The Classic Partnership, a Dubai-based creative agency and part of the WPP Group, made its mark amongst the city’s creative fraternity with a domineering performance at the 2017 edition of Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity – the Middle East and North Africa’s (MENA) annual event for the creative communications industry to learn, network and be inspired. The Classic Partnership won the laurels for its latest awareness proposition for Medcare Hospitals, titled ‘Footnote for the Breast’. In the ‘Direct’ category of the competitive awards, the agency bagged a Grand Prix – the summit award within any given category – and two Silvers. It also bagged a Gold for the ‘Outdoor’ category, a Gold and a Silver for the ‘Promo & Activation’ category.
Awards
Extending its excellence in various sectors and categories, the agency won a Grand Prix for ‘the use of Ambient Media-Small Scale’; Two Golds in ‘Small Scale Special Solutions’ and ‘Use of Ambient Media-Small Scale’; and three Silvers in the section of ‘Charities, Public Health & Safety, Public Awareness Message’ and ‘Small Budget Campaign’.
The execution involved discretely placing a pebble in the shoes left outside the women’s prayer hall. As women exit the place of worship, they discover in their footwear a pebble inscribed with a message that warns them of hidden cancerous lumps, in effect conveying a reminder to screen for their early detection. The back of the pebble also carries Medcare’s toll-free number so that women can receive tips on how to check for anomalies and take preventive measures.
The campaign garnered staggering results in a short span of time. A total of 8,250 pebbles personally reached women at mosques, and 33.3% of the women responded by calling the toll-free number. Medcare clinics and hospitals across the country registered 2480 women check-ups owing to the campaign – an important move considering that early detection of breast cancer can lead to a 98% chance of cure.
Lauding the efforts of the team, Rahul Nagpal, CEO of Group Partnership, said: “We are immensely delighted at winning the coveted Grand Prix. Our winning idea is a testament to the power of creativity in inducing initiative amongst people to look after their well-being, and the ability of creative outreach efforts to relay an important message and generate action without disturbing the taboo that surrounds some topics. The fact that ‘Footnote for the Breast’ compelled thousands of women to visit the clinic for early screening is an equally humbling award that competes closely with the six trophies we took home.”
Alok Gadkar, General Manager and Executive Creative Director, Group Partnership, said: “Breast Cancer is a major health scare, and it was imperative that our idea was impactful enough to garner attention without becoming intrusive. The strategy was to use Breast Cancer as an anchor point as it is culturally sensitive and affects a large number of women in the Middle East. We are thankful to our corporate partner Medcare for extending their support, and we are confident that ‘Footnote for the Breast’ will inspire more impactful communications across the health sector.’