Why is this work relevant for Integrated?

Widespread sexual harassment and a culture of victim-blaming has permeated the busy streets of the Philippines, making it unsafe for people, especially women. For a campaign that fights an issue as serious catcalling, multiple channels are required to successfully push the advocacy and educate both men and women. By utilizing radio, on-ground, and digital, the campaign’s message is present where majority of the target market, particularly the perpetrators, are. An integrated campaign allowed for the advocacy’s reach to be maximized and a have a significant cut-through multiple target markets, even with minimal budget.

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

The idea behind the integrated campaign launch was to use local nursery rhymes with updated anti-catcalling lyrics and sung by manly voices. This use of nursery rhymes was driven by the insight that catcalling and other acts of sexual harassment are essentially juvenile behavior. As for the manly voices, the choice was guided by the desire to enforce the message that respecting women is what real macho men do. The thinking was utilizing a familiar song sung by relatable voices will hopefully be enough to break through and positively change catcallers’ behavior. To complement the jingle’s flavor, colorful, quirky artworks and typography, that reflect the country’s lively streets were created. This visual style makes the campaign not just attention-grabbing, but also more relevant and resonant to our target market. These visual translations were utilized for the campaigns, online and social media efforts, and on ground stickering and educational events.

Describe the strategy

To reach the relevant mass market quickly, the radio jingles were successfully launched on different radio stations. To complement the radio efforts, we gave the campaign a face online, through a website and a Facebook page that was created containing highly educational and engaging content such as online posters and lyric videos to create further awareness through online interaction On ground, a stickering campaign mirroring the anti-catcalling messages were done around areas where catcalling usually happens. Along with that, the team also did small talks among jeepney drivers, barangay officials, and sari-sari store owners, about catcalling and sexual harassment. The consistent and unique communications on-ground were also shared organically online, making a full circle.

Describe the execution

On November 25, 2018, together with the Philippine Commission on Women, Macho Choir was launched to the public in time with the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women. With the help of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas and the Philippine Broadcasting Service, the campaign launched and aired 3 jingles in 722 AM and FM radio stations nationwide. After a few months, Macho Choir launched a website and a Facebook page featuring educational content and downloadable media like lyric videos and posters –increasing the campaign’s reach. Online assets showcase the unique visual style of the campaign that complements the jingle’s local vibe. On-ground stickering efforts and public talks were also staged around this time to spread awareness in areas where most of our target market frequent. The bold, street-style artworks and typeface specifically-created for the campaign worked perfectly in making the on-ground materials look familiar yet stand out.

List the results

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.