Online trolls feel detached from their victims. They write things they might never say to someone’s face.
BBDO New York removes the safety of distance from cyberbullying in its PSA Monica Lewinsky for National Bullying Prevention Month.
In the 60 second BBDO film, In Real Life, people repeat real online abuse to people face to face. But that’s not really the focus of the film. It’s the everyday people who became protectors.
The taunts were collected from social media to demonstrate the dreadful things that people are prepared to sling at others from the safety of a computer keyboard. Both the bullies and the victims were actors, but the passers-by who overheard the abuse and, in some cases, defended those being attacked, were everyday people.
The campaign includes a series of original #BeStrong emojis, stickers and GIFs, created with tech-messaging company Snaps and designer, Kirsty Munn, intended as tools for real life victims and defenders to use to support one another. They can be downloaded as a free keyboard for Apple and Android mobile devices.
“The internet is an incredible tool that has allowed for unprecedented connection and the instant sharing of ideas. But in occupying a disembodied, digital space, we also risk losing our humanity and forgetting that other people are beyond the screen,” stated Lewinsky.
“This campaign is a wake-up call to remind people that our instincts for empathy and caring are still strong. We just need to consciously extend that thinking online.”
Credits
Agency: BBDO New York
Chief Creative Officer, Global: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, BBDO New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Officers: Danilo Boer & Marcos Kothlar
Associate Creative Director (Art Director): Bianca Guimaraes
Associate Creative Director (Copywriter): Roberto Danino
Head of Integrated Production: David Rolfe
Executive Producer: Angela Narloch
Account Directors: Steven Panariello, Lindsey Cash & Carrie White, Account Executive: Nora Stanton
Planning Director: Christina Stoddard
Director of Business Affairs: Bernadette Naughten
Production Company: BBDO Studios
Director: Win Bates
BBDO Studios Lead: Michael Gentile
Executive Producer: Persis Koch
Editing: Work Editorial
Editor: Adam Witten
Producer: Jamie Perritt
Post production: The Mill
Colourists: Fergus McCall & Corey Brown
Producer: Luis Martin
Sound Mix: Heard City
Audio Mixer: Dan Flosdorf
Executive Producer: Gloria Pitagorsky
Music: Human
Composer and Creative Lead: Andy Bloch
Executive Producer: James Dean Wells
