The Andean women are still living in the male-dominated society. The traditional context remains outdated against the paradigm of technological modernity. The male’s role is to supply all the household economy, leaving women aside to take care of the children and indigenous traditions such as weaving.

Weaving brought some economic autonomy to women in order to develop and collaborate with the home income, improving the quality of life of their families. However, this ancient art is endangered due to lack of an articulated and sustainable value chain and market, risking the development of future generations of young women gain that knowledge.

We united 50 weavers from 4 different communities for the first time to put together an extraordinary piece of work: The first handmade weaved Inca billboard, respecting the traditional techniques of their ancestors to get the country’s attention.

These artisans, became the makers of the campaign and led the production with major lifestyle brands such us New Balance, The North Face and Samsonite to develop customized products with genuine Inca textiles, to start the process of generating a constant and steady source of income for their families and improve their quality of life.

Thus the campaign increased its reach and power when the Minister of Culture of Peru, an influential local woman, invites the weavers to show the billboard as one of the center pieces of the newly opened Museum of Pachacamac in order to recognize their accomplishment of keeping alive this Peruvian ancient art.

The work of the weavers touch all the Peruvians hearts and the whole country recognized and shared their success story:

- The National Minister of Culture supported the campaign and the incan textile art, taking an advertising piece (The weaved Inca billboard) for the first time as a center of the new Museum of Pachacamac, starting in this way a governmental effort to spread this art.

- Over 70% increase of income in the artisans communities (2015 vs 2014).

- Improve artisan’s family economy. 50% of the revenue from Incan textile sales in each family is now reinvested and saved.

- 60% of all Peruvians in social media were reached by the campaign.

- 85% positive brand’s sentiment.

- +3.2 millions views of the branded content.

- +178 thousand interactions on Facebook Page

- +7 millions people reached and +US$500,000 in free press

The strategy is simple but very ambitious: empower and transform the Andean women to become the main supplier and protagonist of an integrated campaign to praise their art in every piece of communication: from bottles labels, packaging, posters, direct marketing, to a new set of official Cusquena brand merchandising.

In this way the whole campaign spread the textile art to achieve a nationwide coverage and at the same time nurture a sustainable source of income for the four communities. In addition, through SAB Miller’s corporate social program “Prosperar”, the brand started by providing a knowledge development program for artisans to ensure their production quality. This program was necessary for educate weavers with basic subjects such as math, measurement units and resource management.

After a carefull research, we acknowledge that Incan textiles, an ancestral art with more than 2000 years of history and a Peruvian cultural icon were in danger of extinction.

The knowledge of such complex weaving, spinning and handcraft process has been preserved by four local communities, but failing to share and teach new generations of women due to the lack of institutional support and a sustainable market that value their art.

Cusqueña, the Peruvian premium beer, a main promoter of Peruvian heritage could not allow one of the most ancestral Peruvian arts in the world to disappear which consequently would threaten and economic value chain based on Peruvian women of the Andes that were not recognized by such ancestral practice. The aim of the project was to revalue this ancient art and consequently praising the work of these communities’ work throughout the country.