In a bold creative move blending technology with activism, the Phryjab campaign took centre stage in Paris from July 24 to August 11, 2024, during the Olympics season. Designed to protest France’s hijab ban on female Muslim athletes, the campaign turned a national symbol of liberty into a powerful statement on personal freedom.
Campaign Objective
The Phryjab campaign was designed to ignite critical conversations around the ban that prohibited female Muslim athletes from wearing the hijab while competing. By using the monument of Marianne — a French symbol of liberty — the campaign transformed her traditional red Phrygian cap into a “Phryjab” through Augmented Reality (AR), symbolically reclaiming the narrative around freedom of choice.
Key success metrics included brand awareness, lead generation, audience engagement, and impressions, all rooted in advocating for personal freedoms.
France’s controversial decision to ban the hijab in Olympic competition created global uproar, but amid the noise, there was space for a simple, symbolic counter-narrative. The challenge was to cut through the polarized debates and spark genuine conversation, particularly among younger, socially aware audiences who value inclusivity and cultural expression.
Target Audience
The campaign primarily targeted socially conscious youth, particularly women aged 18–35, who are tech-savvy, active on social media, and passionate about sports, equality, and religious freedom. The broader target extended to human rights activists, cultural advocates, and anyone invested in diversity and inclusion, regardless of age, gender, or faith.
It also included anyone with an eye out for interesting creative work or a broader audience of sports, human rights advocates, and people interested in cultural diversity and inclusion, regardless of age or gender. This group includes both Muslim and non-Muslim individuals who support religious freedom and women’s rights in sports.
- Creative Strategy: Visually challenge the Hijab ban in Paris Olympics by converting the Phrygian cap of France’s monument of liberty Marianne, into a hijab – creating the ”Phryjab”.
- Media Strategy: Create an AR lens that converts Marianne’s Phrygian cap into a Hijab to be viewed through strategically placed QR codes.
Execution
This campaign utilised AR tech. AR filters – already popular – brought a unique, interactive dimension to the campaign that traditional channels couldn’t match, allowing users to visualize the “Phryjab” concept and register the irony of the Hijab ban in real-time.
The QR codes around Place de la République bridged physical and digital spaces, creating a location-specific experience that enhanced engagement. The AR lens was strategically deployed across our socials, aligning with the young and the socially aware.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-2IlTBoJNt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Impact
The campaign surpassed expectations, recording an extraordinary 612% increase in brand awareness and amassing over 27 million impressions organically. By creating an emotional, shareable moment, the Phryjab campaign didn’t just raise awareness; it galvanized a broader conversation about religious freedom, gender equality, and cultural inclusion in the world of sports.
The Phryjab campaign demonstrated the power of technology to fuel activism, showing that simple, meaningful creative work can drive enormous impact. By transforming a symbol of liberty to challenge a restriction on liberty, the campaign didn’t just raise awareness—it helped reshape the dialogue around freedom, identity, and inclusion on a global stage.
Credits:
- Agency: tractical
- Mike Khouri, CEO
- Michael Holley, Design Lead
- Mounir Mroue, Sr. Creative Strategist, MR Lead
- Hazem Alagha, Production Lead
- Seki Bacsain, AR/VR Developer
- Khalil Hasnaoui,Sr AR/VR Developer
- George Letheren Smith, Sr. Project Manager
- Summer Nazif, Creative Lead
- Ross Davies, Executive Creative Director, Creative Consultant for tactical
- Marcia Johnston, Creative Director, Creative Consultant for tactical
- Jayesh Seth, Sr. Art Director
- Ammad Ali, Sr. Motion Designer
- Zaheen Bagasrawala, Associate Creative Director
- Anna Murray, Account Director, Creative Consultant for tactical
- Majd Radwan, Sr. Arabic Copywriter, Creative Consultant for tactical
- Lara Fawzy, CEO, Founder, Creative Consultant for tactical
