2023 Winner
GoldPlanning with Purpose
BronzeBest in Niche Targeting
Elimin8Hate
"ReclaimYourName.dic"
Citizen Relations
"ReclaimYourName.dic"
Citizen Relations
As its name suggests, Elimin8Hate (E8) works to eradicate anti-Asian racism – a lofty mission for a 3-person advocacy group. So, when hate crimes against the community shot up 700%, E8 had to find a new way to protect Asianness itself.
Not interested in just raising awareness, they started by examining the Asian experience in Canada, from the prevailing ‘model minority’ media narrative to hate incident stories from the community. They confirmed their hunch that microaggressions mattered as much as systemic racism, and zoomed in on one thing that became inescapable: the impact of Asian names. Bias towards anglicized names is pervasive; for example, ‘white’ names are twice as likely to get a job interview. Even in a country as welcoming as Canada, anglicizing one’s name is common. In fact, those with ethnic identities cite racism and hate as the top reason (62%) for adopting an English name. It became clear that a name isn’t just about the name itself, but the broader sense of belonging it represents.
Digging deeper into the cultural signals, they found that the “othering” Asians endure went beyond interpersonal experiences; their software systems were full of bias, too. Despite having over a billion users worldwide, Microsoft Office still identifies non-English names as mistakes. Last year, posts with negative sentiment about MS Word’s red line surpassed 752,000 and conversations about changing ‘ethnic’ names reached 133M. Seeing a jarring red line under one’s name says in the language of software something Asians hear all too often: You don’t belong.
What happens to Asian identity on the streets also happens in software.
And with that, they brought an organization of just three volunteers face to face with a corporate machine that powers one of the world’s biggest software systems.
They uncovered a little-known function within Microsoft Word – custom dictionaries – and used it to change the lives of billions of users. “ReclaimYourName.dic” is the world’s first custom dictionary of 8,000+ Asian names, made without re-writing a single line of code, to normalize Asian identity in the world’s most popular word processor. To create it, they parsed online name registries, national and regional census data, and cultural associations. It cost nothing to make but time and patience, and required only a few clicks to implement.
Their PR efforts drove Canadians to NameReclaim.ca, where they could watch their campaign film, learn more about the issue, and take action by downloading their free plug-in. E8 ambassador and Pulitzer Prize-nominee Zoe Si was cast as their spokesperson for media relations. Other cultural icons, like Hiro Kanagawa (Star Trek), Tiana Shern (TikTok) and Mijune Pak (Top Chef), bolstered their cause. Donated digital and OOH media in Toronto and Vancouver further extended their reach.
“ReclaimYourName.dic” was designed as a living dictionary, meaning that even though they started with Asian names, anyone with a non-English moniker can now submit their name for inclusion, opening the door for removing the red underline from even more identities.
While thousands of individuals downloaded the plugin, they were committed to reaching their ultimate target: Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella, whose name, ironically, was also considered an error. Theirr biggest success comes from the software giant’s adoption of their plug-in, making this project’s impact truly global. Given how pervasive Microsoft is in their everyday lives, the inclusion of their plug-in marks a fundamental shift in how Asianess is viewed and welcomed around the world.
Elimin8Hate was named to FastCompany’s World Changing Ideas list there was over 103.8 million impressions with 157 pieces of traditional coverage and 71 pieces of social media coverage.
They received top placements on Yahoo, Bloomberg, FastCompany, Breakfast Television, CBC Radio One, Global News, CP24, Sing Tao, City News, Black Press Media and 100% of coverage was positive in tone, with 100% key message penetration, including mentions of the website. NameReclaim.ca tracked 41,000 events and 14k + website visits.
Not interested in just raising awareness, they started by examining the Asian experience in Canada, from the prevailing ‘model minority’ media narrative to hate incident stories from the community. They confirmed their hunch that microaggressions mattered as much as systemic racism, and zoomed in on one thing that became inescapable: the impact of Asian names. Bias towards anglicized names is pervasive; for example, ‘white’ names are twice as likely to get a job interview. Even in a country as welcoming as Canada, anglicizing one’s name is common. In fact, those with ethnic identities cite racism and hate as the top reason (62%) for adopting an English name. It became clear that a name isn’t just about the name itself, but the broader sense of belonging it represents.
Digging deeper into the cultural signals, they found that the “othering” Asians endure went beyond interpersonal experiences; their software systems were full of bias, too. Despite having over a billion users worldwide, Microsoft Office still identifies non-English names as mistakes. Last year, posts with negative sentiment about MS Word’s red line surpassed 752,000 and conversations about changing ‘ethnic’ names reached 133M. Seeing a jarring red line under one’s name says in the language of software something Asians hear all too often: You don’t belong.
What happens to Asian identity on the streets also happens in software.
And with that, they brought an organization of just three volunteers face to face with a corporate machine that powers one of the world’s biggest software systems.
They uncovered a little-known function within Microsoft Word – custom dictionaries – and used it to change the lives of billions of users. “ReclaimYourName.dic” is the world’s first custom dictionary of 8,000+ Asian names, made without re-writing a single line of code, to normalize Asian identity in the world’s most popular word processor. To create it, they parsed online name registries, national and regional census data, and cultural associations. It cost nothing to make but time and patience, and required only a few clicks to implement.
Their PR efforts drove Canadians to NameReclaim.ca, where they could watch their campaign film, learn more about the issue, and take action by downloading their free plug-in. E8 ambassador and Pulitzer Prize-nominee Zoe Si was cast as their spokesperson for media relations. Other cultural icons, like Hiro Kanagawa (Star Trek), Tiana Shern (TikTok) and Mijune Pak (Top Chef), bolstered their cause. Donated digital and OOH media in Toronto and Vancouver further extended their reach.
“ReclaimYourName.dic” was designed as a living dictionary, meaning that even though they started with Asian names, anyone with a non-English moniker can now submit their name for inclusion, opening the door for removing the red underline from even more identities.
While thousands of individuals downloaded the plugin, they were committed to reaching their ultimate target: Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella, whose name, ironically, was also considered an error. Theirr biggest success comes from the software giant’s adoption of their plug-in, making this project’s impact truly global. Given how pervasive Microsoft is in their everyday lives, the inclusion of their plug-in marks a fundamental shift in how Asianess is viewed and welcomed around the world.
Elimin8Hate was named to FastCompany’s World Changing Ideas list there was over 103.8 million impressions with 157 pieces of traditional coverage and 71 pieces of social media coverage.
They received top placements on Yahoo, Bloomberg, FastCompany, Breakfast Television, CBC Radio One, Global News, CP24, Sing Tao, City News, Black Press Media and 100% of coverage was positive in tone, with 100% key message penetration, including mentions of the website. NameReclaim.ca tracked 41,000 events and 14k + website visits.
Credits
Agency: Citizen RelationsCCO: Josh Budd
CD, Art Director: Mike Lo Nam
CD, Writer: Abeer Verma
SVP, Strategy: Lindsay Page
Director, Strategic Communications: Rebecca Myers
Vice President: Cher Lee
Account Director: Kristen Schaffrath
Sr. Account Manager: Jonathan Kim
Sr. Account Executive: Christina Demare, Daniel Ma
Account Executive: Katie Haller, Chantal Grainger
Vice President, Digital Strategy: Laura Brown
Production Designer: Antony Micheal Melven
Managing Partner: Brooke Leland, Jungle Media
Media Buying Assistant: Evann Kremer, Jungle Media
Web Developer: Oliver Morrissey
Director/Photographer: Nick Wong
Editor: Andy Ferreira
Sound: Boombox