Background

Two out of three women in Germany experience sexual harassment. The assaults are often trivialized by the perpetrators and those around them while the affected often remain silent.
To symbolize the women affected, we used female bronze statues whose breasts are visibly marked due to frequent touching - and made them their advocates. 

With a cross media campaign consisting of OOH installations, AI, as well as online films, DOOH and a website, the important message reached people not only in Germany, but worldwide: Sexual Harassment leaves its mark. And we wanted to finally put an end to this.

UNSILENCE THE VIOLENCE was a stand-alone campaign to draw attention to the issue and not an amplification.

Idea

We made obviously and unconsensually touched statues the centerpiece of our campaign against sexual harassment. The female bronze statues with their golden-shining breasts became advocates for all women affected by sexual harassment.

We depicted the observation that many women are touched "for fun" on their breasts (and other body parts) as prominently as possible on-site. Therefore, we selected statues in public and heavily trafficked areas where people tend to grope their breasts.

It was intended to be a wake-up call and spark a discussion - and that's what it did. 

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Execution

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. That's why we set up the installations for two days in April.

We used three statues – “Juliet” in Munich, “Mrs. Rhine” in Berlin and “The Youth” in Bremen – to symbolize the social problem and made them part of the OOH. Our message "Sexual harassment leaves its mark” was placed right next to or above the shiny breasts. A QR code gave the statues a voice, allowing them to make an individual appeal directly to all viewers.

As each statue has different dimensions and spatial constraints, we created the installation formats for each statue individually.

As the statue in Berlin is a listed monument and therefore not allowed to be touched, we worked with a peephole and kept the prescribed 3m distance. In Munich and Bremen, we placed the message right behind or next to the statues.

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Results

On April 8th we went live and launched an awareness film on TERRE DES FEMMES social media channels and on our campaign website. 

The campaign was picked up by journalists, influencers, feminist activists, and others who spread the message further. 

It was quickly reported on the national and international media that drew attention to the cause.  

With a media budget of €0, UNSILENCE THE VIOLENCE had earned media impressions of 198 million within 48 hours, which corresponds to a media equivalent of €6.6 million+. 455 media reports in 18 countries on 5 continents picked up on it. 

DOOH generated a sponsored reach of 26 million impressions. 

The content was viewed on average 17 times more frequently than usual. The interaction rate was increased by +23%. 

Above all, we were able to help those affected to no longer remain silent, but follow the example of the statues and break the silence. 

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