This 'Body Bag For Her' Sheds Light on the Canadian Femicide Emergency

Every 48 hours a woman in Canada is killed, most often by a man. Because she is a woman. Yet, many Canadians still don’t understand this critical difference between femicide and homicide. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, this one of a kind bag will highlight the difference, and help Canadians understand this national emergency. 

“It’s hard for people to care about something they have never heard of. Femicide is defined by the why; women are being killed because they are women. To make Canadians understand femicide, we had to feminise homicide,” said Alexandra McGuirk-Penedo, senior art director, Forsman & Bodenfors.

This creative campaign, The Body Bag For Her, is a collaboration between Forsman & Bodenfors Canada and Aura Freedom that highlights the femicide emergency by leaning into classic advertising tropes for targeting women. Want to make something feminine? Turn it pink and you have a product “For Her”. These gendered tropes are so ingrained in our society that it became the perfect way to highlight the difference between femicide and homicide.

“We have a tendency in society to treat gender and gender roles as life or death, until it actually is,” said Darby Clarke, senior copywriter, Forsman & Bodenfors.

The hero spot of the campaign takes viewers unknowingly through the journey of creating The Body Bag For Her, before revealing the stark imagery of the pink body bag. It is meant to be shocking, because femicide is shocking. The spot culminates by directing viewers to a petition created by Aura Freedom, that calls on the Government of Canada to declare femicide a national emergency so resources on preventive solutions can be unlocked to address the root causes of femicide and keep women and families safe. Print, OOH, social, influencer marketing and broadcast all direct Canadians to a microsite that houses more information on femicide and the petition.

“We created the For Her campaign to bring public awareness to the sobering realities of femicide in Canada and to demand action from our government. We’re not waiting anymore and we’re not asking nicely. When will women matter enough?” Said Marissa Kokkoros, founder and executive director of Aura Freedom.

For Her is the first collaboration between Forsman & Bodenfors, Veritas Communications and Aura Freedom. The agency team feels very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Aura Freedom on such a meaningful and important message.

Forsman & Bodenfors would like to thank their partners who donated their time and immense effort to this campaign. Veritas Communications provided PR and Influencer support, Twenty6Two provided traditional media, and Nimiopere, Folktale, Alter Ego and TA2 brought this project to life in production and post-production.

The campaign website and petition can be found here where Canadians can come together to urge the government to start treating femicide as the emergency it is.