The Worst Soap Opera

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Focus: Child marriage Country: Dominican Republic Year: 2018 Agency: Pagés BBDO Awards: 20

Soap operas (telenovelas) are the most consumed television content in the Dominican Republic. Taking advantage of this, UNICEF challenged social tolerance and started shifting perceptions on child marriage by using an innovative soap opera-style storytelling and people can engage through hashtag #noniñascasadas (Translation : no girls scared)

“The Worst Soap Opera”, told stories of adolescent girls who, due to common reasons such as trying to escape poverty or a violent home, end up forced into child marriage with older men. a communication campaign based on this format and one of the first Dominican soap operas. The campaign received great support from the media and the private sector reaching 20.9 million people in 3 months. The campaign won three awards at the Cannes Lions Festival 2018, Bronze Lion award in Media, a Silver Lion in Sustainable Development Goals and a Gold Lion in Glass. Moreover, The member of congress and the vice president got involved, creating a new law prohibiting marriage until 19 years of age, without exceptions. All episodes available on UNICEF República Dominicana youtube channel.