Independent creative agency Showpony Advertising has won Round 2 of the 2021 Siren Awards for a powerful South Australian Government radio campaign designed to break the cycle of domestic violence.
Created by Andy Scott, Parris Mesidis and Rory Kennett-Lister, the campaign draws from actual accounts of victims and perpetrators, depicting real-life domestic abuse scenarios.
The campaign, titled “Break the Cycle”, was awarded overall and campaign winner of Round 2, and the 30-second ad “Break the Cycle – Intimidation” won the best single ad category.
“Home can be an unsafe place for some. And with the need for physical distancing and self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, South Australian women and children experiencing domestic violence are at an increased risk. Our job was to create a campaign that would encourage men to identify their own abusive behaviour and utilise a new, dedicated 24/7 men’s domestic abuse website and hotline created by the State Government,” the winners said.
“A radio commercial needs to build an instant connection with the listener and hold them there by whatever means – humour, drama, intrigue. In this case we needed to create scenes the listener could step straight into with recognisable performances, relatable environments and confronting scenarios. These ads also offer hope, a way out.”
A second ad in the campaign, “Break the Cycle – Domestic Abuse”, won the craft category for sound studio Seeingsounds and sound engineer Scott Illingsworth.
A third ad in the series, titled “Break the Cycle – Technological Abuse”, was highly commended in the single category.
Joan Warner, chief executive officer of industry body Commercial Radio Australia, said: “The Break the Cycle campaign highlights just how powerful and authentic radio can be in directly delivering important messages and effecting change.”
The Siren Awards are run by Commercial Radio Australia to recognise outstanding radio advertising. The awards are judged across five rounds, plus a final call round. Round 3 of the 2021 Siren Awards is now open, with entries closing on 5 September 2020. The 2021 Gold Siren winner will be announced in May 2021.
Listen to the Round 2, 2021 winning ads here.