BETC Paris has given the automatic out-of-office reply an update for World With Women. It says the person will be away for 171 years.

The campaign, OOO Until 2197, highlights the awful UN fact that at the current pace, it will take another 171 years to achieve equality between women and men.

World With Women called on women to suspend their professional and domestic activities for a day On October 13, as part of an international mobilisation to highlight their contribution to society. This initiative took that collective action one step further, symbolically extending their absence until 2197.

Women were invited to switch on their out-of-office replies and symbolically set their return date to October 14 2197, the day they would return to work…once equality has finally been achieved. The message is deliberately simple. No long speeches, just a date staggering enough to speak for itself:

To amplify the message, business leaders, public figures, activists and content creators, including Elisabeth Moreno, Sarah Ourahmoune and Lucie Basch, activated their out-of-office messages on October 13, symbolically announcing their return in 2197, and invited their communities to do the same, while also encouraging them to share the initiative on LinkedIn using #OOO2197, extending its reach far beyond individual inboxes. Companies were also called on to join the movement by encouraging their female employees to collectively adopt the message. A ready-to-copy version allows anyone to take part in just a few seconds.

As automatic replies multiplied, 2197 made its way into inboxes, workplaces and, most importantly, conversations.

Explore the initiative led by World With Women and BETC Paris here.

Credits:
Brand: World With Women
Ad Agency: BETC Paris
Chief Creative Officer: Stephane Xiberras
Creative Director: Matthieu Bouilhot
Copywriters: Tristan Lenczner, Nicolas Richard
Art Directors: Simon Carr, Romain Ducos