Cannes Creative Showcase: 7 video campaigns tackling gender violence

One in four women and one in nine men in the US experience severe intimate partner physical violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Malaysia, according to the Women’s Aid Organisation, the average number of domestic case violence from 2014 to 2018 was 5,310.

Sadly, those rates are predicted to rise while much of the world is in lock-down. Here are seven campaigns that have aimed to confront gender violence.

1.AB INBEV // Ogilvy Cape Town

How do you spark a national movement around gender-based violence? By bringing an all-female choir to hijack the national anthem at a football game and altering the lyrics to highlight abuse towards women. This impactful televised launch sparked an ongoing debate in South Africa through its unconventional and emotive approach.

2. Women’s Aid Organisation // WCRS London

Domestic violence campaigns typically target the perpetrators or the victims of the crime. This digital out-of-home campaign bucked the trend, honing in on those who turn a blind eye. The woman’s face on the interactive digital billboard became more bruised the more she was ignored by passers-by, serving as a powerful reminder to the public not to look away.

3. National Center for Domestic Violence // Wunderman Thompson London

In this hard-hitting campaign, traditional fan rituals were subverted to show the darker side of football. Like Soccer Song for Change, it brought women into the traditionally male domain of football, but this time used it as a way to remind victims of domestic violence that there is support for those who need it.

4. Heineken // Nomades Mexico City

Excluding people from buying your brand is a risky strategy, but for Heineken-owned Tecate in Mexico – where gender violence affects two-thirds of women – it paid off. The brand stated its position: “If you are not a man who respects women, we don’t want you as a consumer.” Part of a wider push that challenged what a “real man” is, it shows the power in following through on a statement.

5. Vodafone // Young & Rubicam Istanbul

Vodafone sought out Turkish women in exclusively female environments, both on- and off-line, to raise awareness of its app for victims of domestic violence. The highly creative mix of channels, including YouTube beauty tutorials, waxing strips and mirrors in ladies’ restrooms, was crucial to keep the app hidden from perpetrators.

6. Vida Mujer Organisation // Grey Lima

Enlisting a popular Peruvian singer-songwriter to croon a romantic song seems beautiful… until it transpires that the lyrics are taken from an actual apology letter written from a husband to his wife before he killed her. This shock tactic particularly resonated with women whose partners pinball between declarations of love and violence: they were told in no uncertain terms that second chances shouldn’t be given.

7. Federal Government of Brazil // Artplan Brasilia

In another musical initiative, a Brazilian singer released a song that appeared to describe a couple in love, but which was then revealed to have a more sinister meaning. The song invited listeners to consider whether what looks like love can actually be coercive control, cutting through more forcefully than more formally presented information on pamphlets or websites inviting people to spot the signs.

If you need help or know of someone who does, call the WAO Hotline at +603 7956 3488 or SMS/WhatsApp TINA at +6018 988 8058.

MARKETING magazine is the Official Cannes Lions Festival Representative for Malaysia.