Stamma Says ‘Don’t Be a Knob, Don’t Jump In’ with Campaign to Demand the Space to Talk

STAMMA, the British Stammering Association, today marks its 2023 awareness campaign ahead of International Stammering Awareness Day on October 22nd. The new work draws attention to the everyday difficulties that people who stammer experience in simple interactions with companies, such as returning an item.     

Don’t be a knob, don’t jump in, developed by creative agency VMLY&R London, will span online film, cinema, and out-of-home executions across the UK to encourage the public, and companies, to allow people who stammer to finish their sentences.

“People who stammer face being interrupted, hung up on and having their sentences finished on a daily basis,” said Jane Powell, CEO at STAMMA. “Whether it’s ordering a coffee, returning an item of furniture, or reporting a lost credit card; what should be a straightforward experience can be made a nightmare by staff unprepared for people who stammer. We’d love to help end this.”

STAMMA will use the campaign as an opportunity to direct people to stamma.org/DontBeAKnob with information for businesses with training opportunities and resources on working with customers who stammer, whether over the phone or face to face.

The three and half minute satirical hero film, directed by LIAKH through Spindle, follows the surreal customer service experience of ‘Debbie’, (wrongly referred to throughout as ‘Derry’ by the hapless call handling agent ‘Jeff’) who is trying to return a coffin and finds herself being talked over and interrupted. 

“Last night I tried to find out where my food order was and I felt like Debbie. A week ago I wanted to sort out my internet bill and I felt like Debbie. Tomorrow I will be talking to my GP practice and I hope I don’t feel like Debbie, but the odds are not stacked in my favour. This film is dedicated to all Debbie’s and Jeff’s out there. Big shout out to the whole gang for turning this wild script into a powerful film we can all be proud of. And a special thanks to our great and powerful lead Helen for inserting her own family member’s experience with a stammer so well into her character, Debbie.”  - said LIAKH, Director at Spindle

The wider campaign features vibrant out-of-home executions created in collaboration with London-based illustrator, BIFF, known for his distinctive and comedic typography. Each poster humorously plays on the impatience people who stammer face when others finish their sentences with the wrong words.

“Every year we partner with STAMMA and do our best to pluck out some of the boring ad formulas that appear over and over again in current advertising. It’s hard and scary to get right, but I say bring us your coffins, dirty pillows, and offensive customer service cliches, and we’ll make you something that is hard to ignore. Why? It’s actually very simple, because people want to feel and see something that is different. - said Adam Noel, Creative Partner at VMLY&R London

The out-of-home campaign is running in partnership with JCDecaux UK from 18th October, reaching audiences via digital out-of-home screens in locations across the country, while cinema media has been kindly donated by Pearl & Dean to continue the campaign's reach into January 2024, where a 90-second cutdown will run. 

The push for change has been given extra impetus from the Declaration of the Right to Stammer/Stutter. Signed by over 80 organisations internationally so far, STAMMA wants to see companies who support inclusivity and customer satisfaction improve their systems and staff training so that all their goods and services are accessible to ALL their customers.