Give Mom Back Her Name ad wins Glass Lion at Cannes festival

An ad campaign called "Give Mom Back Her Name," directed by young Egyptian creatives Maged Nassar and Tameem Youness, won the first Glass Lion award Monday at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The campaign, made by advertising agency Impact BBDO Dubai for UN Women and released on Mother’s Day this year, consists of a 2 minute 20 second film in which people on the streets of Egypt are asked what their mother’s name is, using the hashtag, #MyMothersNameIs.

It aims to counter a traditional taboo, still held by many in Egypt, on publically revealing one’s mother’s name. 

“It’s like how it’s supposed to be bad manners to open someone else’s fridge," Nassar told Mada Masr when asked why he thinks men are embarrassed about mentioning their mothers’ names. "Nobody knows why it's a private matter and nobody asks themselves why.”

The video, produced by young Egyptian production house Bigfoot Films, achieved remarkable success and was widely shared on social media. Celebrities such as actor Mohamed Chahin and film producer Mohamed Hefzy of Film Clinic posted short videos on social media in which they said their mother’s names. Many people responded to the request to display their mother's names as their Facebook and Twitter profile pictures.

“The campaign was first commissioned by BBDO Dubai, then the UN office in New York was told about it,” Nassar said. “They liked it, bought it as an idea, and supported it.”

The Glass Lion, established this year in partnership with LeanIn.Org (founded by Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook), recognizes work that addresses issues of gender inequality or prejudice through the conscious representation of gender in advertising. All proceeds from the entry fees will be put into a program promoting the creation of a more gender-neutral media landscape.

The seven-day annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (formerly the International Advertising Festival) was founded in 1954.

“Big corporates or even ad agencies themselves often produce campaigns that practice specific humanitarian work as part of their social responsibility,” Nassar said. “These works sometimes lack real passion, but we tried to avoid that with this one because it’s a cause we felt very strongly about. During the shooting, the reactions we generated from the people were very genuine and true, which rarely happens. That reaffirmed our feelings towards it."

“One of the things I like about this campaign is that it’s not asking citizens to make an unrealistic effort to deal with problems that are bigger than them," he added. "All it takes to be part of it is having the courage to face how the world reacts to you giving your mom back her name.”  

Having both become well-known in the Egyptian advertising scene, Maged and Youness started their own ad company last year, called Oh my god, I love this guy!

"I’m very happy Give Mom Back Her Name got the recognition it deserved," said Youness. "It feels incredible knowing that it had nothing to do with selling a product."