Ad Nut
May 29, 2024

Let's talk about sexual consent

Because breaking barriers, keeping an open dialogue, learning, understanding, and talking about consent can’t wait.

Ad Nut, despite its nutty pursuits, recognises the gravity of sexual consent. Even in its wild woodland days, it always took this crucial step.
 
Australia’s Department of Social Services has partnered with creative agency BMF to launch the national behavior-change campaign, “Consent Can’t Wait.” Influencers are urged to educate young people about sexual consent, emphasising the need for ongoing understanding and dialogue.

The campaign confronts stark realities: one in five women and one in 16 men face sexual violence, while half of women and a quarter of men encounter sexual harassment. These statistics, alarming as they are, don’t fully capture the experiences of the queer community. It is said that lack of understanding around consent remains a significant factor in sexual violence.

The campaign features real Australian couples, delving into their internal musings on consent. Questions like “How do I know if there’s consent?” and “Does a kiss imply more?” echo the uncertainties faced by the next generation. By fostering open conversations, this initiative aims to empower adults with essential resources for meaningful discussions.

 
Christina Aventi, chief strategy officer, BMF said: “Consent is a culturally loaded word, fraught with connotations, systemic inconsistencies, and media rhetoric. It’s also a personal and private topic, so people don’t talk about it unless they “need” to. But all across Australia, people are engaging in consent-relevant moments. Studies show that one in two of them are confused about consent and harbour questions about the topic that they keep to themselves. And, as long as we continue to hold our questions about consent silentas long as we don’t know the answersthe next generation will too."
 
Kiah Nicholas, associate creative director, BMF, said: “From casting real couples to an intimacy coordinator on set, to wardrobe autonomy, to consent over how the scenes were set; consent was integrated into every facet of the campaign process. It was critical to us that our campaign didn’t just talk the consensual talk but walked the consensual walk. After all, if we can’t act with consent, how can we expect the Australian public to?"
 
In this day and age, discussing sex and sexual consent should no longer be taboo. The campaign is simple, direct and educational—not just for young ones but also their parents. It also includes “community kit” with flyers for spreading awareness, and a resource hub with links to sexual health and sexual violence services.

However, there's a essential missing piece. Sexual violence transcends mere consent. Decades of research exposes its deep-seated roots in misogyny, femmephobia, queerphobia, and entitlement. And here's the thing: there's also research that shows that men understand sexual consent; they just don't respect it.

As we navigate 2024, let that sink in. 

CREDITS:

Client: Department of Social Services
Branch Manager, Campaigns and Strategic Communication: Mardi Stewart
Director, Campaigns: Turong Francis
Co-Campaign Manager: Nicole Bell
Co-Campaign Manager: Lauren Jeffrey
Campaign Officer: Laura Griffin

Creative Agency: BMF
Chief Creative Officer: Alex Derwin
Chief Innovation Officer: Tara McKenty
Group Creative Director: Tom Hoskins
Associate Creative Director: Kiah Nicholas
senior Creative: Nathan Pashley
Head of Art & Design: Lincoln Grice
Chief Strategy Officer: Christina Aventi
Planning Director: Jess Sutanto
Chief Executive Officer: Stephen McArdle
General Manager: Richard Woods
Group Account Director: Victoria Vernardos
Senior Account Manager: Anja Cherry
Head of TV: Jenny Lee-Archer
Agency Producer: Honae MacNeill
Finished Artist: Jayde Chan
Creative Services Director: Clare Yardley
Digital Lead: Sam Elliott
Digital Producer: Haydon Fanning
UI/UX Designer: Janet Tyler
Production Director: Karen Liddle
Integrated Producer: Simone Plaza
Digital Agency: Orchard
Production Company: Revolver
Director: Dani Pearce
Executive Producer: Pip Smart
Post Production: ARC Edit
Editor: Phoebe Taylor
Sound Production: Cam Milne / Squeak E Clean
Music: Lydia Davies/ Squeak E Clean
DOP: Jeremy Rouse
Production Director: Sarah Nichols

 
Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.

 

Source:
Campaign Asia

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