Domestic violence is a growing problem in
the U.S., while at the same time it’s becoming harder for victims and survivors to find resources.
“The tentacles of domestic violence are increasing across the
country,” Caroline Markel, CEO of Safe in Harm’s Way Foundation, told Marketing Daily.
Meanwhile, 80% of 75 U.S. organizations said their ability to provide services to
victims had been impacted by funding disruptions, 49% of which called the impact moderate to severe, in a recent study by No More, a coalition of nonprofits, corporations, government agencies, media,
schools, and individuals addressing domestic and sexual violence. And 65% of U.S. organizations anticipated staffing cuts.
Created in partnership with IPG Health agency Neon, the
“He’s No Prince” campaign highlights the reality that emotional abuse can often hide behind a veneer of charm, while alluding to how a cycle of abuse can keep victims trapped with
the line, “Maybe tomorrow he’ll be charming.”
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It’s a stark contrast to the type of messaging most people associate with domestic violence PSA campaigns, Markel said,
which tend to exclusively focus on images of bruised and battered women, or allude to death as the eventual endpoint of escalating abuse. “People respond to that by saying ‘What I’m
experiencing isn’t that bad,’ and then they don’t get help,” she explained.
The digital and OOH PSA campaign is running across “thousands of screens” in
public spaces like EV charging stations, gas stations, office elevators, and malls, according to Neon. This approach is designed to meet victims, and their friends and family, where they are, in
spaces that are part of everyday routines, where such messaging may leave an impact on repeat viewing.
The “He’s No Prince” PSA “ offers a message to victims that
"resonates with them over and over again,” Neon CCO Jesse Kates told Marketing Daily. “It may not be the first time you see it [that you take action], even if you identify with
it…that’s part of what makes billboards a powerful way [to reach people].”
It also allows neighbors and friends to be able to identify a situation as abusive, and gives them
a productive entry point to conversation other than telling the victim they should leave their abusive partner, Markel added. “If you go to someone and say ‘your relationship is
abusive,’ you get a reactive and defensive response, because those same things abusers say to deflect also come out of survivors’ mouths in their defense.”
The PSA
includes a QR code directly linking viewers to a secure landing page where they can answer questions to be directed to specific victim resources online, which is crucial to reaching them in a way that
leads to positive outcomes — particularly at a time when call centers are overwhelmed, and underresourced. “Very rarely are there beds available at shelters when you call a 1-800 number
for domestic violence. Forty percent of calls go unanswered,” Markel said, adding that when victims “don’t get an answer at the hotline, they’re not going to call
again.”
“He’s No Prince” completes a four-part arc that unfolded over three years.
“We identified four different angles that spoke to four distinct groups
of women,” Kates explained, with the opening “The Last I’m Sorry” campaign focused on “the propensity of abusers to bring their partners back by apologizing and saying,
‘It will never happen again,” he added; followed by “Feeling Small” and a “Hidden Horrors” effort addressing abuse happening in what outwardly appear to be ideal
scenarios.
Safe In Harm’s Way and Neon are now working with medical providers to better connect victims who come through their offices with resources.
“Most OBGYNs are
required to ask the question ‘Do you feel safe at home?’ I started asking ‘What do you do when they say they're not safe?'" Markel said.
She’s been met with
embarrassed replies about simply handing patients a pamphlet, she said, something Safe In Harm’s Way hopes to change.