For Home Centre, a furniture retailer in the Middle East, we challenged a deep-rooted cultural taboo around Arab single moms; a prevalent and relevant inequality in developing markets worldwide.

We did so by picking a media occasion when Arab homes without fathers (homes with single moms) are left out i.e., Father's Day, disrupting media used for Father's Day, transforming those channels to recognize and support single moms.

There was a lot of negative sentiment initially attached to this initiative that could've been detrimental to its effectiveness, but we used the controversy to our advantage impacting perceptions, brand, business and culture.

Home Centre’s a homegrown home furniture and furnishings retailer from and across the Middle East.

It competes for regional market share with its biggest competitor - the well-known furniture brand from Sweden.

During COVID-19, while brick and mortar retail came to an abrupt standstill, e-commerce was growing and burgeoning in the Middle East, including in the home retail category.

Home Centre needed to earn attention and drive growth for its business through its e-commerce platform, during physical retail and mall lockdowns.

Objectives - Home Centre defined key growth objectives during July-September 2020 in the middle of COVID-19 lockdowns:

1) Brand Consideration: +10% to equalise with its Swedish competitor.

2) Brand Relevance: +25% to be more relevant to Arabs than its Swedish competitor.

3) Footfall (online + offline): +150% to get people visiting Home Centre online and offline to achieve the business goals.

4) Revenue: +50%.

5) Purchase Volumes: +50%.

Home Centre's brand belief is that ‘every home has its own unique story to tell.’

But there was one story not being told across the Middle East.

According to Gallup, 15% of homes in the Middle East don’t have a father.

For context, US/Canada is at 19% and the global average is 13%.

Yet, single moms, remain a cultural taboo in Arab society, often, seen as having failed at being good wives to their husbands, or worse.

As a result, they are never shown in advertising in the Middle East.

Home Centre challenged that taboo, inequality and cultural disparity, by becoming the first brand in the Middle East to ever speak about single moms.

We launched an initiative titled ‘A Dad’s Job’ to kick off its commitment to single moms, celebrating and helping those moms who double up as dads, every day, in 15% of homes across the Middle East.

TENSION:

In society’s eyes, single moms may never fill the shoes of an absent father.

The role they have to assume to fill the void for the child, puts them under a tremendous pressure that’s overwhelming.

It’s also unfair, as they are doing a great job.

REALITY:

Seen from a child’s perspective (having spoken with children of single mothers), they don’t see anything imperfect about their mothers.

They believe their mothers are doing a great job and are also being great at not making them miss a father.

Their mothers are seen to play two roles very effortlessly; not really making them feel like they’re missing a dad.

APPROACH:

So, starting Father’s Day, a patriarchal occasion, we celebrated moms who are also dads in a game-changing and positively provocative campaign in the Middle East.

And we used channels that celebrate dads to instead challenge the cultural taboo of single moms.

On Father’s Day, a moving film with a rug-pull featured real people, NOT actors, and showed children sharing tributes about their moms - real single moms.

Taking on a cultural taboo immediately triggered 53% negative reactions from conservative sections of Arab society.

But Home Centre expected it - and had a plan.

Influencers signed on organically, voicing support.

With leading Arab image banks, algorithms were changed, so search terms related to fathers or families, instead led to images of single moms with kids.

Door name plates for single moms, customisable online, challenged a cultural norm of homes having door name plates with the father’s name or family name.

“How to Mom & Dad” videos featured single moms doing things Arab dads do.

Career Workshops with certified coaches helped with career mapping and growth.

Genuine tributes from children were put onto gifts for single moms in store, as well as online.

“The first brand to recognise single moms in the Middle East.” (Arab Ad)

“A groundbreaking spot.” (Shoot Online)

“No other brand has dared to address these issues.” (Arab News)

“With 80% of buyers being moms, it has resonated not just with single moms but also, with moms across the region.” (Al Jadeed)

With a media and production budget of only $50,000:

1) 1.1 billion earned media impressions.

2) $3.72 million earned media value.

3) 102 million cross-platform organic views.

4) 63% of the region reached.

5) The positive sentiments earned for addressing the taboo of Arab single moms, overwhelmed the initial negativity, changing from 50% negative to 86% positive.

6) Triggered +512% conversations around Arab single moms.

Resultantly, the positive sentiment impacted the business 3-months post Father’s Day vs. 3-month period prior, during a crisis:

1) Consideration: +23%.

2) Relevance: +28%.

3) Footfall: +190%.

4) Revenue: +120%.

5) Purchases: +170%.

Many Arab single moms tend to not only face everyday challenges of bringing up their children by themselves, but they also have to deal with everyday obstacles created by members in their communities, in their society and even in their families.

People do not accept a mother playing the role of both parents and they do not believe a mother can be good enough to do both 'jobs'.

No one talks about them. And this is despite 15% of Arab homes being homes without a father.

So, to shine on Arab single moms, supporting them, even if Arab society did not, we picked an occasion when their homes are left out: Father's Day.

Because if they do a dad's job, besides doing a mom's job, why not celebrate and include their homes on a day we celebrate dads too?

We wanted to instigate a change in social sentiment and perceptions.