The children’s retail category in the Middle East had been declining over 2018 and 2019, due to tightening purse strings and people accessing products, globally, through e-commerce.

Arab mothers are the most potent segment to win over when it comes to potential growth.

With retailers seeking short-term sales from Arab mothers through limited-time discounts, we persuaded Babyshop, a children’s retailer based in the Middle East, to create a timeless tribute.

By investing in people-driven, emotional brand persuasion, we wanted Babyshop to stand for "celebrating parenthood".

But through research, we learnt that the word “parenthood” in Arabic, a language intrinsic to the Islamic faith in both regions, meant “fatherhood”.

Arabic, like a few other languages in the world, contains a variety of words that stem from paternal-centred roots. The word “parenthood” (Al Obuwah) is one such word. Although, many Arabs have, over time, understood that word to mean both - father and mother - the word “parenthood” in Arabic actually translates into “fatherhood” in verbal usage.

Despite recent progress, especially in the Middle East, around women’s rights and equality, there was NO word for “parenthood” that included or implied "mother".

Other Arabic words, for parenthood, were also derived from words meaning “father”.

So, working with linguists, we created a new Arabic word, giving equal importance to both parents:

AL UMOBUWAH.

A word that means “Motherhood and Fatherhood”.

When the Arabic language has been experimented with, anywhere in the world, brands have been banned.

But we persuaded Babyshop to be brave and stand for equality.

And we launched this new word online, starting with the Middle East and then, promoting it in globally in Babyshop’s Asian markets that read and spoke Arabic because of the primary religion there (like Malaysia and Indonesia), and invited people to use it.

Instantly, it sparked positive support.

But it also provoked 50% negative reactions and hate, mainly from conservative Arabs, who felt a change was not needed.

43 Arabic Female AND Male Influencers joined us to endorse the word, engaging with negative commentators.

And leading media voices supported the word and its inclusion.

Online, we launched a new children’s collection, that also featured in fashion shows.

Proceeds went to a charity for refugee families.

Interactive audio-based experiences created more familiarity.

Children learnt the word across schools.

Babyshop published and distributed a magazine, titled Al Umobuwah.

The word featured on poetry platforms in both regions too.

And through adoption across the Middle East and South East Asia, driven by an online petition, the word found its rightful place in an Arabic dictionary.

So, in changing the game from rational persuasion to emotional persuasion, by winning share of heart and respect across multiple markets, Babyshop consistently grew share of wallet too.

Along with being an effective business move, getting Babyshop's core target of Arab mothers resonating more with the brand, the idea has also nudged and influenced culture as well as the lexicon. Reforming a word's etymology, Babyshop has created an enduring impact too: A new Arabic word.