Key insights from our client, the Yukon Women’s Directorate, showed that the cycle of domestic violence stems from a culture of blaming women for violence committed against them, from sexist jokes “innocently” bandied about, and a general willingness to turn a blind eye to violence. Our task? Break down the barriers in mainstream culture that distance many people from the issue of violence against women and girls. The message? A violence-free future begins with you.
A critical component of our work was to create one brand message that would resonate with three distinct audiences. This is how we broke it down.
The Idea: reflect images of regular folks doing/saying/thinking “regular” things, like laughing at a sexist joke. Then make the connection that these seemingly ordinary thoughts and actions indirectly perpetuate the problem. Small personal changes to the way regular Yukoners think and act will impact women in a big way.
Two aasman illustrators spent a couple afternoons doing on-site drawings of willing participants for the campaign. By publicly connecting their faces to the campaign on Facebook, these regular Yukoners made an implicit commitment, however small, to take pause and consider their own role in the issue of violence against women.
The Idea: build a portable eye-catching booth that would encourage youth to share with one another about relationships—"I wish I could say to him/to her ..."—a safe place to speak out about their personal insecurities, their misconceptions, etc. The direct youth-to-youth style of messaging was an authentic and creative way for the audience to feel truly involved. The anonymity of the writings and the private space of the booth lent courage and encouraged honesty.
