Glenn was only 15 when he took a nude selfie with his mobile phone. He sent it without expecting repercussions. He was wrong – the image spread online, causing severe emotional turmoil for Glenn. In the end, he took his own life.
On 18 November – the European Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse – VML Belgium and Child Focus did something that might seem unthinkable. They reactivated Glenn’s phone. But the cause was a good one: to prevent young people from finding themselves in the same position.
Those who called Glenn reached his voicemail. After briefly hearing his voice, they were asked to contribute to a petition demanding better protection for minors. The news about Glenn and his phone was spread via online videos featuring Belgian celebrities, a TV spot, a radio spot, digital out of home and an online campaign film. The website also featured the emotional testimony of Glenn’s mother.
In just 24 hours, more than 25,000 people had signed the petition – the figure required for government attention. Klaartje Galle, Chief Creative Officer of VML in Belgium, talked to us about the origins of the campaign, while stressing that she spoke on behalf of the entire team – notably ECDs Kasper Janssens and Arjen Tarras.
Mutual understanding
“We have been working with Child Focus for 10 years now, and they have become a very important and trusted client,” Klaartje explains. “We have built a strong relationship based on mutual trust and understanding. Each year, we run two campaigns: one focused on sexual abuse against children and the other on missing children. This particular campaign was about abuse. The issue of nudes was already part of the briefing, so we naturally explored how to address it.”
Approaching the sensitive topic was less difficult than might be expected, because Child Focus is able to engage with victims and their families. “Everything we do is built on trust – from our relationship with the client to Child Focus’s connections with its partners, parents, and families. That trust is essential to making these campaigns impactful.”
Even so, it must have been difficult finding a family willing to speak out? Klaartje says: “We conducted research with several parents. At first, some were open to participating, but after discussing it with their families, they found it too difficult. Seeing the campaign in the media would force them to relive painful memories. Glenn’s mother was the one who ultimately agreed to participate. She felt a sense of duty to share her story, believing it could help protect other families and children. For her, it was about prevention. She acknowledged that taking part would be painful, but she was willing to do it because she had a greater purpose.”
An authentic message
Tact and sensitivity came naturally to the agency team, Klaartje adds. “Everybody who worked on this is also a parent, so we could empathise with the pain Glenn’s mother felt at the moment and was still feeling. Because of that empathy, she was very at ease with us from beginning to end.”
Glenn’s phone became the core of the idea because, to put it bluntly, it was the equivalent of a murder weapon – it led to him taking his own life. Once that was decided, how did they go about reactivating his phone, and resurrecting his voice? AI was not used, says Klaartje.
“We contacted Glenn’s telecom provider and found that his old number was still available. So we reactivated it. We also discovered a saved voice recording on their database, allowing us to use his real voice. It was just as it had been before he passed away. Additionally, we worked with the provider to expand the voicemail capacity beyond the usual limit of 20 messages. In Belgium, all voicemail systems use the same automated voice, so we reached out to the original voice actor to record a custom message for this project.”
Emotionally powerful
The PR campaign’s clear call to action had an immediate impact, helped by Belgian influencers such as musician and presenter (and former punk rock drummer) Sean Dhont, who’d been exploited in a similar way in the past. Along with the significant launch date, which helped generate press coverage, the project’s emotional punch encouraged wide sharing. “Glenn’s story is very powerful – it grabs you by the throat, as we say. A lot of people reacted to it.”
Even so, she admits the team wasn’t expecting to reach its goal of 25,000 signatures on the first day. “We hoped to get there eventually, but not so soon.” At the last count, the count had risen to more than 37,000. Glenn’s line is still active, but the campaign has already achieved a major objective.
“Because we had the required number of signatures, the government assigned a Commissioner to the project – and the first thing he did was make it part of the school programme. So when they’re talking about this issue, teachers can actually call the number. This is a really vital part of a young person’s education today, because obviously they all have phones. Anything like this that can be done to inform and protect them is hugely important.”
Klaartje observes that working on a project like this is fulfilling. “Obviously we’re delighted that it won a Grand Prix, but the real win for us is making a difference in the world. If we had to choose between a prize and the result we achieved for Child Focus, we’d always choose the result.”
The Epica Awards Responsibility Grand Prix is sponsored by ACT Responsible.
