Print & Publishing Grand Prix Radio & Audio Grand Prix Glass:the Award for Change Grand Prix Direct Grand Prix
‘THE NEW NATIONAL ANTHEM DIVISION’, AN-NAHAR, IMPACT BBDO DUBAI, UAE
The New National Anthem Edition
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. Past revolutions were marked with violence, and Lebanon was inching towards the same grisly outcome. In a country where women don’t have equal rights and face massive underrepresentation in the government, An Nahar, the nation’s leading paper with a long history of standing with the Lebanese people, looked to empower women to lead the revolution, and avoid the violence that marked previous protests. To get women to participate and lead the revolution, we needed to make them feel like they were an integral part of the nation – a nation where women are so underrepresented, that even the Lebanese national anthem fails to mention them. So, in a bold move, we shocked the country by rewriting the national anthem. While the anthem previously read “the birthplace of men”, we changed it to “the birthplace of women and men”. The new National Anthem was printed on the cover page of the newspaper, and was entirely dedicated to women for the first time. The edition was called ‘Naharouki’, which translates to ‘your day’ when read by a woman. We partnered with the country’s most famous singer, known for her patriotism, to join the cause, and launched the new anthem on the streets. We also printed the new anthem and boldly displayed it on the Newspaper’s office building, strategically located at the heart of the protests in Beirut’s Martyr Square, to act as a catalyst for women to lead the revolution. In a spontaneous and unplanned move, women from across Lebanon gathered on the streets and sang the revised national anthem together, instantly turning it into the chant of the revolution - a revolution, which for the first time, was peaceful and devoid of violence. The campaign soon became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter, drawing
745 million impressions and $150 Million earned media. The edition was also An Nahar’s best-selling edition of all time. The campaign not only gained international media coverage but became a national conversation, resulting in a 400% increase in female ministers in the new government, as well as the appointment of the first ever female minister of defense in any Arab country. Members of the new cabinet have also pledged to submit a bill to change the anthem forever.
THE IDEA
In a country where women don’t have equal rights and face massive underrepresentation in the government, An Nahar, the nation’s leading paper with a long history of standing with the Lebanese people, looked to empower women to lead the revolution.
The newspaper and its creative agency spotted a glaring injustice in Lebanon – the absence of women in the Lebanese National Anthem. So they took the bold move of fixing it. In a phrase in the anthem that previously only referred to Lebanon as “the birthplace of men,” we added “the birthplace of WOMEN AND men.”
Lebanon woke up to an entire newspaper edition dedicated exclusively to women, with the front page proudly displaying the revised national anthem. Even the newspaper’s name had been changed to “Naharouki,” which translates into “Your Day” when addressing a female.
They printed the revised National Anthem on the front page of the An Nahar newspaper. And the entire edition was dedicated to The women’s story. They got Carole Samaha, a Lebanese singer known for her patriotic songs, to join the cause and sing the new anthem in the biggest square of the revolution. Her rendition of the anthem was then broadcast on TV and radio channels organically all over Lebanon. The anthem was also printed and displayed on a large banner in the center of Beirut, which became a beacon of hope, and an assembly point for women across the city to come together and join the revolution.
The day the new National Anthem was launched, spontaneously women from across Lebanon occupied the streets and sang it, turning it into the chant of the now peaceful revolution. People printed the anthem and hung it from buildings across the city.
The campaign became the No.1 trending topic on Twitter, drawing 745 million impressions and $150 Million earned media. The edition also became An-nahar’s BEST-SELLING EDITION ever.
On Lebanon’s Independence day, the entire nation came together in singing the new National Anthem in its new peaceful revolution.