Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

Retold With Pride was a campaign experienced through the use of brand. Globe retold great literary classics for the greater cause of representation and inclusion. A collection of ten stories that rewrote outdated views on love and gender, and brought to light the bold and diverse LGBTQ+ realities about sex and romance, including controversial topics like threesomes, trans love, and polyamory. Put on the centerstage of today’s culture — performed live on Facebook, retold as audiobooks in a Spotify podcast, turned into storybooks designed for Instagram Stories. All of which, you can watch, listen, and enjoy with Globe.

Background

Globe is the number 1 mobile network in the country and a huge equality supporter who stands by its brand purpose: To treat people right. To treat people right, we must tell their stories right. But in the Philippines, the LGBTQ+ stories are hiding in the dark. The only stories available in media don’t give the right or even enough representation of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s always the funny sidekick, the slapstick icebreaker, or the salon gay archetype. It’s almost brutal. Where is the handsome football superstar in love with another hot athlete, where is the fabulous power of drag, where is the beautiful trans romance, the bi love triangle, the pretty women loving pretty women, among many everyday realities. In collaboration with LGBTQ+ community partner Pride@Tech, Globe wanted to make the LGBTQ+ stories known, represented, included, and celebrated.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Retold With Pride was a retelling of great literary classics for the greater cause of representation and inclusion, retold by Globe and Pride@Tech. From world-famous, timeless tales to the most popular local classics — it flipped the script on the stories we’ve all grown up with to reflect nuances of modern-day queer realities, carefully draped in each story. A collection of ten stories that featured titles like Little Women Loving Women, Life of Bi, The Gay Gatsby, Pride & No Prejudice, Dragula, including local stories like The Nightingale Named Adana and Florante and the Trans Kween Awra. Ten stories that brought to light the bold and diverse LGBTQ+ realities about sex and romance, and controversial topics like one-night stands, threesomes, trans love, and polyamory.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Nothing is more powerful than seeing someone like you in a story, and nothing validates your existence more than seeing your truth given light in media. The strategy was to celebrate modern-day queer realities, raise awareness for these untold stories and hidden tales, and bring them to light. Equally important was putting them on the centerstage of today’s culture — on Facebook live, on Spotify podcast, on Instagram Stories, including the traditional literary festival. To make it even more powerful, the stories weren’t only celebrated during Pride month, but every month, even after Pride.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

The collection was put on the centerstage of today’s culture — on Facebook live, on Spotify podcast, on Instagram Stories, and even including the traditional literary festival. Ten stories were retold and launched on a Facebook live reading on Pride Day, featuring popular LGBTQ+ artists, actors, activists, educators, and performers. And it didn’t just stop at Pride Month, the tales were celebrated even after Pride. The stories were released week after week, retold as audiobooks in its very own Spotify podcast. Turned into storybooks especially made for Instagram Stories, created using readily available native and interactive features of the platform. And ultimately, presented along with Philippine literary pieces at the country’s premier literary festival, The Philippine Readers and Writers Festival.

List the results (30% of vote)

The campaign raised real awareness for the cause, with great results to take pride in. With over 55 million reach and 84 million impressions, over 42 million plays and listens, over 4 million interactions and engagements, with view-through rate at 54%. Covered by 34 publications. Sparking conversations and debates online and with great commendation from Philippine Senate and Congress. “Through these stories, we create better representation, and better understanding for the LGBTQ+ community.” Geraldine Roman, Philippine Congresswoman “Thank you for making space for the LGBTQ+ community through technology.” Risa Hontiveros, Philippine Senator