How Pakistani Girls Took over News Channels
Children should have the right to an education, right? Well, while Pakistan as a country has signed the Human Rights Declaration agreeing with this statement, the general consensus seems to be less enthusiastic. In fact, the Global Gender Gap Report placed the country at rank 145 (out of 156 total countries), and UN Women stated that 53.6% of women in Pakistan have limited access to education, training, and employment.
In short, women in Pakistan are being educated at a far lower rate than men. So, to change the statistics, biscuit manufacturers EBM and agency Impact BBDO worked together to create a campaign and stunt which would go on to create an outpouring of support, a conversation to advocate for girls to have an education, and a viral moment to keep the momentum going.
The campaign’s main stunt launched on World Human Rights Day, and involved two school girls reading the news from teleprompters live on national television. The girls shared their literacy journeys and how it had enabled them to read the news to hundreds of millions of people in impeccable Urdu and English, as well as how the country’s literacy rate had gone up by four points in the last three years. With a viewership of 220 million people, the campaign’s aim wasn’t just to tell viewers how important it is, but to show how education changes lives.
The team at Impact BBDO speaks to LBB’s Nisna Mahtani about the spot.
LBB> What did EBM want to achieve with this campaign?
Impact BBDO> Pushing the agenda for equal education is a mission for EBM, as part of its promise to nourish lives, hearts and communities. With this campaign, the brand not only wanted to make the topic of girls’ education trend, but also demonstrate to millions of conservative parents that educating girls empowers them for a more promising future - ultimately convincing more parents to send their daughters to school.
LBB> Can you tell us a little bit about the education of girls in Pakistan, and why it was important to share this message?
Impact BBDO> 53% of women are illiterate in Pakistan, and the country only spends 1.77% of its annual budget on education. A lot of this is driven by gender bias; a large number of parents keep their daughters out of school due to socioeconomic conditions and conservative reasons. A prevalent thought in Pakistan is that girls do not need education as much as boys, since men typically are the earners in a household. It was important to not only ask parents to change this mindset, but to do it in a manner that would demonstrate the value of education to girls - in other words, to mesmerise them with the power of the girls. It wasn’t only important to share this message… It was necessary.
LBB> How did you first come up with the idea of taking over news channels and broadcasting the ‘education for everyone’ message in this way?
Impact BBDO> We felt we should demonstrate the power of education, rather than just speak about it. And, we wanted something that would be impossible to ignore. We started off with the strategic question: ‘If a girl would want to prove she can read, how would she do it?’. The answer wasn’t just to a large group, but to the entire country. And news channels are the surefire way of getting to everybody in the country. There is a profound irony in the fact that the same girls who couldn’t read a few years ago managed to read from a teleprompter to millions of people.
LBB> With 220 million people viewing the event, can you share how you conveyed the message in a way that connected with all viewers?
Impact BBDO> In a politically-volatile country like Pakistan, the news is followed constantly by millions of Pakistanis. The average day sees dozens of newscasters blaring out breaking headline after headline. This was ripe for disruption. By placing young schoolgirls - instead of the familiar newscasters - we knew we would grip our audience. All we had to do was take over the three largest news channels.
LBB> How have EMB collaborated with the PAF & RMWO on their welfare project and what’s the next step?
Impact BBDO> EBM has joined hands with PAF & RMWO to build a new school in Sawabi, in the province of KPK, for 500 girls and boys. This school is much needed in the area, as the province is second to last in statistics of school-going children.
LBB> The stunt took place on World Human Rights Day. Can you tell us about the strategic angle behind this timing?
Impact BBDO> The stunt was the second part of a bigger campaign focusing on the aspect of how education is a fundamental right of a child. The Human Rights Declaration, to which Pakistan is a signatory, states clearly that it is the right of every child to receive an education. We also emphasise that without knowledge, a girl or woman is unaware of what her other rights are. Education is the pathway to that awareness which empowers a woman to demand what is rightly hers. Thus, World Human Rights Day.
LBB> Should we keep an eye out for any other campaigns following this one?
Impact BBDO> EBM will continue to focus on their commitment to increasing the literacy rate in Pakistan, and as such, yes, we will continue to build campaigns to help achieve this.
LBB> Can you tell us about the reaction this caused? Why do you think it was so impactful?
Impact BBDO> The reaction was overwhelming – in particular, the shock of seeing these girls take over the usual newscaster spot. And then, there was the outpouring of support from all quarters. Thousands of messages poured in urging more conversation around educating girls. The stunt became viral and started trending almost immediately. We had, of course, used the very medium of PR to drive PR around the campaign, and it had worked.
