Last week, Grey Doha full-fledged agency for Public Relations and Advertising grabbed triple honors at the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) Awards Gala event, following its unique execution of #ICarryHerName (#be7mol2esma) cultural campaign for Galler Chocolatier Lebanon, a premium Belgium chocolate brand leading quality chocolate production worldwide.
The agency’s campaign for the boutique chocolatier, made a silver in the “Best Use of Digital PR in the Middle East”, a Gold in the “Best Food and Beverage Campaign in the Middle East” and another equally esteemed Gold in the “Best Campaign in Lebanon” category.
By tapping into patriarchal rules and gender inequality in Lebanon, the campaign challenged a cultural taboo and a facet of masculinity on Father’s Day earlier in June. While gender inequality is deeply rooted in the Lebanese laws and social life, only sons’ names are proudly carried by their fathers, symbolically stamped with the “Abou” (the Father Of) label, a father’s very pride and virility. A label they are too shy to name after their daughters.
Galler wanted Lebanese fathers to take the first step for a big change and celebrate their pride in their daughters by joining their “Abou” to their name. The PR and Social Media campaign involved key celebrities and the broader public in Beirut through teasers, revealers and a call to buy chocolate packages made for the occasion.
Krikor Khatchikian, Managing Director of Grey Doha, said: “Every time we are nominated for an award, we feel proud of the hard-working team whose pioneering ideas and unfettered energy make this agency so unique. The three new MEPRA awards are a testament to our ability to continue creating original, results driven campaigns for our clients and reinforce our drive to deliver on our promises. What is more satisfying to note is that our work positively carried the spirit of social activism and was successful in reaching out to new audiences at an interesting time of change for Lebanon”.
Grey Doha manages Galler’s communications in both Qatar and Lebanon markets. #be7mol2esma was especially tailored to the local audience in Beirut where women empowerment is on the rise - a movement that is in line with Galler’s belief in equality.
Denise Yammine, Director of Public Relations, Social Media & Events at Grey Doha said during the ceremony: “We are thrilled that our work with Galler Chocolatier was chosen for three prestigious MEPRA Awards, a regional platform that recognizes every year an exceptional crowd of industry peers. Our campaign came to life, through PR, social media and in-house production, and has shown effective results being rooted in culture and built on a great insight. The combination of creative, community management and celebrities’ involvement, drove a real dialogue in the digital space, sparked interest in our brand and impacted sales of limited-edition products. It is interesting to see different communication tools coming together with limited cost to translate one solid idea to the target market while generating return on investment”.
Today, traditional publicity and social media meet in the middle of public relations campaigns. Building on strategic approaches that are based on communication and conversation at once, public relations contribute today to social change and transformation of perceptions.
The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) is a non-profit organization that represents the interests of the Middle East public relations industry. MEPRA's purpose is to highlight the strategic role of public relations in the Arab world and help set high standards for quality and ethical conduct by consultancy firms.
