In South Africa, we have a huge issue that's kept under wraps: child and teen pregnancy.
It's an incredibly difficult subject to talk about. So, for the most part, we don't. But staying silent doesn't make the problem go away. It just allows it to continue.
That's why we created The Real Maternity Issue. By putting the issue on the front pages of newspapers, we forced a national conversation about an injustice that had been hiding in plain sight. It was time for the country to sit up, take notice, and take the issue seriously.
OK, I have to admit, talking about a D&AD Wooden Pencil isn't my favorite thing when it comes to sensitive issues like this. I'd much rather focus on the fact that this campaign actually got the nation’s attention.
Over 15 million people saw an issue that had been hiding in plain sight. The campaign also delivered a 100:1 ROI in social conversion, meaning we didn't just get people looking. We got people talking about a problem that deserved attention.