Creating a conversation about women representation was the main goal of the Name Changer Project. This was achieved by finding an insight with potential to get people talking, a dated convention that started the debate on social media with the help of opinion makers, business leaders and influencers.

From there the campaign spread across all media, earning mentions and discussion space on radio, online and physical newspapers and magazines, TV shows and even prime time news.

In only 1 day the subject of Women Representation achieved 97% more mentions on portuguese mass media than in the previous 12 months.

Penguin Random House believes that books, the stories they tell and the ideas they convey have the power to reinforce dialogue and social cohesion, to change and enrich us, and are fundamental to create a better future for generations to come.

The brief asked for a campaign that reinforced the brand’s role as a force for positive change in society, specifically around the subject of gender discrimination.

We used a deeply rooted social convention, one that is an overlooked symbol of a historically patriarchal society, as a starting point to create a conversation around the representation of women in society.

Igniting this debate about the conventions that still silently discriminate against women was the aim of this campaign.

By questioning this dated convention to start a conversation, Penguin Random House is working to push gender equality forward, advocating for women visibility and claiming their identity.

We still live in a patriarchal society in every sphere. Even when parents decide what the surname of their child will be. By default, the child’s last name comes from the father. The name one becomes mostly known for. Why? There’s no rational reason for it, not even a legal one, it’s just a social construct rooted on dated conventions and gender norms.

But an opportunity for Penguin Random House to take a stand for women’s representation in society.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Penguin Random House published a limited edition of books where some the most famous names in the history of literature appear on the cover with their mother’s surname, instead of their father’s.

Women representation is so ingrained in Portugal that people hardly notice it, much less discuss it. We needed to break the apathy and get people involved.

The tradition of choosing the father’s surname as the child’s last name was the perfect insight to achieve this objective.

There’s no rational or legal reason, just something people do without thinking, but so clearly discriminatory that when pointed out becomes instantly unignorable.

To get people debating this convention, every asset urged people to change the last name on social media: 3 teasers and a revelation video on social media, a landing page and a kit sent to opinion makers, business leaders and influencers.

The interaction potential was enormous, people got curious about presenting themselves on social media using their mother’s maiden name and seeing friends do the same, the discussion evolved and spread across all media to a bigger conversation about women representation.

The campaign kicked of with the release of teaser videos in Penguin Random House social media accounts showing the surnames of famous authors being erased and replaced by their mother’s maiden names during March 4th and 5th.

March 6th the revelation video was launched, together with the campaign landing page where people could buy the special edition books and learn more about the initiative.

Famous current Penguin Random House Portuguese authors with relevant social media followings posted their book covers featuring the respective name change.

Every asset urged people to change the name on their social media profiles to celebrate International Women’s Day.

178 kits were sent to opinion makers, business leaders and influencers with no affiliation to Penguin Random House.

People started to change their name on social media, igniting a discussion about women representation.

The campaign spread across all media, from Social to Newspapers, Radio and TV.

Engagement with the brand grew 1964% on Twitter and 1756% on Youtube.

Visits to the Penguin Random House webpage increased 82% in comparison to the pre-campaign daily average.

The campaign was written about in 91 articles, appeared in 61 radio shows and news segments, and was featured 5 times on TV, including Prime Time News in a main channel.

In 3 days, the campaign generated €4.7 million in earned media, reaching 32% or the Portuguese population, with 402 255 impressions on Instagram.

For scale purposes, Portugal is a country with a total population of 10.33 million people.

In only 1 day the subject of Gender Equality achieved 97% more mentions on mass media than in the previous 12 months.

All this with a media investment of €500 and 1 115€ in production.

Discrimination against women is a global problem, but it’s particularly relevant in Portugal.

According to the Gender Equality Index, the country ranks 15th in the EU, scoring below the European average in decision-making, income, knowledge and time.

Eurostat shows that the gender wage gap is not only significant but increasing for 3 consecutive years.

A study by the association MUTIM declares that 62% of women feels pressured to choose between a career or having a family.

According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, only 16,7% of government positions in Portugal are held by women (27,7% in EU).

This social context is why it was so important for Penguin Random House, with 55% of female authors on its catalog and 65% of women in management positions, to reinforce its role as a positive force for change and evolution in society with work that helps move society towards gender equality.