Through a story that would resonate, the primary objective of We Are Ayenda was to authentically demonstrate how the features that make WhatsApp secure help to create a safe space for connection. Rather than simply talk about what makes WhatsApp so private, we set out to create an emotional connection to the brand by capturing the powerful transformation its privacy features enable in the lives of vulnerable WhatsApp users.

While much was made of the Afghan Women’s National Team’s experience after the Taliban took over, we uncovered the little known story of the teenaged girls team’s heroic escape and set out to share it with the world. We Are Ayenda not only shows the brand’s privacy features in action, it also positions WhatsApp as a lifeline and a safe space for those who need it most.

We Are Ayenda is a half-hour documentary that tells the story of the Afghan Girls National Football Team and their heroic escape from Afghanistan after the Taliban took power in 2021. Interweaving emotional interviews with harrowing archival footage and the real WhatsApp messages shared by the teen players as they used their WhatsApp group chat to secretly orchestrate their escape, the film reveals the bravery of these young women and their determination to continue playing the sport they love.

The life or death story follows the profound relationship that develops between Farkhunda Muhtaj, the former captain of Afghanistan’s women’s national football team and humanitarian activist, and the teenage members of the youth team. Despite never having met in person, Muhtaj leads the young women to safety via WhatsApp texts and voice messages, which are woven throughout the documentary to retell their story.

When it comes to privacy, no messaging app is more secure than WhatsApp. Our job was to authentically demonstrate how the features that make it secure help to create a safe space for connection through a story that would resonate with the global diaspora of young women. Rather than simply talk about what makes WhatsApp so private, we set out to create an emotional connection to the brand by capturing the powerful transformation its privacy features enable in the lives of vulnerable WhatsApp users.The film not only shows the brand’s privacy features in action, it positions WhatsApp as a lifeline and a safe space for those who need it most.

To maximize our reach, the half-hour documentary launched on Amazon Prime Video during the first week of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, placing the film in the center of the cultural conversation at just the right moment, raising awareness of the experience of vulnerable female communities and tapping into the power of sisterhood. The documentary will live on Amazon Prime Video, along with supporting assets to amplify the story across WhatsApp channels and other paid media support.

The work over-delivered on the campaign objective, which was to drive conversation around WhatsApp privacy through earned media during a tentpole global moment, with 550M impressions and $1M media value in the US and UK alone from premium outlets like BBC and Wired. Meanwhile, viewership on Prime Video smashed expectations, overdelivering by nearly 40%. More importantly, the film was organically shared by influential voices like Malala Yousafzai, who’s Malala Fund profiled the film and shared it with her millions of followers.