In Saudi Arabia, public demonstrations are banned, TV Networks, Broadcast and media companies are subject to restrictions and censorship by the state and by religious authorities in Saudi Arabia. Also, certain topics and behaviors are not necessarily censored but they are socially taboo.

While women’s rights in Saudi Arabia have somewhat improved in recent years, there is still a lot of progress to be made with regards to recognizing women’s role in Saudi society. Indeed, Saudi women have gained the ability to vote and be represented in the government, but they are still subject to huge restrictions: they can’t move freely, they can’t drive, they can’t wear make-up in public, they can’t show their face online, and can’t express themselves openly like they would be able to in other geographies.

The Online March movement launched on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram with three influencer videos sharing their personal success stories and encouraging girls to participate in the movement.

Also, an instameet was organized where women contributed in making a video explaining how others could participate; people pushed this on Instagram, while Always shared it across its platforms.

Always connected with its audience across social platforms that feed off each other, on a scale that could only be done online. User-content from one social platform was curated by the brand to appear on another to further amplify women’s voices.

Influencers covered the movement on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, while Always compiled and shared all of this content across platforms helping fuel more participation.

Ultimately, three women were provided financial support to achieve their aspirations.

The campaign ran for two months as planned, on Facebook and Instagram.

The Online March exceeded our targets for user-generated content and community growth:

- It generated more than 45 million impressions on Facebook and Instagram, and 4.6 million print impressions.

- The participation mechanism allowed over 5,000 women to express themselves with content they submitted. There were +1 million interactions around that content and +2.6 million organic views on the videos.

- Brand affinity has also improved as a result: the Facebook brand page got a +12.51% fan growth (+10,000 new fans in two months), while the Instagram page received +5,500 new Instagram followers (starting from zero).

Saudi women spend a lot of time online viewing content on social platforms like Instagram and Facebook, but unlike women around the world, they are not socially permitted to show a picture of themselves online or protest for a cause. Furthermore, they shy away from menstrual pad brands, given the embarrassment factor.

Always launched the first online march where instead of showing their face, women shared footage of their steps moving for a better tomorrow.

This gave them a platform to express themselves in videos by only showing their steps while stating their belief, dream, or purpose.

Women discovered this movement on Facebook and Instagram through posts from influencers and a trending hashtag #MoveForward (and its Arabic equivalent), giving them a reason to participate and use the hashtag. User-generated content was curated and shared by the brand, in addition to the ongoing content that Always created and shared.

Always exists to empower girls to live life with its fullest potential. While women all over the world are sharing their lives online, this is not the case in conservative Saudi Arabia, where women are not socially permitted to show a picture of themselves online. It is even less accepted for women to seem like they are protesting for a cause. So Saudi women feel they can’t freely express themselves openly. Furthermore, they shy away from menstrual pad brands, given the embarrassment factor.

Always, the market leader in menstrual pads, lacked a strong connection with its audience and users. It saw an opportunity in enabling Saudi women to express themselves online, away from typical censorship restrictions, without showing their face: a movement of user-generated videos around women empowerment that is curated and compiled into longer stories by Always.

Always used its brand power to give visibility to content created by women for women, and in inspiring them through this online movement.