Women’s Aid has launched a thought-provoking new advert highlighting how signs of coercive control can be difficult to spot.
The ad – which was made pro-bono by London-based creative agency, Engine – depicts a stereotypically flashy and cheesy gameshow, Spot The Abuse, in which a perpetually grinning host asks three female contestants questions about relationship behaviour.
The campaign aims to educate viewers on the seriousness of coercive control in relationships, by juxtaposing it against the visual flamboyance of a TV quiz show, albeit where the questions are the least bit light-hearted or entertaining.
All three contestants fail to correctly answer their questions – “Your partner won’t let you have a bank account as he says you’re no good with money. Do you think that’s okay?” being one such example.
The ad shows the previously enthusiastic women becoming reflective and unsettled after the host tells them their answer is incorrect, due to their partner’s behaviour not being normal, but a form of abuse.
“This advert shows that if you are in an abusive relationship, your partner is not going to tell you that it is abusive – and coercive control is still not widely understood, despite being against the law since 2015 in England and Wales,” said chief executive of Women’s Aid, Farah Nazeer.
“We hope this advert will raise awareness and start important conversations about controlling behaviour in relationships.
“Greater awareness and understanding of the behaviours that make up coercive control means that more people will be able to identify it, prevent it and prosecute it.”
Creative director at Engine Creative, Christopher Ringsell, added, “Educating people about Coercive Control through the lens of a Gameshow is an unusual and powerful juxtaposition.”
The advert will feature across social channels and will highlight relationship abuse as not always being physical in nature, but a form of gradually occurring, patterned behaviours, which includes coercive control.
The campaign was launched yesterday 25 November, to coincide with the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
CREDITS
Creative Director: Christopher Ringsell & Jo Moore
Creative: Antonia Clayton
Head of Film: Melody Sylvester
Senior Producer: Laura Melville
Producer: Sabrina May
Assistant Producer: Henry Davies
Logo Design: Hugo Isaacs
Account Management: Marianne Roberts, Eve Bui
Senior Strategist: Katherine Morris
Production Company: Missing Link Films
Director: Alicia MacDonald
Producer: Ben Link
Executive Producer: Heather Link
Production Manager: Sorcha O’Sullivan
DOP: Sam Goldie
1st AD: Tom Reynolds
Production Designer: Matthew Rice
Hair Make up: Holly Miller
Costume: Joanna Valmai Wills
Casting: Sasha Robertson Casting
Editor: Rachael Spann/Rebecca Quinn @Work Editorial
Post-Production: Absolute
Colour : Juliette Wileman
2D Artist : Ben Robards
Animation : Lawrence Scanlon & Hugh Loughrey
Executive Producer : Sally Heath
Producer: Ollie Ireland
Sound: Jungle
Sound Engineer: Ben Leeves
Music: Audio Network
Stock: Shutterstock
