Debates and controversies may surround the ‘hijab’ but the veil of a Muslim woman is also a source of confidence and power. FP7/Cairo has highlighted this aspect in its latest communication that it calls ‘3ala Rasy’. 3ala Rasy attempted to replace inhibitions and insecurities that a veil brings to a woman with pride and empowerment.
Nearly 90 percent of Egyptian women are veiled. Despite being in the majority, they are treated as a minority. FP7/Cairo aims to push to the forefront the optimistic and empowering nature of the veiled women versus the stereotypical discouraged and self-conscious one.
‘3ala Rasy’, which means ‘I am my veil’, aims to empower veiled women in Egypt. According to the agency, veiled women are treated as a minority even by brands, given that Egyptian brands do not feature veiled women in their advertising. ‘3ala Rasy’ turns an icon of restriction into an icon of empowerment.
The agency has partnered with Facebook in Egypt, and the movement has been kick-started with a film that has garnered 5.3 million views and counting, becoming one of the most watched and talked pieces of content on social media across Egypt.
The film employs the well-known technique of reverse poetry in Arabic, speaking as, and to, the inner voice of every veiled Egyptian woman, telling them “do not inhibit yourself, because you are everything you tell yourself”. Just like the copy technique used, the words don’t really change, but when women viewers change the way they read them, they can see the change they become.
The campaign is currently being extended across channels to further propagate the message to women and brands across Egypt.
Credits:
Brand: 3ala Rasy
Agency: FP7/CAI (Part of McCann Worldgroup)
Production: FP7/CAI (Part of McCann Worldgroup)
Executive Creative Director: Ahmed Hafez Youness
Associate Creative Director: Rami El Kerdani
Senior Copywriter: Menna El Kiey
Copywriter: Rana Khairy
Art Director: Moemen El Siwi
Digital Unit Head: Hanaa Baghdadi
Digital Account Manager: Umar Achraf
Regional Head of Strategic Planning: Tahaab Rais
Strategic Planning Manager: Moustafa El Dabbagh
Head of Production: Heba Radwan
TV Producer: Moayad El Shenawy
TV Producer: Inas Nagy
Post Production Supervisor: Mahmoud Enayet
Director: Mariam Abou Ouf
DOP: Nancy Abdel Fatah
Art Director: Mona Mekkawi
Stylist: Khaled Azam
Post House: Aroma
Grading: Lizard
Colorist: Karim Mira
Sound Recording & Mixing: Frequency
Sound Designer: Islam Hasseb
MVO: Yasmina Abd el Wahab
Photographer: Barry Iverson
Facebook Team:
Creative Strategist: Sameh Neseim
Global Business Manager: Hilary Maguire
