Background

In the Philippines, 88% of Filipinas are harassed at least once in their lives, 58% of these abuses happen on the streets and 78% occur during daytime. This is partly because of a lack of legislation punishing sexual harassment in public places and partly due to misogynistic ignorance – with some believing that whistling and sexually-fueled “compliments” are macho, and others believing that being harassed is the woman’s fault. The Philippine Commission on Women believes that women should be treated with respect regardless of religion, race, status, and sexuality. The Macho Choir campaign was launched with the objective of making the streets a safe space for all, especially women, by educating everyone that catcalling is harassment and speaking up against it is encouraged and necessary. The radio spots and website give the campaign a nationwide and global reach, while the on-ground stickers zoned in on key locations in Metro Manila.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

Operating on the insight that catcalling is a juvenile behavior, we crafted a communications campaign that will best resonate to the child-like characteristics of perpetrators of catcalling themselves. After the launch of nursery rhyme-inspired jingles on radio, we designed our visual communications with illustrations to look like cartoons, consistent to the child-like theme of the campaign. This way, we can easily communicate to the public that catcalling is a serious issue and move them to take action in making public spaces safer for women. The campaign aims to target the general public with focus on public places such as construction sites, jeepney and other transport terminals, schools, plazas, and other spaces with high foot traffic. Secondary target audience are policy makers who has a say on fast tracking the implementation of the law against catcalling and other forms of sexual harassment.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

We designed the illustrations to look like cartoons by using bold colors and playful caricatures to reinforce that catcalling is juvenile behavior. With our audience being always on the go, using neon colors proved to help make the illustrations pop and become noticeable where people see Macho Choir. An original typeface was developed that was heavily-inspired by jeepney signages. This design rationale creates a way to cascade Macho Choir into lyric videos, stickers, online content, and more. Essentially, the ultimate aim is to make the materials as ubiquitous as possible and bring the conversation where catcalling is happening—the streets of Metro Manila. By communicating to the public, and by extension the perpetrators, at a level that resonates with them and with visuals they can relate to with a message worth spreading, we just might be able to collectively educate and affect societal behavior.

List the results (20% of vote)

After the campaign was launched, people started singing Macho Choir praises. Comments on the campaign’s Facebook and YouTube pages were overwhelmingly positive, with both men and women voicing their support for the campaign and calling for real action against sexual harassment. On just the first month, the campaign already achieved 2 Million organic reach. The website averaged 2,500 daily views during the campaign’s peak. Several news outlets also picked up and covered the campaign. Impressed by the positive messaging, the KBP and SBP helped give Macho Choir radio jingles Php147 Million worth of free media. While these numbers are impressive for a campaign with very limited budget, the most impactful result happened six months after the launch when Senate Bill 1326 or Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act was signed into law, finally penalizing catcalling or other forms of sexual harassment in public areas in the whole country.