CARE Norge: #DearDaddy
CARE Norway challenged Schjærven Reklamebyrå to address the root causes of domestic violence. They needed to move beyond victim-centric messaging to engage men, specifically fathers, who consider themselves "good guys." The goal was to spark a global conversation about how casual sexism and derogatory language create a culture where physical and sexual violence against women becomes possible, even in developed societies.
Creative Idea
An unborn girl narrates her future life to show how casual sexism leads to violence.
A haunting letter from an unborn daughter to her father traces her future life, revealing how casual sexism and "harmless" jokes among men create the cultural foundation for the physical violence she will eventually face as a woman.
The Unborn Voice That Sparked a Global Debate
Zero Budget and Pirated Success
Despite having zero media budget, the film achieved a staggering organic reach of 300 million people worldwide. Its impact was so immediate that before CARE Norway could release official translations, users globally created "pirated" subtitled versions in dozens of languages. The English version alone garnered 7 million YouTube views and 2 million Facebook shares within its first week. Beyond digital metrics, the film was officially integrated into educational curricula for schools and prisons to facilitate discussions on gender - based violence.
The Archetypal Father and the Skiing Reference
Director Jakob Ström and the creative team at Schjærven Advertising Agency specifically included a reference to the father going cross - country skiing. While intended to ground the character as an "archetypal Norwegian man," the sentiment proved so universal that it resonated in markets where skiing is non - existent. The haunting narration was provided by Sarah McDonald, while composer Nina Hobert created the minimalist piano score and the Swedish voiceover.
Inviting Men to the Solution
The production focused on a "life - flashing - before - eyes" POV to illustrate how "harmless" jokes and slurs like "whore" or "bitch" build the foundation for what is now commonly discussed as rape culture. Copywriter Gry Sagvolden noted the goal was to shift the narrative from a "women's issue" to a "father's issue." While the campaign faced backlash from some groups claiming it was sexist toward men, the agency stood by the message that "good men" are the key to dismantling the environment that allows physical abuse to escalate.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
A global humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting social injustice and empowering women through advocacy and education.
Category
PSAs often focus on the victim's suffering or use shock tactics that men easily dismiss as irrelevant to them.
Customer
Fathers want to protect their daughters but fail to see how their own casual sexism enables a violent culture.
Culture
Growing global awareness of "rape culture" and the need for men to take responsibility for systemic gender-based violence.
Company
A global humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting social injustice and empowering women through advocacy and education.
Category
PSAs often focus on the victim's suffering or use shock tactics that men easily dismiss as irrelevant to them.
Strategy:
Reframe passive bystander behavior as active complicity to trigger protective parental instincts in the target audience.
Customer
Fathers want to protect their daughters but fail to see how their own casual sexism enables a violent culture.
Culture
Growing global awareness of "rape culture" and the need for men to take responsibility for systemic gender-based violence.
Strategy:
Reframe passive bystander behavior as active complicity to trigger protective parental instincts in the target audience.
Results
The campaign achieved a staggering organic reach of 300 million people worldwide despite having a zero media budget. The English version alone garnered over 7 million views on YouTube and was shared over 2 million times on Facebook within its first week. It triggered massive national and international debates, leading to its official adoption as an educational tool in schools, prisons, and by NGOs. The campaign was highly decorated, winning a Cannes Lion in Film, a Silver Clio, and multiple Gold and Silver Eurobest awards. It is credited with bringing the term 'rape culture' into mainstream conversation and was translated into dozens of languages, often by users themselves before official versions were released.
300M
Total global organic reach
2M
Facebook shares in first week
$0
Total media budget spent
Strategy Technique
Attack a Cultural Blind Spot
The campaign exposes the invisible link between everyday locker-room talk and extreme violence, forcing men to recognize how their "minor" actions contribute to a dangerous environment for their own daughters.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Show the Future
It uses a "life-flashing-before-eyes" narrative from an unborn child's perspective to dramatize the long-term consequences of current male behaviors, making the abstract concept of "rape culture" feel tangible and deeply personal.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign utilizes a haunting, chronological POV narrative that transforms a personal letter into a universal indictment of cultural complicity.
The script masterfully connects 'harmless' jokes to physical violence through a chillingly logical progression of life events.
The minimalist piano score and haunting voiceover create an intimate, high-stakes atmosphere that demands the viewer's undivided attention.
By targeting 'good men' rather than victims, the campaign generated massive earned media and sparked global cultural debate without paid placement.
The 'life-flashing-before-eyes' structure effectively compresses a lifetime of cultural conditioning into a visceral, short-form narrative.
The synergy between the vulnerable voiceover and the escalating script creates a sense of inevitable tragedy that forces immediate self-reflection.
