La Sirena: End The Silence
La Sirena, the Dominican Republic's leading retailer, wanted to address the alarming rates of domestic violence on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Working with Pages Bbdo, they aimed to break the culture of silence that prevents victims from reporting abuse. The goal was to mobilize the entire nation to speak out and provide a platform for reporting.
Creative Idea
Influential TV hosts appeared bruised on live television to trigger public outrage and conversation.
To break the silence surrounding domestic violence, La Sirena had influential female TV hosts appear bruised on live prime - time shows without explanation, using public outrage as a real - time mechanism to "heal" the bruises and encourage reporting.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
The Dominican Republic's largest retailer with massive reach and connections to the country's most influential female media personalities.
Category
Retailers typically focus on promotions or generic CSR messages that fail to spark urgent national conversations about sensitive social issues.
Customer
People felt concerned for the hosts but often ignore the same signs of abuse in their own neighbors or families.
Culture
High rates of domestic violence are sustained by a culture of silence where people look the other way.
Company
The Dominican Republic's largest retailer with massive reach and connections to the country's most influential female media personalities.
Category
Retailers typically focus on promotions or generic CSR messages that fail to spark urgent national conversations about sensitive social issues.
Strategy:
Leverage public empathy for celebrities to mirror and confront the collective silence enabling domestic abuse.
Customer
People felt concerned for the hosts but often ignore the same signs of abuse in their own neighbors or families.
Culture
High rates of domestic violence are sustained by a culture of silence where people look the other way.
Strategy:
Leverage public empathy for celebrities to mirror and confront the collective silence enabling domestic abuse.
Results
The campaign generated massive public engagement and media coverage. Within minutes of the live broadcasts, thousands of posts flooded social networks. The initiative caught the attention of the country's most prominent male journalists, who discussed it on live TV and online. The campaign was featured in numerous news outlets, including El Día, Nuevo Diario, and AM, effectively turning a silent issue into a national conversation. The results demonstrated that by speaking out as a nation, the Dominican Republic could fight for those who cannot be heard.
Thousands
social media posts within minutes
National
media coverage across major news outlets
Prime-time
reach through the country's highest-rated TV programs
Strategy Technique
Attack a Cultural Blind Spot
It confronted the widespread social acceptance of silence regarding domestic abuse by forcing the public to confront the physical reality of violence in a space where it is usually hidden.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Hijack the Medium
The campaign took over the nation's most - watched TV programs and social feeds, using the hosts' physical appearance as a live, interactive medium to dramatize the transition from silence to support.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign's success lies in its bold use of live media and the strategic involvement of high-profile influencers to create a real-time social experiment. The realistic makeup and the synchronized cross-platform execution made the message unavoidable and deeply impactful.
The live, real-time transformation of TV hosts based on social media engagement created a unique and immersive experience for the entire nation.
The strategic use of prime-time TV and the synchronized participation of the country's most influential women ensured maximum reach and impact.
The synergy between live television and social media was crucial, as the public's digital response directly influenced the physical appearance of the hosts on screen.
