IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK: UK Set Standard with Positive Campaign
This week has seen The Mayor of London launch a new campaign sparking positive reactions throughout the UK, and shared globally. The #HaveAWord campaign has reached over 4 million views in just four days, showing the reality of male violence against women.
Produced by Ogilvy UK, the campaign recounts a real-life scenario of a woman being harassed by a man, and a fellow male friend stepping in to stop his actions. The tagline of ‘Have a word with yourself – then your mates’ has been acclaimed by many.
Comments on the Mayor of London’s post admire the great campaign, with a powerful message and an honest account of the reality of what women and girls go through.
This is hardly comparable to the Australian Government campaign that received major backlash in 2021. The campaign surrounding consent compared the action of smearing milkshakes over one another with the act of sexual assault. This ad was pulled almost immediately and many believe the Australian Government has not produced a successful campaign since this disaster.
Following International Women’s Day last week, the Australian Government has received immense backlash for the logo of its newly instated Women’s Network. While the initiative was intended to promote gender equality, the logo could not be overlooked for its phallic appearance.
Users took to Twitter to comment that the logo was humorous but others were furious with the fact it was taking away from the real purpose of the initiative. With elections approaching, I can imagine this was not the positive reaction that the Government was intending for.
Governments could learn a thing or two from the UK’s #HaveAWord campaign. Showing the raw truth as well as a realistic and overlooked solution with these campaigns makes it more widely received then a poorly executed metaphor. As a PR professional, and a woman, I am hopeful that this campaign will inspire future positive campaigns.
By Claudia Bergen – PR & Influencer Coordinator at InsideOut PR and #AsSeenOn
