White Suits Girls campaign innovatively used media channels to deliver its message and achieve objectives. Various platforms like SMS outreach, billboards, TV, and digital channels effectively reached target audiences. Strategically engaging parents in high early marriage regions, it amplified impact.

A short film was created to convey the campaign’s narrative, which was showcased across multiple platforms: television, digital channels, social media. Campaign used event placements, such as collaborations with judo competition — Grand Slam Baku, to engage with audiences directly and create memorable experiences.

The White Suits Girls campaign was made for Azerbaijan, a country where early marriages are a big issue. With 2,011 babies born to girls under 18 due to these marriages, urgent intervention was needed. Moreover, in sports like judo, where only 6% of athletes were girls out of 16,867, there was a clear need to empower girls and break gender barriers.

In Azerbaijan, many people think it's more important for girls to marry early than to follow their dreams. But our campaign said girls can be strong and chase their dreams. We used white judo uniform to show this shift from the traditional white wedding dress. This white judo uniform represents strength and freedom for girls.

The campaign happened at the same time as more people were talking about early marriages, which was a good time to make a difference. By offering free judo uniforms and training, it aimed to empower girls and reshape cultural norms, promoting gender equality in Azerbaijan.

Situation:

In Azerbaijan, many girls get married early. Families prioritize marrying off their daughters, and think getting their daughters married is more important than their dreams.

Not many girls play sports like judo in Azerbaijan. Also, 2011 babies were born to girls under 18.

Brief:

Make a campaign about early marriages in Azerbaijan. Help girls follow their dreams and play sports like judo. Make families think about why they marry off their girls instead of letting them chase their dreams.

Objectives:

– Tell people about early marriages and how they affect girls' lives.

– Help girls feel strong and follow their dreams, especially in sports.

– Get more girls involved in sports, especially judo, to make things fair for everyone.

– Start conversations about early marriages to make things better for girls.

Media Insights:

To engage families living in high early marriage regions, we utilized SMS, billboards, and TV shows.

Our creative idea, White Suits Girls, came from a profound insight: to shift the narrative from traditional white wedding dresses to empowering white judo uniforms. This innovative concept was inspired by our data, revealing the prevalence of early marriage in specific regions. Using this insight, we crafted a film centered on parents choosing judo enrollment over early marriage for their daughters.

Our data-driven approach helped every aspect of our creative implementation, from targeted SMS outreach to the provision of free judo resources. By aligning our strategy with actionable insights, we transformed societal norms, doubling judo participation, and making positive change within communities.

So the data we had helped us to craft our creative idea, to reach our target audiences (by mapping out the regions with high early marriage numbers), and use correct tools.

Our insights were drawn from various sources, including data from State Statistics Committee, which revealed that in 2022, 2,011 babies were born to underage girls in Azerbaijan. Additionally, only 15% of athletes in country were female, with just 1,067 girls out of 16,867 judo athletes. Using this data, we mapped out regions with high rates of early marriage and targeted parents living there.

We targeted regions with high early marriage rates, using SMS, billboards, and TV collaborations to reach parents effectively. This multi-channel approach ensured broad engagement and drove meaningful action, amplifying our message and sparking societal change.

Through SMS, TV programs, and billboards, we called parents take action by registering their daughters for judo, offering free judo uniforms, and providing a month of training. Our call to action was clear: we encouraged parents to empower their daughters by enrolling them in judo and taking advantage of free resources available.

The campaign implementation involved multiple strategies, including SMS outreach, billboards, and TV show collaborations. These channels were strategically utilized to target parents in regions with high rates of early marriage, encouraging judo enrollment. Judo schools were established with free uniforms and training.

Spanning several months, the campaign began with research, planning, and a short film launch. Following this, SMS, billboards, and TV show placement were executed. Judo schools opened, receiving significant enrollment, notably on the first day, with over one hundred girls joining.

The campaign covered the entire country, with emphasis on high-risk regions. Its impact extended globally, garnering recognition from the International Judo Federation, thus amplifying its influence internationally.

The campaign gathered 12 million organic impressions and achieved 8 million views for its short film within the first week, reaching a 5 million (50% of the population) organically. It drove high website traffic, and increased enrollment in judo schools, both new and existing.

Audience response was positive, reflected in a rise of girls joining judo. The campaign's success was evident in doubling female judo athletes and rising awareness about early marriage, resulting in a significant increase from 1,067 to 2,067 in female judo participation.

The campaign not only influenced behavior and raised awareness but also altered societal perceptions, gathering recognition from the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan and the International Judo Federation. Additionally, the increase in female judo athletes improved the perception of the Azerbaijan Judo Federation, elevating its reputation and contributing to the nation's potential for producing champions.

Azerbaijan is among the countries where early marriage rates remain high, a fact proved by statistics. Additionally, the representation of female athletes in sports is notably low. Drawing from this data, we prioritized victims of early marriage as our focus groups, conducting insightful research through interviews. These conversations unveiled key factors driving early marriages, notably financial constraints.

Furthermore, we noted a gender disparity in sports participation, reflecting deeply ingrained gender norms and stereotypes. This emphasized the urgency to challenge traditional roles and empower girls to pursue their interests freely.

Moreover, families in high-risk regions often hold conservative views, necessitating specially designed outreach efforts. To address this, we mapped, targeted out these areas and sent 2 million SMS messages to effectively communicate our campaign's messages. This approach was designed to fight deep-rooted societal challenges, standing for gender equality in sports, and in society.