Arab women are making headlines and breaking stereotypes every day.

But despite these changes, they are still stuck with the stereotype - women belong in the kitchen.

Betty Crocker is a classic American brand that’s a hundred years old and has proudly supported women across the globe and the Middle East. That was until an 8-year-old boy named Sultan, took to Twitter and challenged them with a question, “Why are the baking/cooking instructions on all Betty Crocker’s packs only addressed to women?” It was a moment that made us realize, we were part of the problem and we had to make a change. It was time to change the regional stereotype.

The summer of 2019 was not a moment to just deliver a quick promotional boost, this was a moment to boldly restate our relevance. To get people re-engaged, we had to break the stereotype and etch a valued role.

The brand discovered that due to old Arabic cooking instructions they were only speaking to women.

Knowing that Sultan was right, the team saw an opportunity to make Betty Crocker relevant. How? By making it a symbol of change fighting the outdated stereotype – that women belong in the kitchen.

So, Betty Crocker took a stand and helped make a change.

The kitchen is for everyone was created to represent and proudly support every woman. By inviting and welcoming all people and chefs- regardless of gender, age, race, or religion- into the kitchen.

Betty Crocker isn’t just about cooking everyday dinners and desserts it’s also about 100 years of making traditions. Traditions that embody values of family and community. Betty Crocker holds strongly to the value of bringing everyone together and has a deep affection and respect for women.

Traditional Arab values define the kitchen as a space that only belongs to women. This went against what the brand believed in but also gave us a unique entry into a big volume target of men with young-ish kids.

The kitchen was a space Betty Crocker could own. A brand for all home chefs, regardless of age, race, or gender, and one that truly supported gender equality.

Our campaign relied on driving our message, the kitchen is for everyone, across the region. In doing so we challenged an outdated stereotype and used PR to start important conversations around gender equality with Betty Crocker

The hub of the campaign was coming up with new gender-neutral instructions. The team then created new product packaging with progressive gender-neutral baking instructions in every Arabic dialect to spread our campaign message to the entire region and let people know that the kitchen is for everyone.

We didn't change just a few packs. We replaced the entire inventory and

changed over 20 million Betty Crocker products. The new packs gave us reach to an audience of millions.

This started a huge conversation, a conversation the brand fed in a variety of ways through products and collaterals, talk shows with boys who bake, and even a 60sec brand film inviting men into the kitchen with male influencers joining in.

The effort started to coincide with 2020 lockdowns getting more men into the kitchen, and lasted throughout the year.

The kitchen is for everyone, scaled nationally and even internationally.

Betty Crocker saw its biggest sales and share growth in 5 years. With a clear brand role, people again had a reason to buy the brand.

The campaign more than doubled, reaching almost 35 million impressions.

Of that number, 2.9% actively engaged with the brand.

Betty Crocker was covered in over 231,300 broadcast news segments.

The campaign sparked editorials and articles featured in publications covering women empowerment, gender equality, etc.

70% believe that the kitchen should be a shared responsibility.

Sentiment towards the brand was at an all-time high. The affinity that led to purchasing.

Betty Crocker turned a question into action, leading to changes in the packs, Saudi Arabia, UAE, North Africa, and other 17 countries, allowing everyone to belong into a kitchen. This effect is still spreading.

The campaign turned $449,208 in earned media, amplifying our generous small spend.

The brand is continuing the effort for summer 2020/21.