Title | THE HANDMAID'S TALE |
Brand | SKY TV |
Product / Service | NEON |
Category | B03. Use of Print / Outdoor |
Entrant | DDB NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND |
Idea Creation | DDB NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND |
Media Placement | OMD NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND |
Production | DDB NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Damon Stapleton | DDB Aotearoa/New Zealand | Chief Creative Officer |
Gary Steele | DDB New Zealand/Aotearoa | Executive Creative Director |
James Conner | DDB Aotearoa/New Zealand | Creative Director |
Christie Cooper | DDB Aotearoa/New Zealand | Creative Director |
Sarsha Drakeford | DDB Aotearoa/New Zealand | Art Director |
Renee Bryant | DDB Aotearoa/New Zealand | Copywriter |
Nathaniel Ong | DDB Aotearoa/New Zealand | Digital Copywriter |
Lauren Day | DDB Aotearoa/New Zealand | Digital Art Director |
Karla Fisher | DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand | Lead Business Partner |
Kathryn Hollis | DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand | Mac Designer |
Julz Lane | DDB Group New Zealand | Print Producer |
Rupert Price | DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand | Chief Strategy Officer |
Aaron Hodgson | DDB Group New Zealand | Senior Business Director |
Alex Mortimer | DDB Group New Zealand | Account Manager |
Katy Holden | DDB Group New Zealand | Planner |
Jenny Appel | OMD | Business Director |
Jenny Appel | OMD | Business Director |
Tyla-Maree Cvitanich | OMD | Senior Account Manager |
Minky Stapleton | Minky Stapleton | Illustrator |
Holly Phillips | SKY New Zealand | Brand & Marketing Manager |
To create an authentic experience and aesthetic, craft and media were central to the idea. The inspiration for the design was rooted in grassroots propaganda, so street posters were the obvious medium to convey this. But more importantly, to create an authentic before and after experience, real paint and stencils were required to change the messaging. So while the campaign as a whole could live on multiple channels, outdoor was essential to the activation element - while also adding a layer of texture and context to the design.
With the introduction of multiple new streaming platforms in NZ, NEON needed to not only retain their subscribers but attract new customers as well. The Handmaid’s Tale has long been a symbol of feminism overseas, but its New Zealand audience did not see the relevance to the current cultural conversation that was starting in New Zealand around gender equality. It seemed too unreal. So we had to make people see the relevance of The Handmaid’s Tale in their lives.
The world of The Handmaid’s Tale seems so dystopian, we don’t think that New Zealand could ever slip into a similar state. While New Zealand views itself as a progressive country who has fought for equality in the past, the same can not be said of New Zealand today. Kiwi’s are often shocked when confronted with the reality of our current gender equality policies. In fact, New Zealand’s pay gap is actually increasing, as is domestic violence and women’s unemployment. So when we uncovered the misogynistic views of a select few kiwis - some of whom are lorded as celebrities in New Zealand, we knew the job certainly wasn’t done. We collected tweets, posts, comments and news articles written by New Zealanders that displayed sexist views fit for Gilead. It was unfortunately pretty easy to find.
Currently NEON’s key demographic is older people and males. While The Handmaid’s Tale has a very targeted female following, we needed to open this up to a wider audience. So we created an OOH led campaign to capture the attention of everyone who believes in equality - so basically everyone in New Zealand.
First we researched quotes from real New Zealanders that could easily be mistaken for the misogynistic dialogue in The Handmaid's Tale. We then took these quotes and incorporated them into our propaganda inspired design to show how easily NZ could be Gilead. Then to get behind the handmaid’s revolution and empower the women of NZ, we stencilled over just one word in the headlines to switch the message from one of oppression to one of hope. These executions featured across New Zealand, both on street posters and high-traffic billboards. We even placed an execution featuring Jacinda Arden across from Parliament.
- 5.6 million DTVs for billboards and street furniture - The Handmaid's Tale viewership increased from season 3's premiere. - The Handmaid's Tale was the most watched show in 2 years, beating out Westworld and Game of Thrones.