Young Bride.
A fake matchmaking service openly offered underage brides in Lebanon, and the public outrage it drew was aimed at a stalled law to set the minimum marriage age at 18.
- Brand
- RDFL
- Agency
- J. Walter Thompson MEA
- Market
- Lebanon
- Region
- MENA
The challenge
A draft law raising Lebanon's legal marriage age to 18 had not passed Parliament, and most people did not know child marriage was still legal. RDFL, the Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering, needed the public to push for it.
The idea
Under the name 'Young 3arous', the agency set up fake social media accounts promoting a matchmaking service for underage brides, linked to a website with profiles. Actors answered the phones and took 'orders', and the service even offered help in a mall for people who didn't shop online. Citizens, activists and influencers demanded it be shut down and compared it to human trafficking, and the reveal turned that anger toward the draft law.
Results
- More than 6 million people engaged with the campaign, according to the agency's Creativepool entry.
- The entry says the outcry pressured the new government to review the draft law.
Case study source: Creativepool Source ↗
Awards
- Cannes Lions 2019PR LionsSilver
Credits
- Creative agency
- J. Walter Thompson MEA
- Executive Creative Director, J. Walter Thompson MEA
- Nicolas Geahchan
