Innocean Australia and White Ribbon Urge Men to Help Stop Violence Against Women
Innocean has partnered with White Ribbon Australia for this year’s White Ribbon Day campaign on 17 November. The campaign, “There’s No Good Reason”, created by Innocean, is launching nationally today, following extensive research confirming the crucial need for White Ribbon Australia to exist and successfully engage men in the campaign to end violence against women.
White Ribbon Australia appointed Innocean in February this year for a brand and communications relaunch.
One in three women in Australia experience physical violence from the age of 15 on average, and one woman is killed every nine days by a current or former partner. This year alone 43 women have died as a result of men’s violence.
A nationally representative research study, conducted by Innocean, indicated that Australian men are shockingly reticent to take action. While 86% of men acknowledged that they play a critical role in the prevention of violence against women, a mere 6% have actively helped (via monetary donations, volunteering time, educating themselves or others).
There is a high degree of confusion about what men’s roles could and should be. The campaign aims to raise awareness and engage the “moveable middle” Australian male to act, by juxtaposing real news articles about violence against women, with the reasons men hold for not leaning in or intervening to help stop violence against women.
A key part of the campaign is a special edition newspaper called The Daily Issue to call attention to the frequency with which violence against women still occurs. The newspaper – which will be distributed nationwide – demonstrates the scale of the problem in Australia; the 500 articles reprinted within represent just 1% of the roughly 48,000 stories published about violence against women in 2023 alone.
A total of 2,000 copies of the newspaper have been printed and will be distributed nationally to politicians, journalists, influencers, publications and men’s groups.
Melissa Perry, CEO of Communicare, said, “As the custodian of White Ribbon Australia, Communicare’s 30-year experience in the sector has shown that we cannot address this chronic social problem if we don’t drive change for victim-survivors, those with lived experience and for men who use violence. Men have a significant influence in their communities and can be powerful advocates for change.
“With this campaign we urge all Australians, particularly men, to educate themselves about the realities of domestic violence, challenge harmful attitudes and beliefs when they see them, and speak out against violence in all its forms.
“In particular, we need men to actively participate in creating a society where women can live free from violence, with support from all levels of government to make this ambition a reality.”
Innocean CEO, Jasmin Bedir, said, “White Ribbon Australia exists because of the more than 2.2 million* acts of sexual violence that have been inflicted on women in Australia. Our proprietary White Ribbon Australia 2023 research study^ indicated that while 86% of men recognise the severity of the issue, only 6% actively engage, often citing a lack of tools and understanding as barriers. When asked why this is the case, many men believe 'It's not my problem' or 'It doesn't affect people I know,’ which is unfortunately not true.
“But the thing is, there’s no good reason for men not getting involved in the cause against men’s violence against women. Our ‘There’s No Good Reason’ campaign is inviting men to step up and do more.”
Wesley Hawes, Innocean Australia executive creative director, said, “A newspaper’s worth of violence might be the reality check Australian men need. It’s a confronting piece that we all found personally difficult to work on and assemble. The use of the real reasons men give for ignoring the issue seem so insignificant in comparison to the tragic and often harrowing stories depicted in the articles themselves.”
The campaign launches in the lead up to White Ribbon Day on 17th November and is supported through multiple channels, including national TV, out-of-home, radio and social.
Innocean has also created a digital and social media experience to demonstrate how violence could be affecting the women in people’s lives and to highlight the important signs to look out for. Based on a person’s social media followers, the tool calculates the number of women the users are following and, informed by statistics, determines the frequency with which these women have been subjected to acts of violence. Off the back of the digital experience, users received a personalised asset that can be shared on social media.
