcast: 'Two school girls, who were illiterate as little as three years ago, took over as newscasters for the evening, reading news to millions of people on Pakistan’s three leading news channels' (D&AD). It ran in December 2022, tied to World Human Rights Day, and each bulletin ended with the girls' own message: 'We can read this news today because three years ago, someone pledged to send us to school for education.' According to the case film, the conversation then spread across social and digital channels.
Results
- 180 million impressions, according to Impact BBDO's Cresta entry
- Girls' enrolment rose to 57% in more than 160 schools, by the entry's figures (no baseline given)
Case study source: D&AD Source ↗
Awards
- Cannes Lions 2023Glass: The Lion for Change – A01 GLASSGold
- Cresta Awards 2023The Media Magic AwardGold
- Clio Awards 2023Clio Awards / Film / 61 Seconds to Five MinutesSilver
- D&AD 2023: Wood Pencil, Impact / Local Solution
- LIA 2023: three Golds (Ambient & Activation; Branded Content & Entertainment; TV/Cinema)
Credits
- Design
- Impact BBDO Beirut
- Production
- Shiny Toy Guns
- Directors
- Babar Shaikh and Asma Humayun
