Plan International is a humanitarian organisation that works for girls' rights. They've been more known for their work in developing countries, but they work globally for lasting impact on norms, attitudes and behaviours towards girls. We needed to make people see Plan as a global, modern organisation that advances equality for girls everywhere. 

Background

Research shows that we talk differently to children depending on their gender. We talk to boys about their abilities, skills and potential and to girls about their bodies and feelings. Little by little, this starts to influence how they see themselves. A study shows that by the age of six, girls are more likely to think that boys are the smarter gender; many girls believe that men will do better in fields associated with brilliance – such as physics and mathematics.

The creative idea

Sheboard is a virtual keyboard for boosting girls' confidence. With predictive text input, it suggests gender-neutral language. It helps everyone reflect on – and possibly change – the ways we talk to and about girls. Sheboard also reminds girls about the abilities they have that people don't always think to mention. The amount of communication that happens on our mobiles keeps growing. That's why the keyboard is an ideal place for tapping into people's language. But the idea is bigger than that; typing messages is something everyone can relate to, and just hearing about the keyboard makes people think about how they choose their words when talking with or about girls. 

Strategy

We wanted to make people see that Plan International does not only work in developing countries, but also advances equality for girls globally. Sheboard is relvevant in any country, any language – and it also gained media attention all over the world, from rather equal Finland to more problematic Turkey. In a way, the keyboard itself became our media channel. We tell the message of gender-biased language through a keyboard – through messaging. But that's not enough. We needed to make people stop and think about their own language. With strong supporting PR material such as emotional spots and spokespeople's power sentences, we made it from an innovation to an initiative. It was predictable Sheboard would also raise negative feelings and spark hateful comments – as equality discussions often do. That's why we had a strong focus on the scientific side; that gender-biased language and its effect are a proven fact. 

We created a custom dictionary of more than 2,500 words. The dictionary was then widened by creating algorithms from female-empowering blogs and publications. The app was then created together with Samsung and made available in the Google Play store. It was designed to look and work just like any keyboard; only the predictive text input is different. 

We launched Sheboard in Slush, the world's leading startup event. On social media, we promoted it with emotional spots showing how it works and why it's needed – directed by an up-and-coming female talent. We also used the spokespeople to share the cause via social media and blogs. All this, we did with a strong focus on PR. Sheboard has since been translated into other languages. 

Results

Sheboard got media attention all over the world, both in advanced, relatively equal countries and in those where girls' rights are neglected; from Finland to India. The editorial reach was over 712 million. Sheboard was covered by the UK national press, international business press, top tier tech press, social publishers' and chosen as Innovation of the Day by Trendwatching. But it's not enough that we reached people. We needed to make them think about gender-neutral language for themselves. And we did. People felt strongly, for and against. Gender-neutral language is not a given something we need to work towards. 

And with Sheboard, we've made a change in the minds of many. A dad from Newport tweeted: "Just reading about #sheboard virtual keyboard has made me rethink how I talk to my daughter – even if she is just 3 months old."