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Advertising Attacks Domestic Violence

8/24/2018

25 Comments

 
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by David Hagenbuch, founder of Mindful Marketing & author of Honorable Influence

An Ohio State assistant football coach repeatedly beat his wife.

A Colorado man allegedly murdered his pregnant wife and their two daughters.
 
A week rarely goes by without another disturbing story of domestic violence.  In the United States, 20 people are abused by an intimate partner every minute.  It’s reasonable to think that such a mass problem requires a mass media solution, but is advertising the answer to decreasing domestic violence? 
 
The United Kingdom’s National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) thought so.  The organization that provides “free, fast and effective legal support to survivors of domestic violence and abuse” enlisted the services of world-renown marketing firm J. Walter Thompson (JWT) to produce an anti-abuse ad campaign that ran in Europe during the recent FIFA World Cup.
 
The “Not-So-Beautiful Game” campaign’s target marketing and timing were insightful:  Unbeknown to most of us, there is an unfortunate “correlation between domestic abuse and [soccer].”  In England, for instance, domestic violence increases by 26% when its national team plays, and if it loses, incidents rise by 38%.
 
Such alarming statistics encouraged the NCDV and JWT to unleash a jarring counterattack.  The ad campaign featured very graphic images of the results of physical abuse, each with a specific soccer team tie-in.  For instance, two bandages resembling a Swiss cross barely covered the large gash on a young woman’s bruised right cheek, while the caption read “If Switzerland gets beaten, so will she.”
 
Another gruesome image was a straight-on shot of the lower third of a young woman’s face, stained and still dripping bright red blood from her nose and lips.   The caption read, “If England gets beaten, so will she."  Among other media, the ads appeared on Instagram and billboards.
 
A few years ago, I did a study of shock advertising and found, among other things, that marketers have long used startling words and images to gain attention for everything from clothing to fast food.
 
Nonprofit organizations seem especially open to employing shock, probably because they find it easier to rationalize it for what are arguably more noble ends, like alleviating hunger and decreasing smoking.  It’s not surprising, therefore, that the NCDV campaign was not the first to use shock in the fight against physical abuse.  For instance, a few years ago, the Salvation Army of South Africa invoked social media’s famous “black and blue” dress in an ad that showed a woman covered in bruises, with the caption “Why is it so hard to see black and blue?”
 
Such ads certainly grab attention, but are they effective in accomplishing the creators’ objectives, e.g., decreasing domestic violence?  The results I found were mixed:  In some instances the target market responded as intended, but in other cases the shock was ineffective or even counterproductive; for instance, it pushed people further from the purpose of the ad because graphic images and language repulsed viewers or overshadowed the ads’ unique selling proposition.
 
Regular readers of this blog know that effectiveness is only one of the assessments that Mindful Marketers make.  The other involves ethics.  In terms of shock, even if it works, should advertisers use it to combat domestic violence?  Is shocking people the right thing to do?
 
I don’t know the results of NCDV’s “Not-So-Beautiful Game” campaign, so I’d like to consider the ads’ efficacy and ethicality by posing four specific questions:

1.
Were the ads actually a deterrent?  A key assumption of the NCDV ads seemed to be that potential abusers would see close-ups of the blood and gore and resolve not to do that to someone.  Maybe that motivation works; I honestly don’t know, but it’s easy to imagine that the gruesome visuals could have the opposite effect, i.e., they set off in people predisposed to such violence a visceral reaction similar to sharks sensing blood in the water.
 
Whenever marketers develop ads, it’s critical that they understand the target market’s underlying reasons for acting.  In the case of domestic violence, maybe it would be more effective to appeal to perpetrators’ fear of arrest, like many drunk driving ads do.  Or, perhaps these abusers would be motivated by concern over lower self-esteem (“Don’t be a coward”) or by lost love (“She will leave you”).


2. Did the campaign increase desensitization?  Studies have found that the more people are exposed to violence, the more desensitized they become to it.  The principle of marginal utility supports these findings: The more we have of something, the less satisfaction we gain from getting one more of that thing.

We should wonder what the impact is of increased shock advertising on all of us.  Sixty years ago, a huge bloody billboard would have left most people aghast.  Today it takes much more to move us.  The scariest part is if shock like that of the NCDV’s ads desensitizes the general public to violence, it’s also desensitizing those who are likely to commit violence against others.

3. Do people deserve to be ambushed?  Yes, life is full of surprises, but should someone walking down a city street have to come across a large billboard with a blood-soaked face?  Or, should a person innocently surfing the web have to see a close-up of a severely bruised and gashed cheek? 

For most people, such graphic images are outside the realm of ordinary life.  They should have a say in whether they want to see them or not.  It doesn’t seem right for advertisers to confront people with such visuals without fair warning or giving them the ability to opt out.

4.
Who else saw the ads?  The previous question leads naturally to this final point.  Advertising is by definition mass communication, which is inherently hard to control, at least when it uses traditional media.  A company can choose a billboard based on a location that the target market frequents, but there’s nothing to stop others outside the target market from being exposed to the same message. 

That lack of audience selectivity is inefficient, but the bigger problem pertains to those who could be traumatized by shocking images, namely children.  Advertisers also should consider the increasingly large number of people who have been victims of domestic violence.  They don’t deserve to be vividly reminded of their experience when walking down a street or browsing online.
 
Advertising that employs shock, like the “Not-So-Beautiful Game” campaign, often rationalizes that ‘the ends justify the means.’  That line of thinking is highly questionable.  It’s also unclear whether such advertising actually produces net benefits.  The NCDV’s ads may have been well-intended, but they were most likely “Mindless Marketing.”


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25 Comments
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9/1/2018 03:09:14 am

I’m impressed, I must say. Really rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is something that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to this.

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Autumn Bank
9/13/2018 10:37:49 am

This blog post was very well written, and discussed the issue of domestic violence or violence in general in a way that makes you really consider how we should spread the word about this horrible issue in our society. It addresses the issue of how advertisers should portray an issue like this to the mass media without it being too offensive or sensitive. I understand what the UK's National Center for Domestic Violence was trying to do when they put these particular ads out, but I personally think that it could have been done in a more sensitive way. Advertisers need to realize that this issue is such a reality for so many people, that showing the aftermath of domestic violence probably isn't the best way to get the main point across. I understand the ads were trying to get people's attention and not sugar coat the problem, but if I were someone who suffered from domestic abuse, I would not want to see an ad that is a constant reminder of what I have gone through. I'm curious if these advertisements were a big success, or if there was some backlash after they were released.
I think a good alternative for an ad like this would be to see if survivors of domestic abuse would be willing to share a brief part of their story. I know personally I love hearing people's stories and how they overcame things, and I think this would be a better way to spread the word about domestic abuse in a more appropriate way. I think having shock value in an ad is not always the right way to go about it because people will either be desensitized to the issue, or they will be turned off to the organization/issue they are addressing because it is too much for them to handle. It is always going to be a difficult thing to create the most appropriate ad when talking about deep/sensitive issues like this one.

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Mary S.
9/13/2018 10:24:43 pm

If someone told me that one day, in order to raise awareness about domestic abuse, people would put advertisements to try to stop it, I would not have believed it. It is so sad how far people would go for a certain cause, even if it is meant to be a good one. I do agree that the advertisements are not mindful, and that although it could have caused awareness for some people, it probably offended more people. To teach adults, that have grown up in abusive homes, to not hurt another person is not as productive as some may think. I believe that instead of spending time, resources, and risk on advertisements, they should be teaching young children that it is not alright when someone is hurting another human being; and it is not alright if they hurt someone else. Children who grow up in abusive homes either decide that they will be completely different, or they become worse than their role models. That is why raising awareness in children may be the best option, or opportunity, to prevent bullying, abuse, and domestic violence.

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Hannah B
9/25/2018 08:53:15 pm

Domestic violence is an issue plaguing countless societies. Typically, when a problem occurs, people attempt to remedy the issue. Professor Hagenbuch discusses numerous concepts that should be addressed when viewing the “Not-So-Beautiful Game” campaign. Although the initial intent of the campaign was probably positive, there are multiple considerations marketers must ponder when dealing with domestic violence. Personally, I found the marketing to be quite inventive. Marketers found an issue and cleverly addressed it. Professor Hagenbuch comments, “In England, domestic violence increases by 26% when its national team plays, and if it loses, incidents rise by 38%.” I found this statistic to be quite concerning. In response to this issue, marketers coined the term “If _____ gets beaten, so will she”. This saying is not only powerful, it also draws attention. Unfortunately, not all attention is good attention, and the use of gruesome pictures can have some adverse effects. If the ad displays a bloody woman, and the perpetrator of the violence enjoys seeing blood, he might engage in domestic behavior. Also, through viewing constant images with gore, society will become more desensitized. This is another adverse effect of the campaign. Instead of promoting an end to domestic violence, people just become less aware of the negative effects of domestic violence. The “Not-So-Beautiful Game” campaign unfortunately does not take into account the people viewing the images. Therefore, a young child might witness something he or she was not prepared to see. Overall, although the intent was probably positive, this campaign should not be allowed to be aired. This campaign is definitely mindless marketing.

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Serlique Woodside
9/26/2018 03:33:40 pm

Advertising delicate subjects such as this one always seems to find a way to go wrong. There is a fine line between “shock” and exploitation. Many of the graphic images are triggering and can bring back memories to victims. Not only that, but the entire point of blaming a soccer team, in a sense for winning or losing a game is completely pointless. It gives people the wrong image. When I saw “If Switzerland/England gets beat so will she”, it seems almost mocking and counterproductive. Furthermore, majority of these advertisements only show one aspect of abuse (mostly physical abuse directed to adult females). This does nothing for the “awareness” aspect of the campaign. For that reason, I agree that it is mindless marketing.

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Nicole Radcliffe
9/26/2018 10:33:54 pm

This article made some very good points that I probably would not have thought about myself. When I saw that it was about advertisements about domestic abuse I wondered how an advertisement like that would be accepted by the public. It is such a sensitive issue that may trigger bad feelings for many people. Since it is such a significant topic that affects so many people more likely in a negative way I wonder how advertisers thought it would be a promising idea to publish it so publicly. Survivors or victims of domestic abuse may have been affected negatively after seeing an advertisement like that. I think that it was a good point when it was discussed that the advertisement should be like the advertisements to not drink and drive. I believe that an abuser would have the reaction that advertisers are looking for if they created the fear of arrest, attacked their self-esteem, or threaten the loss of love. I think this would have a better outcome than the campaign ran because if a man is abusing his significant other he has probably already has seen her wounded with the real scars and bruises that the ad was displaying. If the abuser has already seen it on the person, they supposedly love then they are not going to be deeply affected by seeing someone that they do not know have the same bruising. Another good point brought up is the desensitization that this generation has. The advertisements were graphic. But that is something that this generation is used to because of all the games and television that everyone watches. By being desensitized to the gruesomeness of the situation, that makes it more likely that abuse can happen. I agree that this was mindless marketing.

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Dinah
9/27/2018 10:18:09 am

Although the intention behind these advertisements are good, I do not feel like it is the best way to do something about domestic violence. I feel like seeing these sort of ads are damaging for women and children who are living with domestic violence and do not have the voice to speak up. If anything it just brings back horrible memories and lowers their self esteem even more. The offender may see the ad and feel guilty, but 60 second commercial is not enough to change ones actions. The only way I would see this as mindful is that people who do not suffer from domestic violence become more aware of what happens around them, and this may be an encouragement for them to speak up for a friend who they know suffers from domestic violence. Other than that I feel like it is mindless marketing to have to see your nightmare every time you turn on the tv, buy a newspaper, or get in your car.

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Rebecca Isaac
9/27/2018 11:06:05 am

Since a lot of the blog post I believe clearly and efficiently stated some facts about this topic and the advertisements effectiveness, I want to solely focus on the first question that was asks in this blog, which is “is advertising the answer to decreasing domestic violence?” I will mainly be giving my opinion based comments since I do not have the resources nor the time to complete a thorough research study on this topic. To figure this question out, I believe we have to ask two additional questions, I will then attempt to answer these questions.
The first question is this, “Does advertising against domestic violence stop or deter a potential perpetrator from committing a domestic violent crime?”. I believe the answer to this question is no. I do not believe that a potential perpetrator who watches one of these advertisements is going to change their minds about what they already have engrained in their mind.
The second question is this, “Does advertising against domestic violence bring enough awareness to actually gain people to stand up against domestic violence?” This is a harder questions as I believe that the right kind of advertising in this area could possibly gain a large amount of people support to take a stand. However, without the right kind of advertising, I do not think that it will have a big enough impact to gain enough peoples support to actually do something and stand up against domestic violence.

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Jessica Danner
11/2/2018 01:19:57 am

I enjoyed this post because I think it is very important to bring attention to the huge problem of domestic abuse. I found the statistic about the correlation of domestic violence and soccer to be very eye opening. I think that these kind of advertisements could potentially have negative effects and could increase the danger spouses are in.

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Marketing Student
11/3/2018 05:48:06 pm

Thank you for the insightful post! I learned so much from your observations and was able to see the negative and positive effects of 'shocking' advertising methods. As someone who wants to pursue an occupation in the non-profit field, this was beneficial to know. Your questions were very insightful and thought provoking.

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Ingrid Prichard
11/5/2018 02:13:38 am

The example that stood out to me in this article of a non-profit utilizing shock to effectively communicate organization was the Salvation Army of South Africa's campaign, “Why is it so hard to see black and blue.” I experienced the shock of the message just from the title, so much so that I grabbed a friend and told her about it. The question posed from that is if the shock of the message was effective in spurring me on to awareness and action. Does the message decrease domestic violence? I feel like this add just grew my awareness and sensitivity towards the subject. I think a campaign needs to supply action steps for the day to day reciever. It seems that they are attempting to evoke emotion from the wrong audience. I would agree that predators may need more of a scare than a shock or sad visual.

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Angelique Calvillo
11/5/2018 09:20:48 pm

This is definitely an interesting and uncommon ad, one in which I had never heard of. Not only had I not heard of it, I didn't think about what this would look like when being advertised through commercials. I would find it to be to abrupt, when an individual is watching a comedic or romantic movie and a serious ad comes on with graphic visuals of beaten women. I found the statically information really intriguing when recognizing that 20 women are facing domestic violence in a minute. I believe like human trafficking , child abuse, and other violent crimes, should be treated with cation and care.

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10/28/2020 07:51:06 pm

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