LOOK AGAIN

TitleLOOK AGAIN
BrandSOUTH KOREA MINISTRY OF GENDER EQUALITY & FAMILY
Product / ServiceFIGHTING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
CategoryA03. Public Affairs & Lobbying
EntrantFLEISHMAN-HILLARD KOREA Seoul, SOUTH KOREA
PR Agency FLEISHMAN-HILLARD KOREA Seoul, SOUTH KOREA
Entrant Company FLEISHMAN-HILLARD KOREA Seoul, SOUTH KOREA

Credits

Name Company Position
Sylvia Shin FleishmanHillard Korea Account Director
Esther Sohn FleishmanHillard Senior Account Executive
Hayden Won FleishmanHillard Account Executive
Violet Kim FleishmanHillard Korea Executive Coordinator
Serena Cho FleishmanHillard Korea Designer

The Campaign

Domestic violence in South Korea doubled in recent years, leading the government to declare it one of the country’s biggest social problems. Shockingly, over 90% of incidents go unreported, and only 1% of perpetrators are prosecuted. A victims’ decision to come forward is heavily influenced by initial responses from police and prevention organizations, many of which see domestic violence as a private family matter. Perceptions and behavior needed urgent change. Koreans had to understand domestic violence is a crime. The idea was to get people to ‘LOOK AGAIN’, urging police, response groups, and the public to be more aware of domestic violence and act on it. Our PR-led initiative used the humble clothesline as a creative device to engage people from all parts of the community hanging ‘LOOK AGAIN’ T-shirt designs on clotheslines across the country to show their support. We amplified the message by taking it from offline-to-online, with supporters uploading selfies of their designs to social media, with a new website, education programs, celebrities, local community activation, and public-private partnerships, all extending the program into a movement. The campaign earned widespread media coverage and conversations supporting the call to end domestic violence for good. Police pledged their support, dedicating additional resources, and the number of officers no longer considering domestic violence a ‘private matter’ rose more than 63%. In less than a year, and on a modest budget, reporting rates for domestic violence more than doubled, from 10 to 22.5%, signaling real attitudinal and behavioral change in action.

The Brief

The South Korean Ministry of Gender Equality and Family wanted to reduce the incidence of domestic violence, in the first instance through increased levels of reporting. The survey of victims, first responders and general public (neighbors and friends) provided insights into what needed to be advocated to achieve the Ministry’s goal. As a result, the Look Again campaign had two primary objectives. Firstly, changing perceptions so domestic violence is treated as a social rather than family issue. Secondly, changing behavior so domestic violence is considered a crime, reported and prosecuted.

Results

Ultimately, measureable behavior change was achieved, with the number of people reporting domestic violence increasing by 22.5%, from 4,503 in 2013 to 5,517 in 2014. We also achieved our goal to change the perception of first responders who play a critical role in encouraging victims to report offences, with the percentage of police officers viewing domestic violence as a “family matter” (rather than a crime) dropping from 57.9% in 2013 to 21.2% in 2014. Furthermore the National Police Agency signed partnership agreements with five women’s rights groups to continue their efforts against domestic violence. Media coverage of the Clothesline Project earned 234 articles (valued at $1,400,000). Online, the video press release was viewed over 130 thousand times and shared on 40 different websites. 8,500 people used the hashtag and the campaign on the donation website Happy Bean, raising $20,000 for domestic violence prevention organizations.

Execution

Conducted in South Korea August through December 2014, the campaign started with a Clothesline Project, where people were asked to design T-shirts which called for action against domestic violence. The activity visualized the campaign to maximize media attention. A media photo call was held with the Police Chief who pledged to combat domestic violence. To accompany the launch, a bespoke website, posters, leaflets and other promotional materials were developed to raise awareness of the issue and campaign. The 8th day of every month was dubbed “LOOK AGAIN DAY”, led by various partners each month, including local government, the police and Women’s Hotline. We leveraged celebrities to further promote the campaign, securing a magazine cover, as well as social media channels through the #LookAgain hashtag, hosted by the Happy Bean donation platform. We also delivered education programs in partnership with organizations such as the Women’s Human Rights Commission of Korea.

The Situation

Despite rapid escalation of domestic violence in South Korea, less than 10% of incidents are reported. A mere 1% of perpetrators are arrested. On average domestic violence has gone unnoticed for a staggering 11 years. A pre-campaign survey found over half of victims don’t want to report family members, similar numbers of neighbors don’t consider it their business and the majority of police see it as a family matter only. The survey also revealed clear correlation between the initial response of emergency services and a victim’s decision to report.

The Strategy

The ambitious PR-led strategy aimed to ensure the campaign generated sustained awareness-raising of the sensitive issue that would positively influence both public opinion and public policy. The campaign strategy centered on three key pillars: to collaborate with key stakeholders such as the police; to raise awareness of the issue among the wider public (both on- and off-line); and to generate momentum through forging partnerships among stakeholders. Using a clever combination of paid, earned, shared and owned media, the campaign targeted first responders to domestic violence as well as the general public focusing on those of marriage and parenting age (20-49 years). As part of efforts to contribute to changes in perception and behavior among audiences, in particular encouraging people to report domestic violence, messages on the issue were switched from traditionally negative language, ‘don’t’, to clear calls to action, ‘do’s’.