Today the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Ogilvy UK unveiled a bold new campaign to empower men and boys to say ‘Maaate’ to their mates, to challenge misogynistic male behaviour against women and girls nationwide. ‘Say Maaate to a mate’ is a fully integrated campaign combining creativity and behavioural science, and collaborations with comedian Romesh Ranganathan, social media activist Max Selwood and Top Boy and Noughts + Crosses director Koby Adom.
Last year the Mayor of London encouraged men to ‘have a word’ when they witnessed misogyny among their friends in Ogilvy UK’s celebrated marketing campaign. This year The Mayor of London suggests what that word could be: Maaate. One word innovatively seeded into popular culture using fly posters, billboards, a Romesh comedy set, a GIF, a partnership with LadBible and Influencers - all leading towards a seamless interactive film with 270 possible narratives, shot by Koby Adom, in collaboration with Vimeo.
Many of Ogilvy UK’s businesses again rallied to the cause. Advertising, Behavioural Science, Social, PR and Influence all worked together to create a broadcast film, flyposters, billboards, social assets, partnerships, media coverage and influencer engagement to deliver impact on a grand scale.
Jules Chalkley, Chief Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy UK: “Our first Mayor of London project, #HaveAWord, set out Sadiq’s long-term ambition to eradicate violence against women in London. Our second campaign #Maaate, embeds behavioural science at the heart of a unique and multidisciplined creative platform to give young men the tools to understand when they see misogyny, and enable them to stop it safely. By focusing on a simple expression of a single word in different media, our aim is to create something that allows sexist behaviour to be addressed at its root cause.”
Informed by a ground-breaking, in-depth behavioural science study conducted by Ogilvy Consulting, the campaign helps men and boys confidently step in when they witness misogyny. The interactive film is a tool for men and boys to help determine when, where and how to call out inappropriate language. The interactive short depicts a conversation between a group of twenty-something year old men and adopts the style of a ‘choose-your-own ending’ game. Its immersive design provides viewers with the opportunity to intervene – by clicking ‘Maaate’. The film is being promoted through PR, a Lad-Bible partnership & content, Influencer outreach, as well as a paid social campaign plan on Reddit, Tik Tok and Snapchat.
“I hate to call it a film because it’s more than that. It’s a tool for change. A practice run. A game if you will, that demonstrates the power of one word to stop low level misogyny in its tracks. The craft is mind blowing. Filmed by Koby Adom from RSA, we worked with Vimeo to create an experience that contains around 270 branches of content sitting under one seamless narrative, repurposing the skip button for an immersive experience.” Nicola Wood and Andy Forrest, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy UK
The launch comes as new research commissioned by Ogilvy PRrevealed the shocking prevalence of misogyny in society and a lack of awareness around how to tackle it. To support the Mayor’s campaign, comedian Romesh Ranganathan performed a comedy set last month at the Soho comedy club to introduce the ‘Maaate’ intervention to the public. The set has been viewed by 2.5million people online and had massive engagement.
Romesh Ranganathan: “I’m backing this campaign because we can no longer allow sexism and misogyny to be dismissed as ‘banter.’ By asking men and boys to say ‘Maaate’ to a mate we can be better friends to each other and better allies to women and girls. As men, we have a responsibility to work together to stop sexist and misogynistic behaviour. Whether it’s in the classroom, the boardroom or onstage, everyone deserves to be treated with respect.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan: “My new campaign recognises that male violence against women and girls often starts with words. That’s why I’m determined to ensure that men and boys feel empowered to call out their mates when their behaviour crosses the line. ‘Maaate’ is a simple and effective intervention that can help stop problematic language and behaviour in its tracks. Last year I urged men and boys to challenge sexist behaviour and misogynistic attitudes with my award-winning ‘Have A Word’ campaign. Now, we’re giving them the word to say. It is only by ensuring that women and girls are both protected and respected that we can continue to build a better, safer London for everyone.”
David Fanner, Consultant, Ogilvy UK Consulting’s Behavioural Science Practice: “We spent hours observing and interacting with men in male-dominated spaces – from bars and barbershops to the barbell section of gyms – in order to truly understand the male psyche in relation to tackling misogyny and sexism. This diligence enabled us to uncover a completely new approach to the fight against misogyny. We found that men don’t want to shame or ostracise their mates, they want to call them out with respect and levity. This insight sits at the heart of our ‘say Maaate’ approach which we are confident will empower men to challenge inappropriate behaviour in an effective way. A solution like this can only be truly successful when you have the rigour behind it."
Koby Adom, director, writer and executive producer: “Having grown up in a household surrounded by strong women, this issue holds immense personal significance for me, but it’s only when we come together that we can truly foster a society that values and respects women universally. The creative vision behind our mini film was to authentically capture the experience of witnessing misogyny and provoke a visceral response from the audience, prompting them to recognise the injustice on a personal level. By crafting a raw and vivid presentation, our aim was to engage viewers on a profound level and compel them to join the conversation surrounding tackling misogyny. Male violence against women and girls can start with words. If you see it happening, have a word with yourself, then your mates. It’s time we kick these rotten attitudes out of our city and society for good.”
Ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
Ogilvy PR’s Mayor of London research:
- Ogilvy PR commissioned independent research with Censuswide, which surveyed 1,002 men aged 19-34 in Greater London, to understand the potential impact the film could have and be the backbone of our PR headlines.
- 75% of young men in London had witnessed misogyny – 96% of whom had seen such behaviour among their family, friends and acquaintances – but only 24% of them would call it out every time
- Of those who didn’t feel able to call out misogynistic behaviour, 1 in 5 said they weren’t sure how to do so (21%) or didn’t know what to say to intervene (20%)
- 73% of young men in London agree misogyny and violence against women go hand in hand and needs to stop, but over half (54%) feel that misogynist behaviour is the norm within their culture
- Of those who didn’t feel able to call out misogynistic behaviour in their friends, acquaintances or family members, 1 in 5 said they weren’t sure how to do so (21%) or didn’t know what to say to intervene (20%).
Having watched the video:
- 76% of viewers felt more equipped to identify misogynistic behaviour and 58% felt regret over not calling it out before
- 66% said they now feel empowered to intercept misogynistic behaviour and 67% said they plan on calling out family or friends as a result
- More than half (58%) said that they would use ‘Maaate’ as an intervention when they see misogynistic behaviour.
Backed by Ogilvy Consulting’s in-depth behavioural science study, including linguistics insights and hours of rigorous research, the term ‘Maaate’ was chosen as a small and familiar word that can make a big difference and support men and boys in challenging the sexist behaviours and misogynistic attitudes that can lead to women feeling unsafe and being at risk of male violence. The study explored the blockers that currently prevent men from speaking up against such behaviour and found that shaming people does not help challenge misogyny or sexism among peers. Instead, the most effective way to do it is from a place of respect for the friendship. The campaign is part of the Mayor’s refreshed strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG), encouraging all of society to play their part and putting the onus of responsibility on men and boys to change the way they perceive, treat and talk about women.
Director of End Violence Against Women, Andrea Simon: “The End Violence Against Women Coalition has been calling for long term public campaigns to shift the sexist attitudes that drive violence against women and girls. To address this abuse we need to challenge and change the attitudes that trivialise abuse and blame victims, and instead create a more equal society in which can we hold each other accountable. Too often, campaigns are targeted at women and girls - wrongly placing the responsibility on us to ‘keep ourselves safe’. But ending violence against women is everyone’s business. That’s why we welcome the Mayor’s focus on engaging men and boys in these conversations and providing practical support on how we can all play an active role in ending this abuse."
Lindsay Turner, Director of Marketing & Communications at LADbible Group: “We are proud to bring this campaign to life across our portfolio and support the Mayor of London to amplify such an important message. With our huge reach, of over a billion people globally every single month, we believe it is vital to share content with our audience that helps drives positive cultural change. Romesh’s original comedy set, where he shared the fundamental message behind the campaign reached over 2.5 million via our LADbible Instagram and achieved huge levels of engagement. We look forward to creating more conversation in the next phase of the campaign.”
All campaign posters for the ‘Maaate’ campaign have been made in partnership with Ogilvy, Elonex, Rockbox, Hi! Street and Jack Arts, part of the BUILDHOLLYWOOD family.
To support the Mayor’s campaign, comedian Romesh Ranganathan performed a comedy skit earlier this year at the Soho comedy club to introduce the ‘Maaate’ intervention to the public. It’s been viewed by millions of people online. Watch the full skit here . After performing the skit, Romesh sat down with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, backstage to talk about the ‘Maaate’ campaign. You can watch the chat here
The Impact of #HaveAWord
Last year Ogilvy UK’s HaveAWord film for Mayor of London was featured on the BBC, Sky, ITV, in The Times, Telegraph, Mail, Express, Standard, Glamour, Cosmo, GQ, was translated into french by Marie Claire, adopted by the United Nations, reported on worldwide, and posted and shared positively on all social platforms generating a total of 3.1b earned impressions. The campaign was rolled out into bars, restaurants, nightclubs, gyms, offices, schools and universities in addition to charities, councils, police forces, and academic institutions across the UK, US, Europe, Australia and Singapore, with campaign posters appearing in McDonalds restaurants across London. The campaign triggered and touched many. The #HaveAWord campaign film has been viewed over 15 million times. Top London football clubs, from Chelsea to Crystal Palace, Arsenal to West Ham as well as rugby giants from Harlequins to Saracens have backed the campaign and the video has since won the Bronze Glass, Lion for Change award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The full campaign video is being rolled out as part of the Mayor’s VAWG toolkit which is being made available to every secondary school in London, and can be viewed here.
Have a Word for Mayor of London won many marketing awards:
D&AD: Impact Pencil only awarded to exceptional projects that use the power of creativity to drive behavioural, societal or policy change. Out of 489 entries only one white pencil was awarded, and it was to Ogilvy UK. Plus Graphite Pencil for Creative Use of Budget
Cannes Lions: Glass Lion that celebrates culture-shifting creativity, work that implicitly or explicitly addresses issues of gender inequality or prejudice, through the conscious representation of gender in advertising
Marketing Society Awards: Campaign of the Year 2022, Judges Choice: Most Inspirational Story
DMA Awards: 7 Golds and Grand Prix
One Show: Gold, Silver and two Merits
HaveAWord also won at LIA’s, Sabre, PR Week Global, British Arrows and Clios
In November last year (2022), the Mayor unveiled a new £1million VAWG prevention toolkit which is supporting teachers and funded workshops in schools, and is helping boys understand why their words and attitudes towards women and girls matter. Read more.
The Mayor’s refreshed Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy can be found here.
The Mayor has overseen a £117million investment in tackling violence against women and girls since he was first elected in 2016. This includes investing over £45million in specialist support for victims and survivors, over £35million in housing provision for people who have experienced domestic abuse, over £17million in programmes to address perpetrator behaviour, and over £4million in prevention activities such as programmes that challenge incorrect perceptions about what is acceptable behaviour in relationships or in public.
