2016 Gold Best Use of Social Media

Agency Weber Shandwick

Client ActionAid

Campaign summary

Viral videos brutally cut with a message about Female Genital Mutilation

Campaign overview

ActionAid believes awareness is the first step to ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The objective was to generate conversation and greater understanding among the UK population. This would give ActionAid a credible voice for fundraising around the issue, and help to end FGM, for good.

Strategy

ActionAid wanted to get more people talking about the uncomfortable subject of female genital mutilation (FGM).

To highlight this most brutal of cuts they created a #BrutalCut of their own: video messages from Kenyan girls facing FGM, unexpectedly cut into content by vloggers, influencers and publishers.

Millions of people saw and talked about #BrutalCut: the campaign had a total reach of over 152 million against a target of 400,000.

On a minimal budget this innovative use of influencers and media sparked thousands of conversations in solidarity with young girls at risk of FGM and calling for an end to the practice.

Creativity

A disruptive idea would generate conversation: one that was bold enough to break free of channels and become news and social currency.

The local shorthand in Kenya - referring to FGM as ‘the cut’ - inspired the idea.

To communicate this most brutal of cuts, a short video message from a Kenyan girl facing FGM would splice into any video content the audience might be watching.

The message would come without explanation or warning. Just like the FGM cut, its use would be sudden, unforgiving, and brutal. #BrutalCut kicked off through social influencers, but it was an idea that could live on any channel and enable anyone to join in by making the cut to their own content in solidarity for the cause, sparking conversation and further social sharing.

Results

Millions of people saw and talked about #BrutalCut, with a reach of more than 152 million via social, digital and outdoor media.

The campaign inspired 24 celebrity and high-profile vloggers along with major online publishers to cut their social content, share the campaign video or post support. Most importantly, the campaign provoked thousands of conversations, with more than 1,000 conversations on Twitter alone.

Despite the minimal budget the campaign exploded to become social and news currency, covered by the Independent, Teen Vogue, BBC Asian Network and Mashable.

Media coverage reach: 51,273,205. 132 Clear Channel screens: 26,409 impressions. Latitude Festival and Outdoor Cinema screens: 41,000 total reach. 12.8 million Twitter impressions from 1,001 specific mentions of #BrutalCut sparking 1,148 conversations about the need to ‘end cutting’. Influencer/celebrity/ publisher content: 9,204,218 views. Facebook reach: 465,888; engagement: 16,506. Webpage: 11,507 visits.

Team

James Nester (Executive Creative Director) • Luke Walker (Creative Head) • Suraj Bhanot (Account Manager) • Sophie Waterfield (Senior Account Executive) • Asad Dhunna (Associate Director) • David Parke (Account Executive) • Ben Taylor (Content Producer/ Editor) • Owen LaBeck (Director) • Philippa Dillon (Brand Engagement Manager) • Cora Bauer (Senior Media Officer) • Himaya Quasem (Editorial and Stories Officer) • Jessica Holland (Head of Brand Marketing and PR) • Susan Alderson (Celebrity Co-ordinator) • Leslie Sinoway (Senior PR Officer) • Stuart Wilkes (Senior Web Developer) • Natalia Fricker (Digital Content Editor) • Manus Fraser (Video Editor)

Contributors

Clear Channel (Media Agency) Latimer (Talent Agency) Lad Bible (Publishing Partner)