Insight
In Turkey, one in every three women are victims of domestic violence. In a society where family comes above everything else, it’s deemed inappropriate for women to actively seek help.
Vodafone believes that technology can be a powerful force for good and this campaign shows just how Vodafone did just that.
Strategy
Working with Y&R Istanbul, Vodafone developed an app that would help women during attacks, one in which they could secretly seek help.
The Vodafone Red Light Application used mobile technology through a hidden flashlight app. If a woman was in danger, all she had to do was shake her phone, while the Shake & Warn feature secretly sent messages to three contacts along with her exact location, requesting assistance.
Execution
To spread awareness of an app which only works if it is kept secret, Vodafone hid messages in places that no man would ever see them, for example in lingerie labels, wax strips, female toilets and via a female blogger online through tutorials with the secret message hidden deep inside the content.
The agency estimated that the secrecy would last 10 months before the app would slowly be exposed and become useless. That’s when it moved to phase two…
Y&R launched an update that turned the flashlight into a mirror application – once again, using hidden message to announce the change. If any men attempted to watch these videos, the agency tempted to lure them away with banner ads that would direct them elsewhere.
Hidden inside a shareable cosmetics discount, the message appeared only when it was copied and pasted. All of Vodafone female subscribers were informed through an automated voice system about the function of the app. They were also given the option to share the voice message with their friends to help promote it. The system would recognise if a man answered the phone so instead he would hear a generic promotional offer from Vodafone.
Results
Over 254,000 women have downloaded the application – that’s 24% of all women with smartphones in Turkey. The app has been activated over 103,122 times.
This campaign was awarded a Cannes Lions Media Grand Prix in 2015.