We Are Ayenda is a half-hour documentary that tells the story of the Afghan Girls National Football Team and their heroic escape from Afghanistan after the Taliban took power in 2021.

The film is relevant for entertainment because it is a gripping and inspiring story that reveals the bravery of these young women and their determination to continue playing the sport they love.

To add an additional layer of entertainment during the sport’s biggest moment, We Are Ayenda launched on Amazon Prime Video during the first week of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Cultural Context

When it comes to privacy, no messaging app is more secure than WhatsApp. We Are Ayenda was created for WhatsApp to authentically demonstrate how the features that make it secure help to create a safe space for connection through a story that would resonate with the global diaspora of young women.

The documentary launched on Amazon Prime Video during the first week of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, placing the film in the center of the cultural conversation at just the right moment.

Intending to reach a range of international markets, We Are Ayenda now lives on Amazon Prime Video, along with supporting assets to amplify the story across WhatsApp channels and other paid media support.

Background

Through a story that would resonate, the primary objective of We Are Ayenda was to authentically demonstrate how the features that make WhatsApp secure help to create a safe space for connection.

Rather than simply talk about what makes WhatsApp so private, we set out to create an emotional connection to the brand by capturing the powerful transformation its privacy features enable in the lives of vulnerable WhatsApp users.

While much was made of the Afghan Women’s National Team’s experience after the Taliban took over, we uncovered the little known story of the teenaged girls team’s heroic escape and set out to share it with the world.

We Are Ayenda not only shows the brand’s privacy features in action, it also positions WhatsApp as a lifeline and a safe space for those who need it most.

Strategy & insight

Primarily targeting the global diaspora of young women, the strategy behind We Are Ayenda was to show the possibilities for women when they’re able to share safely within their sisterhood.

The prevailing message of the film is that privacy fosters a safe space that allows us to overcome anything together.

The film pushes WhatsApp’s product truth to the extreme, where privacy is a necessity for survival, and every layer makes that much more of a difference.

For the 20 days of hiding for these women, we see them becoming safer and more open with each other as they increase their usage of WhatsApp and all the privacy features within it.

The strategy ladders into interlocking layers of privacy within the app; showing the team’s and individual hero players using WhatsApp’s privacy to unlock a real sense of safety, so that these women can speak freely.

Creative idea

Interweaving emotional interviews with harrowing archival footage and the real text messages shared by the teen players as they used their WhatsApp group chat to secretly orchestrate their escape, the film reveals the bravery of these young women and their determination to continue playing the sport they love.

The life or death story follows the profound relationship that develops between Farkhunda Muhtaj, the former captain of Afghanistan’s women’s national football team and humanitarian activist, and the teenage members of the youth team.

Despite never having met in person, Muhtaj leads the young women to safety via WhatsApp texts and voice messages, which are woven throughout the documentary to retell their story.

Ultimately, the film amplifies key brand messaging about the power of privacy. Showcasing privacy at its core, it demonstrates how the need for connection can foster a safe space and help us overcome anything together.

Craft & execution

To maximize reach, We Are Ayenda launched on Amazon Prime Video during the first week of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, placing the film in the center of the cultural conversation at just the right moment.

The documentary lives on Amazon Prime Video, along with supporting assets to amplify the story across WhatsApp channels and other paid media support.

WhatsApp also hosted an exclusive screening of the film in New York, inviting activists, influencers, and experts to preview the documentary and discuss the importance of privacy.

In tandem, the team developed a paid influencer campaign with athletes and thought leaders to share what the film means to them and the importance of privacy in their own lives.

Results

The film over-delivered on the campaign objective, which was to drive conversation around WhatsApp privacy through earned media during a tentpole global moment. Ultimately it secured over 550M impressions and $10M media value in the US and UK alone.

The film’s campaign was celebrated by top industry publications in key markets, clearly demonstrating the brand’s importance in this crucial cultural period and showcasing its creative and privacy excellence.

Furthemore, the safety of women narrative proved to resonate far and wide with consumers, providing a fruitful path for deeper privacy storytelling and impact. Press coverage was sustained far beyond the film’s release, landing on BBC Persia’s broadcast and being selected for Sundance’s BrandStorytelling 2024 event.