Queensland’s oldest charity, The Lady Musgrave Trust, has teamed up with not-for-profit, Small Steps 4 Hannah to improve community awareness of coercive control.
In a pro bono campaign brought to life by Publicis agencies, Publicis Worldwide and Starcom – the ‘Red Flag Effect’ campaign aims to highlight the often hard-to-spot signs of non-physical abuse, including emotional, psychological and financial control.
The campaign’s interactive creative film leads viewers to consider whether they would have spotted the red flags, encouraging them to learn more and access support online, through the recently launched website: thehandyguide.com.au.
This is the Trust’s online resource linking the public with information and support around domestic violence and homelessness.
The red flag behaviours featured in the campaign are informed by lived experiences of coercive control from community submissions to Queensland’s Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce.
The Lady Musgrave Trust CEO, Victoria Parker, said: “For more than 137 years, we have supported women and children to find safer home environments.
“We know that domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness for women and that controlling behaviours are some of the earliest and most insidious signs of domestic violence, but the signs can often be difficult to spot.
“To produce this incredible work, we had Publicis engage its network of creatives, and they all provided their skills and talents free of charge. Starcom rallied media players to get this important message out there. This work has come at a very pivotal time for our community, with the introduction of Queensland’s coercive control legislation and increasing conversation around domestic and family violence and what makes a healthy relationship.”
Publicis Worldwide’s managing director, Simone Waugh, said: “We put the call out to the industry for their support, and the time and resource devoted to this cause was unquestionable. From world-class directors to producers, sound engineers, editors and photographers – they all went out of their way to truly understand the issue to craft the campaign,” Waugh said.
Ash Kennedy, associate creative director at Publicis Worldwide, said: “We all know what physical violence looks like, but when it comes to coercive control, it’s far less obvious.
“The red flags are nuanced in real life, so our campaign features them in the same subtle ways. Spotting them early can help prevent dangerous relationships and ultimately save lives.”
Sue and Lloyd Clarke, co-founders of Small Steps 4 Hannah, said: “This is a powerful campaign which obviously hits very close to home for us… but this is an issue that we didn’t know about until it happened to us. Our community and people of all ages need more education about coercive control and what a healthy relationship is.
“We can all learn more about these red flags to help spot the signs of domestic violence, whether it’s for ourselves or for our family and friends. A campaign like this can save lives,” the Clarkes said.
Kelly Burnham, business director at Starcom, said: We are so grateful to all our media partners who, with zero hesitation, jumped on board to support us in delivering exceptional free-of-charge media value. The Red Flag project, in collaboration with The Handy Guide, will have monumental impacts, possibly life-saving for women and children in crisis – and we are honoured to play a small part in this important work,” Burnham said.
The ‘Red Flag Effect campaign includes TV, Cinema, OOH, Radio and Digital.
The Lady Musgrave Trust:
Victoria Parker, CEO
Louise Kelly, President
Erin Rigby, Head of Public Affairs
Creative Agency: Publicis Worldwide
Simone Waugh, Managing Director
Ryan Petie, Executive Creative Director
Michelle Sakzewski, Group Account Director
Tim Harding, Creative Director
Ash Kennedy, Associate Creative Director
Vicki Lee, Head of Broadcast & Content
Isobel Jones, TV Producer
Britt Groom, Broadcast & Content Producer
James Ansell, Executive Digital Experience Director
Luke Stocks, Head of Studio
Kate Lecce, Account Director
Crystal Davis, Account Manager
Keith Byrne, Business and Creative Director
Polina Shilenina, Digital Project Manager
Reyhan Susilo, Digital Experience Designer
Ece Firat, Developer
Amber Lawrence, Senior Studio Designer
Stephanie Gow, Senior Studio Designer
Jamie Fletcher, Senior Studio Designer
Charlotte Barakat, Operations Director
Production: Taxi Film
Andrew Wareham, Executive Producer
Hannah Ariotti, Director
Justin Lyons, Producer
Esteban Rivera, DOP
Erik Williamson, Photographer
Bruce Truong, 1st AC
Clara Ciottariello, 2nd AC
Dan Michaud, Gaffer
Light & Motion, Grip
Dan Vilimaa, Grip Assist
Matty Porter, Standby
Nayana Kieran, Standby Assist
Lydia Zimnoch, Wardrobe
Jane Heta, Hair & Makeup
Finn Mullen, Stills Assist
Post-Production: Empire Post
Digby Hogan, Editor
Kali Bateman, Grade
Jason Taylor, Online
Music & Sound: Rosco Audio
Ross Batten, Senior Sound Engineer
Sarah Ritchie, Producer
Media: Starcom
Kelly Burnham
Roger Lintzeris
Ivo Kavelj
Anthony Estephan
Ashley Szmerling
Georgia Dunsford
Tim Howe
Cate Kealy
Angela Chai
Neha Jain
Vittorio Aquino
