Creative Execution

Beyond being just a helpline, TINA was manned by WAO counselors round the clock, effectively making them friends whom victims could talk to in discretion and anonymity, unknown to their partners. And with texting being a relatively flexible method of communication, it made TINA easily accessible to victims as they went about their daily routines. TINA was launched on International Women’s Day on 8th March 2014, and is still live to this date.

The result was over 1,700 texts in a month with over 100 women who otherwise might never have sought help – an increase of 139% from the average number of women calling the existing helpline. In other words, women now had an avenue that allowed them to ask or talk more confidently about what they were facing, helping them to start walking away from abuse before it’s too late. In terms of overall awareness, our campaign gained over 3 million social media impressions and an estimated total of RM1.2 million in earned media value, on a budget of RM10,000 – resulting in 120 times return on investment.

The insight to a victim’s behavior in the early stages of abuse was that they are often in a state of uncertainty, or even denial to the fact that their loved one was abusing them. Calling a helpline is the last thing they would do, but texting a friend about their problems wasn’t out of the question. Hence as part of our No Excuse for Abuse campaign, we created the world’s first live text domestic abuse helpline called TINA – specially designed for victims in the early stages of domestic abuse. TINA was launched nationwide through a series of exhibitions that raised awareness regarding the early stages of abuse. In that window of awareness, victims were introduced to TINA – a counselor and friend who was always just a text message away (SMS and WhatsApp).