The Brief

Violence against women and children has been increasing steadily in Thailand and these crimes are often hard to track. We came up with an effective solution - getting people to monitor in their communities. With Major Cineplex’s cooperation - the most popular cinema chain in Thailand, we transformed the routine soundcheck in their cinemas into “the voices from victims of violence” - projecting their anguish in 360 degree stereoscopic sound. Thus, we effectively communicated to audiences that violence is all around them. If they hear the sounds of violence, they should call the Foundation for Women for counseling or call Hotline 1300 to help the victim. The campaign generated the direct responses, raising small voice scales in cinemas to be big echoes by content power. The social experiment in cinema has not only given people experiential impact, but also appeals them for actions against domestic violence.

Creative Execution

We have to pick the appropriate medium to directly give an experience and information to target audience. To do so, our idea was designed to ask for their cooperation in an instantly memorable and dramatic way, with the cinema used as a medium to deliver an unexpected experience to our target audience. A soundcheck is normally carried out in cinemas before movies are screened. We asked Major Cineplex - the most popular cinema chain in Thailand – for their cooperation as we transformed the routine soundcheck into “the voices from victims of violence” - projecting their anguish in 360 degree stereoscopic sound. It was directly communicated to audiences that violence is all around in real life in a proper context that people is sensitive to what they were hearing which we expect them to act upon by calling the hotline or FFW.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

The violence against women and children needs cooperation from everyone in society. We communicated effectively to the audience that violence is around in real life. To make them realize, and do not ignore the problem. If they hear such sounds of violence, they should check and call the Foundation for Women or call Hotline Number 1300 to help the victim. The campaign first launched in Bangkok where most domestic violence occurs and now the campaign is expanded to other key provinces in Thailand.

Results

During the launch, after the movies finished, "The Anti-Abuse Soundcheck" made the audience realize that all they had to do to tackle domestic violence is simply make a call. The direct response from the interview, many were willing to take the necessary action. Moreover, this simple and impactful idea got the message across instantly and memorably. The uploaded video has been spreading the message directly to online channels. The campaign’s message was heeded by many. It went viral, generating 3.8 million Baht in PR value and earned media. Within the first month of screening, daily calls to Hotline 1300 increased from an average of 4 calls to 20, and visits to the FFW website increased significantly as a result. And due to the positive response in Bangkok, the campaign is being expanded to other key provinces.