An Nahar: Naharouki: Women talk too much

Credits & Description:

Client: An Nahar
Advertising Agency: Impact BBDO, Beirut
Chief Creative Officer: Paul Shearer
Creative Director: Marie-Claire Maalouf
Art Director: Yasmina Boustani
Writer: Rohan Kodialbail
Executive Creative Director: Ali Rez
Regional Creative Director: Joe Abou Khaled
Photographers: Anwar Amro
Creative Services Manager: Tennyson Torcato
Senior Print Producer: Rebecca Ooi
Country: Lebanon
Published: February 2020
Synopsis:
To recognize women leading the 2019 Lebanese Revolution, An Nahar Newspaper published a campaign of ads that addressed three stereotypical online comments about women.
When the Lebanese government failed to find solutions to the looming economic crisis, stagnant economy and unemployment, the country was plunged into the 6th revolution in its history. However, in a country where women don’t have equal rights and face massive underrepresentation in the government, women for the very first time took the lead. They turned it into the first-ever peaceful revolution. This show of strength helped ensure a whopping 400% increase in female representation in the new cabinet. However, while this bold act of defiance and leadership was lauded by most of Lebanon, many trivialized their actions and criticized women for speaking up, staying out on the streets late into the night, and more. An-Nahar, Lebanon’s leading newspaper, a staunch proponent of women’s rights, wanted to show its support for these women and inject new life into the movement.
Women faced innumerable injustices in Lebanon, whether legally or illegally- ranging from one of the worlds largest pay gaps to the inability to pass down their nationality to their children. While known to be outspoken and thought leaders, women don’t have equal rights and face massive underrepresentation in the government. When Lebanon was plunged into the 6th revolution in its history, women who feared that the protests would turn violent, led the movement and turned it into Lebanon’s first-ever peaceful revolution. This resulted in a 400% increase in female representation in the new cabinet. However, this also had another effect. While most of Lebanon lauded the effort, the patriarchy condemned it and criticized women heavily for their actions. Their good deeds and efforts were trivialized, and their actions were mocked stereotypically. We found countless posts on social media sites that reflected the patriarchal mindset entrenched in Lebanese culture, such as “Women shouldn’t stay out late”, “Women talk too much” and “Women should know their place”. We took these sexist statements and turned them into a plucky and powerful print and outdoor campaign by juxtaposing them with raw, real photos of women leading the revolution. The messaging went on to turn the stereotypical criticisms made by men, into positive, and inspiring pieces of communication. Each ad ended with a reminder – that the movement led by women had ensured a 400% increase in women’s representation in the cabinet.
We released three pieces of communication that addressed three stereotypical criticisms of women found online – “Woman talk too much”, “Girls should not stay out late” and “Women should know their place”. We took these sexist statements and turned them into a plucky and powerful print and outdoor campaign by juxtaposing them with raw, real photos of women leading the revolution, taken by some of Lebanon’s leading photographers. The communication was released under the ‘Naharouki’ banner, which means ‘your day’, when read by a woman, and was derived by making a minor tweak in the newspaper’s name ‘An Nahar’. The ‘ads’ were also designed like news articles with controversial headlines, ensuring that they were impossible to miss.
The campaign injected a new sense of purpose into the movement. It was also organically used as a means to respond to comments that were critical of women. Women’s groups celebrated it and lavished praise on An-Nahar for standing with women. With the campaign, An-Nahar once again solidified its reputation as a publication that always looks to empower women.