The ban on female drivers is perhaps the most notorious restriction against women in Saudi Arabia, but this is just one of many limitations that makes it one of the most difficult countries for women to live in.

Under Saudi law, a woman’s testimony in court is, with few exceptions, valued at half that of a man; Saudi women cannot report harassment from a man if their male guardian was not present at the time; nor can they wear clothes or makeup that “show off their beauty”. Out of 145 countries, Saudi is positioned twelfth from the bottom for gender equality*.

In a country with such intensely repressive attitudes towards women, a campaign that openly questioned such deep-seated beliefs ran the risk of being discredited, and outright shamed. Instead, we encouraged women to make use of their interests and skills in an everyday activity – cooking. This created a foundation from which they could confidently explore their full potential as a “powerful woman” – whether it was challenging the local authorities for equality, or simply working outside of their home.

* World Economic Forum, The Global Gender Gap Report 2015

Stories of Women, Food and Change

“MAGGI Diaries” was released as a first-of-its-kind YouTube series of webisodes, to discover the rewards (and the challenges) in being an agent of positive change. We told the story of Noura from Saudi Arabia, who didn’t stop until she got government approval to open her own catering company, employing women who were eager to work but couldn’t before. Or Sunita turned a girls’ orphanage into a place of hope for the future.

Thanks to an interactive ecosystem, consisting of adaptive content that was leveraged across all social media platforms, we allowed real time interaction and extended the conversation with women out of the kitchen, discussing the “bigger” issues (gender, equality, obesity, personal fulfillment) that concerned and interested them the most.

The audience’s own stories and experiences were also the inspiration for other women, proving that every woman can be a force for change.

Empowerment:

69% of those who watched our online webisodes say that they were inspired to change something in their lives. *

“Every time I see your episodes, I am encouraged to start my own small business” **

Solidarity:

MAGGIFacebook page, initially a simple platform for sharing recipes, became an online forum for support.

“Good on you, and every woman who goes against the oppression of her society” **

Volume:

Bouillon volumes grew 90% (UAE), 14% (Kuwait), 10% (Lebanon). **

Market share:

MAGGI’s gained more market share directly after the launch of MAGGI Diaries then they had in the previous ten months. **

Engagement:

MAGGI Diaries achieved:

- 21% engagement rate on FB - over 4 times the category norm

-18% View-through-rate on YouTube – 4% more than the regional norm.

* Ipsos Online Research

** Viewer comments to Episodes 1 & 5

** Retail Audits. Nielsen.

** Facebook, Youtube analytics

The campaign addresses women all across the region who strive to do more for themselves, their family, and their community, but believe that they lack the power to do so.

To launch our idea, we gave a voice to “ordinary” women who have overcome various challenges throughout the years, to make a positive difference to those around them.

Our first leader of change was Noura, who defied age-old custom, to open a restaurant exclusively run by women; women that wanted to work before, but couldn’t.

“For many years we were placed under shame… this is not right” (Noura)

In MAGGI Diaries, food sets the stage for a conversation about the more sensitive topic of women’s empowerment. While cooking remains an important facet of life for women in the region, it has been gifted a whole new purpose - a means for woman to rise above and reach their full potential.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most challenging countries in the world for women to do what most “ordinary” women take for granted. Restricted from leaving the country, opening bank accounts, marrying without permission from a male “guardian” (usually a relative), or visiting the nearest shopping mall without supervision, women are, in effect, legal minors.

With so many constraints, it’s no surprise that Saudi women not only believe they are limited in what they can achieve for themselves, but also for what they can do for their families.

MAGGI believes that every woman has the power to change the world for the better, even in the face of great adversity, they wanted to take their brand purpose, “Make a Difference”, beyond the kitchen and into the real world. They wanted to help promote women’s empowerment in a country where they face some of the worst barriers to personal freedom in the world.

Since Arab women draw inspiration from other women, we launched MAGGI Diaries, a web series telling the stories of those overcoming challenges to make a positive difference to the world around them, empowering women across the region to make positive changes in their own lives, whatever the circumstance.