LinkedIn鈥檚 value was underestimated in Saudi Arabia. Its English-first platform was perceived as aloof and out of touch. Qualitative research showed it was perceived as a global brand, distant from Saudi Arabia, which didn鈥檛 understand the needs of the local market, and offered no noticeable contribution to the job market. This perception placed LinkedIn at a massive disadvantage compared to local and regional Arabic-first competitors.
We used LinkedIn data to rectify the subjective narrative and to tell real stories, from real professional women, thereby affirming their potential and giving them a voice via the LinkedIn platform. First, we conducted in-depth research which exposed some fascinating contradictions relating to female employment. Using this data, we created the 鈥淗ear it from me鈥 (#HearItFromMe) campaign, turning LinkedIn into a platform that amplified the voices of Saudi career women, making them visible to recruiters and the public, via online film, social media, interviews and more. We also delivered training to women and employers, giving people the tools to take action in the real world, enabling real change.
The Impact
- 100,000 new sign ups during the campaign鈥檚 first quarter, bringing the total LinkedIn membership in Saudi to 3 million
- LinkedIn鈥檚 platform generated over 548,000 impressions and over 13,000 clicks, which exceeded the engagement rate benchmark (0.65%) on the platform by 457%
- 35% increase in perceptions associating LinkedIn with career progression among Saudi females
- The campaign broke records on social media and earned more coverage than previous LinkedIn campaigns in MENA
- Twitter engagement rate = 6.5% (regional benchmark is 3%) with over 60K engagements
- Facebook engagement rate = 10.6% (regional benchmark is 5%) with over 70K engagements
- 40 pieces of earned coverage across tier-1 dailies, broadcast and trade publications
- Total media reach of 49 million impressions and an ad value of more than $160,000
- LinkedIn received countless collaboration requests from companies and was viewed as a partner in finding and attracting female talent