There is a misconception around the role of women in the Muslim communities as oppressed and mistreated. Abused and shunned. As an organization that is rooted in the sage brand archetype, its an important objective to elegantly change perceptions around this misunderstanding. To illuminate the darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge. This crucial idea of integrating women as Muslim leaders and contributors to the legacy of human and muslim contributions is at the heart of this brand video and campaign. In a subconscious and inspiring way we showcased the contributions of women and muslims since the beginning of civilization until today that helped to push society forward with their spirit and devotion. From Rabia Al Basri, an Iraqi Muslim saint who inspired generations of believers for her purity of belief, to Fatima Al-Fihri the founder of the first university in the world, rooted in Fez, Morocco. Putting these figures at the forefront of the Muslim world, gives a emotional resonance for Muslim women to feel empowered and the western audience to view Muslim women as leading thinkers in the foundation of our community.

We ideated around the idea of "Lighting The Way". Sacred knowledge is a light in times of ignorance and we are all light bearers lighting the way. We selected figures throughout history that represented this in the Muslim community and culminating in the Founders of the institution as extensions of that sacred caravan and community. We hired an Illustrator and animator to execute the ancient figures and bring them to life. Across 2 months we storyboarded and illustrated / animated the 4 ancient figures. We then worked with our production team and flew to San Francisco to produce original content for the founders and Muslim scholars we had access to. After our all day shoot on their historic campus, we then worked with our editor to tie together all of the moving parts. We then launched in December across digital, social and a packed event experience.

The results of the campaign were very impressive. The Brand Video became the most watched video in the institutions history. Our quantitative analytics were beyond our key performance indicators. We had 598,987 views most of which were organic. ($1500 media spend on youtube was our only promotion, which resulted in 40,000 views) Due to the engagement, shares and comments on our social channels, our video spread across our demographic. Ultimately driving people to the digital experience and youtube page - we were able to execute the most successful campaign in history of the brand both financially and in terms of engagement. The video struck an emotional cord. Site traffic increased to our digital experience, calling upon our community to donate. Most importantly, the video translated into the most lucrative fundraising. The brand raised over $800,000 dollars during the month of the campaign, going well beyond their $600,000 fundraising goal.