The crisis in Lebanon has reached an all-time high, with more than half of the population under the poverty line, the Lebanese pound losing 95% of its value with no signs of stopping, and complete governmental negligence towards the safety of its people. This has particularly affected Lebanese women, struggling under the control of a male-dominated government that always leaves them fighting for their most basic rights. Despite all this, in 2022, the Lebanese government announced the Miss Lebanon pageant would return, after a 4-year hiatus. LBCI wanted to draw attention to the problems that continue to riddle the country in a non-violent way that empowered the people leading protests–women. So instead of going forward with a tone-deaf beauty pageant, LBCI transformed it into a way to shine a spotlight on Lebanon’s problems and demand the government make changes.

The government attempted to host Miss Lebanon as a way to show that things are back to normal. But the people of Lebanon remember what normal used to be, back when Lebanon was a paradise, a thriving country and where everyone wanted to be. The Lebanon of today is far from that.

Inspired by the country’s glory days, we saw an opportunity to change the tone-deaf pageant into a confrontational call-to-action by adding one simple word – We Miss Lebanon. We scoured LinkedIn and other social media for the most outspoken Lebanese women and invited them to compete, broadcasting exactly what they miss about Lebanon to the world.

But beyond that, we wanted to empower every woman in Lebanon to speak out, so we created a social media filter with the We Miss Lebanon sash and invited others to join the conversation.

We wanted to empower people at home in Lebanon and abroad to demand change. After experience crisis after crisis, the Lebanese people have almost become numb, but there’s one thing that keeps them fighting and passionate–nostalgia. The Lebanese today remember the glory days of their country. The only thing stronger than their resilience, is their longing for that Lebanon to return.

So, we wanted to use this picture of a long-lost Lebanon to not only empower the Lebanese people but also present a different side of the story to a global audience that is all too used to seeing negative headlines about the country.

The campaign initiated a digital activism activation, launching a filter on social media that adorned those who use it with a sash carrying our slogan “We Miss Lebanon”. We also edited these sashes onto iconic photos of women activists, protestors and others who cleaned the streets after the explosion and cooked for those who lost their homes. Using both conventional and out-of-the-box methods to push this campaign forward, our sash appeared on a commercial on a prominent Lebanese television channel, as well as on outdoor activations, social media platforms, print outlets, and finally, and most impactfully, on the center stage of the pageant. We also scoured LinkedIn for the contestants of the pageant, concluding with an impressive selection of accomplished female activists and representatives. The hashtag #wemisslebanon spread all over social media, and the words stood center stage during the show.

The #WeMissLebanon campaign stirred the hearts of the Lebanese not only at home,

but abroad. People flooded online platforms with positive sentiments, and openly expressed their hopeful thoughts and opinions towards the country they lost. Analytics found many Lebanese expats engaged passionately with the campaign by using our hashtag on social platforms.

The elected queen wore her sash for meetings with top government officials, further shifting traditional standards of beauty into ones associated with fearlessness, standing for freedom, and confronting rampant injustice. The queen also went on to use her global platform to advocate and raise awareness about Lebanon’s tragic state.

#1 Trending Hashtag on Twitter

#10 Million in Earned Media Dollars

#650 + Million Impressions on Social In 3 Days

#Most Watched Tv Program on LBCI

#Coverage In Over 150 International Publications

#Over 18.5 million Views on TikTok

#A CTR of 40X on LinkedIn (exceeding the average by 3966%)