Our brief was to help women overcome the obstacles that undermine their personal strength. We did this by focusing on a small five-letter-word that plays a surprisingly significant role in discrediting women’s beliefs and actions. That word is: “sorry.” And 82% of American women say it to be polite, even when they’ve done nothing wrong.

To ignite a debate, we created a short film, “Not Sorry, ” which dares to ask: “Why are women always apologizing?” It first reveals the everyday ways women undermine their strength in the boardroom, social settings and even the bedroom, by saying “sorry.” And then, shows the exact same women revisiting those exact same situations with the strength to say “Not Sorry.”

We alerted media outlets that something big was going to happen on June 18, 2014. That day, a cultural debate was born. To sustain the momentum, we created a steady stream of influencer partnerships, social content and paid media.

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women not only honored Pantene with the “Breaking Gender Stereotypes Award,” it gave us the opportunity to elevate this critical issue to the highest levels of government across the world.

The “Not Sorry” short film, the centerpiece of the debate, dares to pose the question “Why are women always apologizing?” It begins by revealing everyday ways women undermine their own strength in the boardroom, social settings and even the bedroom, by reflexively using the word “sorry.” And then, shows the exact same women revisiting those exact same situations with the strength to say “Not Sorry.”

Volume Share Index grew 22.7 points vs. year ago (Source: Nielsen, 2014).

• Youtube: 900+ new subscribers first two days of campaign.

• Facebook: Over 500 page likes on first day of campaign.

• Video Share of Voice across YouTube, Facebook, Twitter & Blogosphere skyrocketed 2.7% to 52.8% (Source: P&G Hair Care Analytics, 2014).

• Target audience impressions: 1.1Billion Impressions

• Content views: 15, 812, 635 SNS Video Views on Youtube

• 98% Positive Social Sentiment Score based on the first week of the campaign

• "Not Sorry” made millennial women feel twice as proud compared to the US Market Norm for social videos (Source: Unruly, 2014).

o Youtube: 2,911shares

o Facebook: 1,636 shares

o Youtube: 12, 540 likes

o Facebook: 5, 184 likes

• Many millennial women recognize the apologetic behavior shown in themselves and were actively inspired to "stop saying story out of habit." (Source: Unruly, 2014) (see unruly study attached for your reference as well)

• The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women not only honored Pantene with the “Breaking Stereotypes Award,” it gave us the opportunity to elevate this critical issue to the highest levels of government across the world.