Urufarma Laboratory is the Uruguayan leader in feminine contraceptives. They wanted to produce a greeting for International Women’s Day that stood out from the rest. The message had to be powerful and clear. It had to address gender equality, vindicate the true meaning of Women’s Day and make a solid impression.

That is why we made a simple video based upon a strong text, starred by real Uruguayan men that pose silently to enhance the effect of the words.

Uruguay was a pioneer in allowing divorce for the sole will of the wife and in giving women the right to vote, and it has recently passed laws to legalize same sex marriages and abortion, thus emerging as the most progressive State of the region. However, Uruguay is one of the Latin American countries with less women both in Parliament and in positions of responsibility in the private sector.

The campaign went quickly viral. It was featured in more than 60 news websites around the world, including main online publications such as Buzzfeed and Upsocl, generating approximately 800.000 dollars worth of free press.

People in 100 countries viewed, shared and commented on the video in several social networks. This resulted in a engagement of more than 5 million online interactions.

The video received more than half a million views on its first four days online. This is a lot, considering that it was launched in a country with only 3 million inhabitants.

But the most important result was that it sparked a deep worldwide discussion about feminine and masculine stereotypes and about what equality should truly mean for all of us.

The Uruguayan society often boasts about its openness but it still has a long way to go in that field. Although Uruguay has traditionally been seen as a cutting edge country, many stereotypes such as the “macho latino” remain strong and are naturalized (and suffered) by both men and women, with all the consequences this implies.

Urufarma has always supported women in the fight for their rights. It is in its essence. The contraceptive pill has empowered women to be more independent, to decide how to plan their lives and when to become parents, and upon this very notion Urufarma has developed all of its communication.

The strategy of this campaign consisted on presenting the gender equality issue from a new perspective: on International Women’s Day we greeted men and congratulated them for the rights they have been granted as a result of the feminist struggle. Because a day that celebrates equality should be a day for all of us.