New campaign has "eye tracker" on how domestic violence goes unseen
Amnesty International has released a pretty high-tech public awareness campaign against domestic violence: in bus shelters, the poster has an "eye tracker," making the image change from a seemingly happy couple (if you're looking directly at it) to an image of violence when you look away.
The text on the ad says, "It happens when nobody is watching." Thoughts?
h/t to Shara.
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That sounds like a really impressive sign. As I'll bet it wasn't cheap, it is nice to see AI investing in DV awareness.
This is pretty nifty technology, and great to see it being used for DV awareness.
I think this could have extended benefits, too, in that it will be discussed by some for the technology used to create it, and the anti-DV message will be disseminated to areas usually not as invested in having an analysis of domestic violence.
Even though the message is right, I can't help thinking, "isn't there better ways to raise awareness/fight DV with that kind of money?"
It'd be nice if the campaign actually were posted in bus shelters - for now, it's just a single shelter, owing to the cost of the technology.
Which makes what could be a really powerful campaign into something more closely resembling a stunt for ad awards. Sad.
The issue for me is that if no one ever sees the image of the abuse, what good does it do to invest all this money in the tech? Couldn't they just have gone for a low-tech ad with only the happy couple and had it have exactly the same effect?
Will passersby be able to see the abuse image if the person in the shelter isn't looking at the ad?
Yes, others will be able to see it. And the change in image will get attention. People in the shelter will very likely see the change in their peripheral vision, as well.
From reading the article there is a timed delay before the picture changes. So you see the violence it changes to the happy couple. It makes sure that you have time to see the abuse image before it changes.
While I agree with brendonb about wasting money (non-profits need to be especially careful in their ad/pr efforts), I believe that we need to think about the purposes of the campaign. If you read the "strategy" section beside the picture, they wanted to "let people directly experience how domestic violence is hidden from view." Because the use of the eye-tracking technology directly relates to the purpose of the campaign, I don't think that it's necessarily a waste of money. I think the technology makes the campaign that much more powerful because it's creating extra buzz about the AI's initiative. Would we be discussing the ad if it was just a regular poster at a bus stop? I don't think so.
Perhaps it stems from a difference of opinion on how best to stop DV. Awareness is important, yes, but unfortunately DV isn't going to end because of an advertising campaign, let alone one billboard at a bus stop. I think we need to make sure that awareness doesn't take over the issue. Awareness is largely about getting the public to realize its a problem. But awareness doesn't end a problem, be it DV, sexual assault, or AIDS. I don't have a ready-made solution here, but there are a lot of other things - grassroots organizing, legislative campaigns, shelters for women that have experienced DV - that need to be focused on.
I agree, some awareness-raising campaigns are just asinine at this point - we know, we know, stop wasting money making us aware already. There is a time for pushing a problem into public discussion. Then, building on that foundation, there is a time to leave behind those campaigns for more direct progressive action.
But I feel we're still at the point where lots of people don't recognize DV for what it is, so an awareness-raising campaign is still needed.
How bad can it be? They look so happy together.
As her spouse, doesn't he have a right to demand sex?
Why doesn't she just leave?
Why don't they stick it out and work through their troubles?
People still ask these questions. We're not even close to a level of cultural awareness about what DV is and why it happens. It's uncomfortable to think about how someone could both love and abuse their partner; uncomfortable to think it could be a friend of yours perpetrating or suffering from it and hiding it. Until we see a cultural shift in attitude about DV, we can only get so far with direct action.
I don't mean to imply that awareness alone will solve an issue. I do believe that (as metabonbon pointed out) there are many people out there who still think that the woman should just leave or it's something you'll realize when you see a bruised woman. I think awareness is a way to combat ignorance, not the only way to end DV.
I'm guessing that AI will receive sponsorships from other companies that want their name on this new technology, so AI can place more ad's elsewhere.
Awareness (advertising), at its best, leads to action. That's the purpose behind advertising. Typically, advertisers are trying to get you to buy something. This campaign will (hopefully) lead to action that puts us closer to ending DV.
I think this is a great way to promote education about DV. I think that by using this new technology as well, it will get people talking about the ad. Maybe not in a way that will initially be about the content about the ad, but id it will get people top notice it all the more, then I think that ends up being a big 'positive'.
First, Vanessa-- is there a way to put the image behind a cut..? I have a hard time with images of domestic violence, and I might not be the only one. Thanks. =)
Like previous commenters have mentioned, it seems like there might be a better way to spend that kind of money to raise DV awareness. But on the other hand, this ad is no doubt more engaging than something less expensive-- it literally responds to the viewer, and it's hard to ignore an ad like that. If it takes something like this to make a difference, it gets my support.