International Women’s Day is on March 8. In the UK, WCRS worked with outdoor media company Ocean Outdoor, to draw attention to the problem of domestic violence towards women with a digital poster in London’s Canary Wharf business district and a campaign around the day.

On the poster is the face of a woman (there are three in the campaign), shot by Rankin, and marked by bruises. The poster’s message is simply, Look at Me.

If people ignore the poster, nothing happens. But if they do look, what happens next is remarkable even in this age of tech-y creativity.

The screen uses facial recognition technology to recognise when people actively pay attention to the ad and the poster changes in response.

Firstly, whenever someone pays attention to the women’s face, a live video feed that runs along the bottom of the ad as a visual ticker-tape, registers any increase in the number of viewers.

And secondly, as more people take notice, the bruises featured in the image heal – which imprints in the minds of passers-by that not turning a blind eye to domestic violence has positive effects and that anyone can make a difference.

“The simplicity of the ad’s wording and image implicates passers-by in their inactivity before the advanced technology demonstrates how they personally can make a change in the fight against domestic violence by engaging with it,” commented Ross Neil, creative director at WCRS London.

Interactive posters are due to appear in Westfield Shepherd’s Bush and Birmingham Bullring, and static posters in other sites throughout the UK. The campaign will be amplified by a 30 second prime time TV spot on Channel 4 on International Women’s Day.

WCRS also worked with geo-targeting services provider, Geowave, to deliver mobile push notifications to passers-by in the vicinity of the posters, encouraging them to look at the poster sites and linking them to a donation-driving microsite. All of the creative encourages viewers to text ‘CHANGE’ to 70500 to donate £5 to Women’s Aid.

The media space was provided by Ocean Outdoor after WCRS won its creative competition at the end of last year.

Creative credits:
Agency: WCRS
Creative director: Ross Neil
Creative technology: Gon Fernandez, Dino Burbidge & David Gordon
Creatives: Mike Whiteside & Ben Robinson
Agency producer: Sam Child
Planning: Stuart Williams
Photography: Rankin (pro bono)
Post production: Smoke & Mirrors