Cannes Lions

I'm Possible Billboards

HAVAS MIDDLE EAST, Dubai / ADIDAS / 2023

Case Film
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Overview

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Credits

Overview

Background

88% of women in the Middle East believe that sports is not meant for them. Being raised in communities that don't encourage women to pursue sports after a certain age and label those who do as not feminine enough, has led to this mindset. Adding to this perception, most sports advertising has always featured athletes or models who have driven a particular stereotype of the kind of women who belong in the world of sports.

Idea

We called upon every woman in the city of Dubai to become the face of a movement to inspire the whole region to change the perception of sports.

Through social media, we invited them to share photos of what sports means to them along with their story of turning impossible into I’m possible every day.

Every post shared, irrespective of the sport, was turned into billboards across the city in real-time. Each billboard in return became countless pieces of social content, starting conversations about making sports more inclusive across 25 countries and reminding every woman that no matter what society tells them, nothing can stop them from seeing Impossible as I'm Possible.

Strategy

Only 1 in 10 women in the region feel sports is for them.

Research revealed over 70 potential barriers that hinder their way into sports. If we were to be effective in inspiring their participation we had to acknowledge every single woman with their very own unique barriers.

The aim was simple, but the target audience was broad - all women regardless of their age, body shape, ethnicity, or creed. The solution needed to trigger mass behavior change and needed mass influence.

In short, we needed to turn barriers into possibilities and challenge the region’s status quo that makes women assume they have no place in sports.

Execution

The campaign started on social media where we asked women to share a photo of what sports mean to them and how they use the entire city of Dubai as their playing field. From pushing their limits in outdoor gyms to enjoying a run through the old streets to turning playtime with their kids into a workout. Any interpretation of sports was welcomed. With each photo, women were asked to complete the sentence I'm Possible because _____________.

Every photo shared on social media was celebrated in real-time by being turned into full-size billboards across the city.

Turning what sports really looks like for women into a completely new portrayal of sports advertising.

Each billboard in turn became countless more pieces of content that took the conversation to other social platforms and across 25 countries.

Outcome

+250M total reach

Covered in over 25 countries

+100 billboards across Dubai

The campaign became a collective initiative by the women of Dubai to inspire the entire region to rethink their perception of what they can do and see possibilities like never before.

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