Havas Worldwide Johannesburg has produced a hard-hitting, powerful and thought-provoking campaign for People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA). The aim of the concept is to reach out to women in the safe and private environment of change rooms inside clothing stores across the country.
“We set out to find a way to help abused women seek help – somewhere they would feel safe from the intimidation and fear they feel when they are with their partners”, says Eoin Welsh, chief creative officer at Havas Worldwide. “We realised that this environment exists in women’s change room, so we worked out the mechanics of how to get that message into that environment. The challenge was to make the message part of the shopping process.”
Sakina Mohammed, POWA acting director, adds that the effectiveness of the campaign lies within its simplicity. “When a dress is brought into the change room and taken off the hanger, the ‘truth’ of a bruised and beaten body is revealed underneath, along with a call-to-action of reaching out for help in that protected, private space.”
She continues, “The abuse of women is a plague that thrives on the fear and silence that it creates. There are very few settings in which an abused woman can feel truly safe and protected enough to open up and ask for help. Statistics reveal that over half the women of Gauteng have experienced some form of abuse in their lifetime that shows us there is an urgent need to create resources that will assist the women experiencing any form of abuse. In order to create safe societies, change starts with you.”
This campaign is being rolled out in clothes shops and retail clothing stores countrywide.
