Center Against Sexual & Family Violence
During COVID-19, with people confined to close quarters for extended periods of time, the rates of domestic violence have been on a steady climb. Even before, there have been too many victims. As we all know, one is too many. One of the greatest challenges for victims trapped in unhealthy domestic environments is having the certainty that they can move from where they are to a safe situation without compromising their livelihood or their anonymity. When nationality and residence within the country get added to the mix, things become even more complicated. It is always our pleasure to be a part of this type of solution.
Case Study
“We destroyed dangerous misconceptions and confronted uncomfortable challenges to provide hope to those who needed it most.”
CHALLENGE
For undocumented, Spanish-speaking women on the U.S.-México border, deportation and losing custody of their children is a legitimate fear. Domestic violence abusers exploit that fear to keep undocumented victims silent.
El Paso’s Center Against Sexual and Family Violence knew they could help more victims if they realized reporting abuse does not trigger deportation. With a media grant to work with, the CASFV came to Sanders\Wingo to help find the most effective way to reach and engage victims of domestic violence, to let them know that CASFV understands their situation, and to deliver the facts: no one will take your children away, and you cannot be deported for reporting abuse.
INSIGHT
Through agency research using behavioral science methodologies, we uncovered that domestic violence victims experience bounded rationality: the idea that in decision-making, rationality of individuals is limited by the information they have, the cognitive limitations of their minds, and the finite amount of time they have to make a decision. Maintenance of that bounded rationality is a characteristic of an abusive partner. Limiting all intake of new information in any form is essential to maintain control, which limits the effectiveness of a typical brochure.
Repeated exposure to instructions and information is the most effective way to inspire behavior change. This greatly changed the format of the agency’s deliverable.
“You want to say something to a victim that makes her get out of danger right now. But to inspire behavior change that lasts? Fast is not our friend. In order to make a decision that lasts all the way to prosecution, she has to repeatedly digest certain information at her own speed.”
—Rhonda Doré, Lead User Experience Designer
A national survey conducted by Avon also confirmed that victims who are undocumented did indeed stay in the shadows for three reasons; they fear they will...
Be deported if they speak out
Lose their children
Experience more violence
Via a 24-hour hotline, CASFV would be able to walk victims through the process so that they
would not be deported or lose their children. The hotline would always lead to a live human with emergency-situation training to clarify options and provide information and support.
SOLUTION
Create a campaign that would run on the highest-consumed media among the identified target audience of Spanish-dominant Hispanic women aged 18–34: television, radio and out-of-home to address/conquer victim hesitancy and fear of contacting CASFV (or police or other social agencies).
Creative executions included:
Bench ad outdoor creative
:30 television
:30 radio
The executions intentionally avoided showing the expected signs of domestic violence (black eyes, visible fear) to capture attention. Instead, we used one thing a victim’s internal radar would pick up instantly: unpredictable, escalating anger.
The creative executions called on these victims’ familiarity with escalating anger to preface the real facts about deportation and child custody, and urged them to contact CASFV if they knew victims — or if they were victims — of sexual or family violence.
The ultimate consumer takeaway: it’s safe to call for help. An undocumented person will not be deported or lose their children if they press charges against an abuser.
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