This week marks the 20th anniversary of the Spice Girls’ first single ‘Wannabe’. Who would have thought it was 20 years ago that platforms, pigtails and PVC were a thing?
This week their major debut music video was given a feminist makeover by the UN movement Global Goals. The aim of the movement, launched in September 2015, was to set 17 global goals to end global poverty and build a better world by 2030. The 17 Global Goals are outlined in the image below:
The “Wannabe” remake is used to highlight goal number 5: Gender Equality. Spice Girls were known for their “Girl Power” mantra and alongside the fact that this week marks the 20th anniversary means “Wannabe” is a great song choice for the campaign. The 2016 remake keeps the song words the same but the video calls for an end to violence against women, equal education for all girls and equal pay for equal work.
The video has over 750,000 views since launching on Tuesday and over 100,000 shares in the first 24 hours. The people sharing and applauding the campaign include some of the Spice Girls themselves and other influential celebrities.
The Hashtag #WhatIReallyReallyWant was trending worldwide during the launch of the video, with people sharing the what they want to see changed in the world. The video was a call to action for women to share a photo of themselves with the #WhatIReallyReallyWant hashtag, holding up signs asking for what they want for women and girls.
The Global Goals statement written alongside the video states, “In 2015, world leaders promised to put girls and women first when they signed up to the Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, fix climate change and tackle inequalities. Girls and women are disproportionately affected by these challenges and are key to building resilient communities to withstand them”. They also claim that “2016 is our chance to use our collective power and tell world leaders what we really really want for girls and women”. This video comes ahead of the UN meeting in September.
Our Adoreboard analysis shows that #WhatIReallyReallyWant has high level of trust, ecstacy and admiration associated with it, and a positive Adorescore of 68. More than 2 billion people in the world use some form of social media. Global Goals are using a winning combination of pop culture and social media to draw attention to the inequality issues highlighted in the video. Gender equality and feminism is a widely discussed and debated topic, especially on social channels. Using a ‘Girl Power’ anthem from the world’s biggest girl band The Spice Girls and releasing it to the masses on the 20th anniversary of their debut single is a great way to grab media attention and effectively get the message of gender equality out.
The UN have used relevant content to create a message that travels through social media, engages with the people and effectively gets their message heard.
