A Woman’s Stand: Largest Human Pink Ribbon Campaign

Introduction and Background

A Woman’s Stand: The Largest Human Pink Ribbon Campaign was a breast cancer awareness campaign created by Adalid Public Relations under the patronage of Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Foundation. The purpose of the campaign was to break the Guinness World Record (GWR) in the category of the Largest Human Awareness Ribbon. Their mission was to form the largest female human pink ribbon chain on October 28, 2010 in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). saudi-pink-ribbon-chainAdalid PR partnered with Al Bidayah Center for the Zahra Breast Cancer Association and received help from Her Royal Highness Princess Reema Bint Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud.

Through the world record attempt and numerous correlated events associated with the Pink Ribbon, the campaign educated women and the general public on the causes and effects of breast cancer and united the women of Saudi Arabia in a historic event. The organizers also wanted to demonstrate the strength and determination of Saudi women and prove that, when united, a difference could be made.

The campaign targeted women of all backgrounds, ages 12 and up, and urged them to make a commitment to each other and their health. A Woman’s Stand hoped to find enough women participants to break the record and secure Saudi women a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

  • Well-known and influential support from Princess Reema Bint Bandar Sultan Al Saud
  • High-level governmental and educational support
  • Pioneer women who want to bring awareness to and discuss the issue
  • The average woman can create a difference in this campaign

Weaknesses

  • Little to no support for the organization

Opportunities

  • Support from young Saudis
  • Guinness Book of World Records is a well-known piece of literature
  • Saudi Arabian communities are close knit
  • International breast cancer awareness month is in October
  • The pink ribbon is a worldwide known symbol

Threats

  • Women are unaware of the dangers of breast cancer
  • Breast cancer is a taboo topic in Saudi Arabia
  • Breast cancer is commonly ignored in Saudi Arabia
  • Faith-based nation

Research

Primary Research

  • Twenty four percent of cancer cases in the Kingdom are breast cancer cases making it the leading form of cancer within the nation
  • Saudi Cancer Registry report conducted in 2005, 12.5 percent of the Saudi population is affected by breast cancer
  • Saudi Cancer Registry report conducted in 2005, 12.5 percent of the Saudi population is affected by breast cancer.

Secondary Research

  • The previous Guinness World record for the Largest Human Awareness Ribbon was held by AIDS-Hilfe Frankfurt which was able to reach 3,640 participants on June 29, 2007
  • Most recently in 2008 in the United Arab Emirates, 1,032 women and their families participated in the formation of a human pink ribbon chain

Planning

Goal

The primary goal of A Woman’s Stand was to raise awareness and improve education of breast cancer among women in Saudi Arabia so that they are at par with global standards by attracting enough women to break the GWR of Largest Human Awareness Ribbon.

Objectives

  • Build awareness around breast cancer issues in Saudi Arabia
  • Break the largest Pink Ribbon record made by a human chain in the Guinness Book of World Records
  • Generate positive media coverage in Saudi Arabia and around the region
  • Build a reputation for Saudi Arabia as a breast cancer wary nation

Audience

The target audience of the campaign was women ages 12 and up. The campaign also invited local and international media from all sectors to cover the event, non-governmental organizations, government bodies, educational institutions, health communities to support the campaign and sponsors to help fund the event.

Tactics

The Largest Human Pink Ribbon campaign used three means of tactics to reach its primary audiences:

  • Media relations: all local Saudi media was invited to cover the event, including major newspapers, radio and television. The US and key countries in Western Europe were routinely contacted to be informed of the progress of the event and many major milestones met. Only top tier media outlets from these countries were invited to attend the ceremony.
  • Audience Engagement: the campaign invited schools, universities, charities, NGOs and specialized medical institutes to participate in the creation of the largest human pink ribbon formation. By involving the local community, especially young adults, and working with women of all different backgrounds, a sense of unity and care was fostered and solidified the messages of awareness and support.
  • Comprehensive event management: the organization created a successful and historic event that involved all audiences and set a world record.

Messages

  • Breast cancer is a national crisis that needs to be recognized
  • Thousands of women die from breast cancer because of lack of early detection and treatment
  • The women of Saudi Arabia can come together and be united under a common cause to create change

Execution

Activities

  • In the pre-Pink Ribbon Formation stage, the organization built the foundation for the campaign, distributed jobs and tasks, and developed campaign plans and materials which included sponsorship document, biographies for people involved, factsheets and event agenda.

Communications

  • Before the event could take place, Zahra Breast Cancer Association and Adalid Public Relations had to communicate with the Guinness Book of World Records, Saudi health organizations, educational institutions, sponsors and campaign partners.

Ongoing Media Relation and Communication Activities Around the Campaign

  • Several communication activities for the campaign were ongoing through the pre-Pink Ribbon Formation and throughout the event. These activities include: preparing for press conferences/round tables, working with the Guinness Book of World Records to develop and approve tactics, coordinating with campaign champions, synchronizing event timeline with the Ministry of Health, identifying human ribbon candidates, approving documentation for the event and approaching logistical partners.

Media Relations

  • Before the event, a campaign launch press conference occurred. Press-kit materials were prepared, printed and distributed in Arabic and English before the conference. Media were invited and a press release entitled “Saudi Women to Form World’s Largest ‘Pink Ribbon’ Human Chain, in Partnership With MBC Group.” The press conference occurred on July 27 and 13 news organizations attended.
  • Post news conference support included a news releases, distributed photography, media follow up to ensure/secure good coverage, media monitoring and broadcast interviews with key publications

Post- Conference Communication

  • After the press conference, media relations took a different turn for the campaign. They organization drafted international media lists, pitched to print and broadcast outlets, drafted articles about breast cancer in Saudi Arabia, launched the Pink Ribbon Campaign through a press conference, posted print ads in Saudi dailies and built a Facebook page as a means for counting the number of participants and volunteers.

Event Management

  • In the terms of pre-Largest Pink Ribbon Formation event management, Zahra Breast Cancer Association secured a venue, finalized agreements with news outlets, worked with NGO’s to attract the required number of females needed to participate, conducted a volunteer workshop, processed all required governmental papers and sent SMS shots to more than 200,000 females in Jeddah and Riyadh.

The Largest Pink Ribbon Formation Ceremony

  • Over a period of ten days, invitations were sent, partners were followed up with, final recap meeting was held, and the Largest Pink Ribbon venue announcement press release was drafted and distributed.

The Largest Pink Ribbon Ceremony

  • During the ceremony, female/children participants were managed to create the human ribbon, the organization secured 30 one-to-one interviews on the ceremony ground and the Guinness Book of World Record certificate was awared to the campaign owner.

Post-Largest Pink Ribbon Event

  • After the ceremony, photography was distributed, post event press release was drafted and sent out to local and international media, a media follow up and media monitoring was conducted.

Evaluation

  • The event achieved tremendous media coverage for breaking GWR record event:
    • Secured 30 local and global newspapers coverage hits
    • Produced coverage in 8 magazines
    • Produced 91 online local and international newswires
    • Secured 8 TV and radio stories
  • Total circulations: 4,470,863
  • Total readerships: 659,598,108
  • Total AD value: 4,029,163 SR

Overall coverage of the event was good and all handling of the media went well. Approvals for media lists were obtained in a timely manner, however venues took a long time to secure and caused lateness for volunteer training workshops and event management set up. Organizers of the event agree that for the future, volunteer leaders should receive better training in event management for such a large event.   Preparation for the event went well as objectives, agendas and clear roles and responsibilities were established in a timely manner. In the future, Zahra Association should consider hiring a professional photographer for press conferences especially when planning to include them in press releases. However, event photography and videography was good.

Media

Throughout the duration of this campaign, many local news articles were written in response to the event. There were also articles that reflected on the campaign years later in relation to the current state of Saudi Arabia and women’s health. During the largest human pink ribbon event, positive articles were written expressing support for the campaign and highlighting the problems within the Kingdom. In one article from the Al Arabiya News, author explains the dangers of missing regular breast exams and how early detection of breast cancer is critical. In my opinion, this is exactly the type of conversation the organizers of the event wanted to create.

 

Princess Reema

Princess Reema

In another article written four years after the event, the author discusses how dire this problem still is in Saudi Arabia and how events like A Woman’s Stand is the type of event that will help create progress in the nation. The author also mentions the campaign’s biggest celebrity, Princess Reema. Her work for women’s empowerment in Saudi Arabia is still relevant and critical for the country. Her work with the Zahra Breast Cancer Association began with the Largest Human Pink Ribbon campaign and is still very important to her and the organization.

News Releases

Many press releases for the Largest Human Pink Ribbon campaign were written throughout the process to announce the event, press conferences, other events and the event itself. In a press release written on July 27, 2010, Princess Reema announces the event and the world record idea is revealed. The document uses facts about the crisis of breast cancer among women in Saudi Arabia and mentions the goal of uniting women under a common cause. In a second news release, distributed the day of the event, the headline proclaims “We Did It!” and announcements success of world record. It also has quotes from Princess Reema again who thanks volunteers and participants. These press releases aligned well with the news articles written for the event and included the same information the organization wanted to be distributed about breast cancer in Saudi Arabia and how to solve this problem. I believe people responded positively to the media coverage and the overall organization of the event.

Current Events

Currently, the fight toward the breast cancer awareness in Saudi Arabia is still ongoing:

  • After the event, Princess Reema continued to work with the Zahra Breast Cancer Association and has most recently created 10KSA. 10KSA is a holistic health awareness initiative with a focus in 2015 on breast cancer.
  • On December 12, 2015, 10KSA attempted to once again beat the world record for the largest human pink ribbon. Their goal was to gather 10,000 women, ages 14 and up. In the end, they did not reach 10,000 women, but they still beat the record with a crowd of 8,264 Saudi women. For this event, there was better media for the event, an updated and easy to use website, and more photography and videography used for the ceremony.
  • Educational programs and information is still in place online for women to read and join in the fight for more health concern surrounding breast cancer in Saudi Arabia. 

Personal Evaluation

Overall, I believe this campaign was successful in achieving its goals and objectives. The event was the most successful part of the campaign as it established Saudi Arabia in the Guinness Book of World Records and brought thousands of women together for a common cause. It also sparked future campaigns similar to this one that have had a large impact on Saudi women and their perceptions of breast cancer. My one critique is that this campaign did not take advantage of social media enough in it’s execution. I found one YouTube video that showed a time-lapse of the human ribbon being formed, however it was for 10KSA and not the previous event. I believe with more social media engagements this campaign could have had a larger global impact and could have sparked more women coming together to talk about breast cancer and create women’s health educational programs.

What Can We Learn?

There are several lessons we can learn from the Largest Human Pink Ribbon Campaign. First, using a celebrity or well known figure can boost participation in and media coverage for an event. Princess Reema is a very well known figure in Saudi Arabia, especially among women. She frequently speaks out for women and the health crisis in the nation. Having her attend most press conferences and all events leading up to the ceremony pulled in more attention for the organization and it’s cause. Second, in order to create awareness for a cause, something visible should be done. In this case, it was the formation of the pink ribbon. Not only did the organization use an easily recognizable symbol, but it also engaged the audience it wished to attract. The event centered around the women of Saudi Arabia doing something to help breast cancer awareness in the nation. They felt like they were a part of the ceremony and created more interest in the cause.

Another lesson learned from this campaign is that doing some unusual and outrageous can benefit for an organization. World records are not achieved everyday and usually gain some sort of coverage in the media when earned. This particular world record is even more unusual because women’s health is not a topic typically discussed in Saudi Arabia. In fact, breast cancer is often ignored because it is considered a taboo topic. By focusing on women’s health, this campaign gained a lot of attention from all different types of communities, health organizations and governmental institutions. It also helped it become one of the most successful and ongoing initiatives in the nation. 

Similar Case Studies

There have been quite a few organizations who have found themselves facing the same problem as the Zahra Breast Cancer Association: lack of visibility and participation. However, there have also been organizations that found a way to promote their cause and get normal people involved in the campaign. The first is the explosively successful Ice Bucket Challenge by the ALS Association. The viral campaign is similar to the pink ribbon formation in that it could involve thousands of people who feel like they’re helping a cause. Although they do not have to donate money or volunteer to participate in these events, they still feel like they brought awareness to something that is important to them. These campaigns focused on the audience and made them feel like they did something to further the cause. However, the Ice Bucket Challenge also has its differences from the pink ribbon campaign. The Ice Bucket Challenge used mostly all social media, something I believe the other campaign was missing. It also was a do-it-yourself challenge, putting more power into the hands of the audience. Overall, the campaigns are very similar and successful in creating change.

Another campaign that has similarities with the Largest Human Pink Ribbon Campaign is (RED). (RED) was launched in 2008 by rock star Bono and politician Bobby Shriver. Its goal was to harness the power of the world’s greatest companies to eliminate AIDS in Africa. Many retailers put (RED)’s logo on their merchandise and pledged to donate part of their proceeds to help the crisis in Africa. The campaign gained hundreds of thousands media impressions and numerous celebrity endorsements. Similar to the pink ribbon, the (RED) symbol became a household image and could be seen all over malls and clothing stores. This campaign was also raising funds for a huge health crisis in the world and enlisted the help of everyday people. However, this campaign is different in that it requires people to purchase something to feel like they contributed to the cause. It was also a global campaign and did not focus on one geographical audience. However, it still attracted people to a problem that needed to be dealt with and united citizens under a common cause.

 

Works Cited

Ansari, S. (2012, October 6). Breast cancer in the Middle East: A pink spotlight on Saudi Arabia. Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/06/242202.html

Bandar al Saud, P. (2014, October 29). Continuing the Conversation About Breast Cancer Within Saudi Arabia. Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/princess-reema-bint-bandar-al-saud/breast-cancer-saudi-arabia_b_6068436.html

Braiker, B. (2014, August 14). The ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’: A case study in viral marketing gold – Digiday. Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://digiday.com/brands/ice-bucket-challenge-case-study-viral-marketing-success/

Diamond, W. (2015, August 17). Princess Reema Raises Middle East Breast Cancer Awareness With 10KSA Event. Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendy-diamond/princess-reema-raises-middle-east-breast-cancer-awareness-with-10ksa-event_b_7968352.html

Fouad, D., & Al-Khotani, S. (2015, December 14). Pink ribbon draws attention to rising breast cancer cases. Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/850116

Harrison, R. (2011, June 3). Jeddah PR company scoops two top awards. Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://www.arabnews.com/node/379506

Malterre, S. (2010, November 3). Saudi women set pink ribbon record. Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://observers.france24.com/en/20101103-thousands-saudi-women-historic-pink-veil-march-breast-cancer-awareness-jeddah

Nagy, E. (2015, March 14). Princess Reema Launches Historic Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign For Saudi Women. Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://www.fastcompany.com/3043609/sxsw/princess-reema-launches-historic-breast-cancer-awareness-campaign-for-saudi-women

RED Case Study. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2016, from https://hootsuite.com/resources/case-study/red-case-study

Saudi Arabia: Largest Human Pink Ribbon Campaign. (2010, August 29). Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://americanbedu.com/2010/08/29/saudi-arabia-largest-human-pink-ribbon-campaign/

The Largest Human Pink Ribbon Campaign Sponsorship Packet

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