#MYREALCAREERLINE

Short List
Title#MYREALCAREERLINE
BrandTHE WOMEN'S FOUNDATION LIMITED
Product / ServiceTHE WOMEN'S FOUNDATION
CategoryA08. Charities & Non-profit
EntrantJ. WALTER THOMPSON HONG KONG, HONG KONG
Idea Creation J. WALTER THOMPSON HONG KONG, HONG KONG
Media Placement FACEBOOK Hong Kong, HONG KONG
PR J. WALTER THOMPSON HONG KONG, HONG KONG
PR 2 EDELMAN HONG KONG, HONG KONG
Production J. WALTER THOMPSON HONG KONG, HONG KONG
Production 2 SUCHFILMS LTD. Hong Kong, HONG KONG
Production 3 SEESAW POST PRODUCTION Hong Kong, HONG KONG

Credits

Name Company Position
Simon Welsh J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Chief Creative Officer
Wilson Ang J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Group Creative Director
Max Fung J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Associate Creative Director
Ian Jahng J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Art Director
Szelok Wong J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Art Director
Edmond Leung J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Art Director
Jesse Lee J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Art Director
Kiefer Mckenzie J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Copywriter
Jocelyn Tse J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Head of Strategic Planning
Anthony Chung J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Strategic Planner
Gemma Swinglehurst J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Regional Account Director
Lico Lu J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Regional Business Manager
Stephanie Cheung J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Regional Business Executive
Kevin Shek J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Head of Production, Technical
Mickey Yip J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Digital Producer
Colloque Tsui J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Web Developer
Anthony Leung J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Head of TV
Pocky Chau J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Assistant Producer
Michael Sze J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Studio and Production Manager
Jimmy Pong J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Production Manager
Dick Chan J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Retoucher
Colin Chan J. Walter Thompson Hong Kong Retoucher
Budming Suchfilms Limited Director
Carolyn Hammond Edelman Hong Kong Director
Daniel Fu Edelman Hong Kong Associate Director
Shilpa Sharma Edelman Hong Kong Head of Edelman Intelligence HK
Nicole Leung Edelman Hong Kong Manager
Susan Ng Edelman Hong Kong Community Manager
Kitty Lun Facebook Head of Creative Shop, Greater China
George Chen Facebook Head of Public Policy for Hong Kong & Taiwan

The Campaign

We built our campaign around a popular Cantonese phrase that neatly and uniquely encapsulates the whole issue. In Hong Kong, the most widely used term for a cleavage is “Si Yip Sin”, meaning ‘career line’, a phrase which associates a woman’s success with her appearance rather than her education, talent and drive. This not only devalues women’s achievements, but makes sexism more permissible in the workplace. Our idea was to challenge the use of casual sexism and celebrate the real drivers behind a woman’s success, by redefining what a ‘career line’ really meant and launching the #MyRealCareerLine campaign. We partnered with an Olympic Swimmer, a YouTuber, an artist, an entrepreneur, a top lawyer, a Snooker World Champion, a student and others, who shared the real reasons for their success (determination, creativity, passion etc). Before ripping up a ‘career line’ poster and encouraging the public to do the same.

Execution

For phase one, to highlight the problem with everyday sexism such as ‘career line’, we set up the (fake) Career Line Cosmetic Surgery. We created Facebook ads based on online quotes from recruiters and the media about how a more prominent ‘career line’ could boost your career prospects. These were targeted at women with an interest in women’s rights and provoked the outraged reaction we’d hoped for. Then, on International Women’s Day, The Women’s Foundation held a press conference revealing the real reason for the campaign and the #MyRealCareerLine message. Our film featured some of Hong Kong’s most famous female icons sharing the real reasons for their success before tearing up our ‘career line’ poster. On our website, people could create their own #MyRealCareerLine messages and share them on Facebook. Tatler also provided a free ‘rip-able’ insert while Facebook, LinkedIn, Marie Claire and others offered free media support.

On a very limited budget, the campaign got over 900 million unpaid media and social impressions. The people of Hong Kong showed their support by sharing the film on Facebook and/or creating their own #MyRealCareerLine images, videos and messages. Politicians, newspaper editors, and other high profile celebrities, CEOs and bloggers shared videos of themselves ripping up the ‘career line’ poster and declaring their support. While media companies, student bodies and many of Hong Kong’s biggest employers also released group videos promoting our message. Even the city’s most popular website, who had previously uploaded three or four ‘career line’ videos a day, got behind the campaign. And the week after the launch, the South China Morning Post released a statement in which they apologised for a recent article that objectified women and announced they were reviewing their editorial policy.

The Situation

With a very low budget, we knew from the start that the campaign’s success depended on PR. So we approached She.Com, Tatler, Marie Claire and others while the campaign was still in development, allowing them to plan features for the launch and create their own content around it. The campaign was launched at a press conference which all Hong Kong’s major media players attended, thanks partly to the unusual setting and the presence of an Olympic swimmer, a YouTuber, a celebrity entrepreneur and a Snooker World Champion. The campaign made the front pages and millions of dollars worth of PR.

The Strategy

We had three main target audiences: media companies, to encourage them to promote a more authentic and rounded portrayal of women; companies and employers, who we wanted to show support for equality, diversity and respect in the workplace; and the people of Hong Kong, especially young working women and students Before we’d even shot the film, we shared the idea with selected women’s media and got them on board ahead of the launch. Phase one of the campaign was designed to provoke a debate and generate interest in the phrase ‘career line’. We then held a press conference for mainstream and online media where we revealed the truth behind the campaign idea and film. We also revealed the research we’d undertaken into objectification and inequality in the workplace, which was invaluable in giving the media more to work with and prolong the debate.