Financial Times

Leo Burnett wins glory
Tribute to the Apparel worker
A campaign focusing on the female workers in Sri Lanka's apparel industry and the positive side of their lives has won a major international award for Leo Burnett Solutions Inc.

The advertising agency, part of Leo Burnett Worldwide - won the award at the recent Asian Brand Marketing Effectiveness Awards in the 'most effective use of public relations' category. The award was a special commendation for its work done for the Joint Apparel Association Forum - the apex body for the Sri Lankan Apparel industry - to improve the image of the female workers in country.

The Asian Brand Marketing Effectiveness Awards are presented by Media Magazine - Asia's number one media, advertising and marketing publication, covering news, analysis, features and industry opinion from around the region. The awards presentation was held in Hong Kong.

A statement by Leo Burnett explaining the concept and design of the project said: Apparel workers are the second highest foreign exchange earner for Sri Lanka. Despite the vital role the workers play in the local economy, their image has been tarnished and their profession not given its due recognition. The apparel workforce is dominated by village girls who come in pursuit of employment to various suburban industrial towns. Over the years the girls and their lives have become a topic for discussion and entertainment.

Due to these inaccuracies, hundreds of 'innocent' village girls who make so many sacrifices to be the bread winner for their homes are branded disparagingly as 'Juki Girls' and are tarnished with numerous negative stories in the media portraying them as exploited women. Leo Burnett's challenge to correct these long-standing misconceptions required a communication medium that was exceptionally strong and powerful to get the attention of the masses. The agency chose the power of 'songs' to defend and instill the true picture of Sri Lanka's apparel queens.

The songs focussed on the true values of the girl and the role she plays in the Sri Lankan economy. The agency also made six memorable music videos of the songs. The six songs developed was the results of the contribution of talents of artists such as Victor Ratnayake, Deepika Priyadarshini, Bathiya and Santhush, Nirosha Virajini, Rukantha Gunathilake and Amarasiri Peris.

Possibly for the first time, six songs sung by six different singers were premièred at the same event live on national TV on September 21 at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. The chief guests at the launch were the girls themselves, who were treated like honoured guests and welcomed and escorted to their seats.

The songs and the music videos were distributed to radio and TV stations who were persuaded to telecast and air them which guaranteed constant exposure in the media. The campaign enjoyed wide coverage on a cross section of programmes and even entered the local charts. It got unlimited exposure without any payment for media airtime. Simultaneously an integrated communications campaign was deployed which consisted of a strategic print advertising campaign to generate awareness and to focus attention on the girls and the problems they have to face.

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