Australian ’50 Shades of No’ sexual consent campaign nominated for 2018 Cannes Glass Lion

Australian sexual consent campaign, 50 Shades of No, has been shortlisted for the Glass Lion for Change at the 65th International Festival of Creativity. It’s the only Australian campaign on the list and is one of 27 global campaigns nominated for this prestigious award.

The Glass Lion is an award that recognises work that challenges gender bias and shatters stereotypical images of men and women in marketing messages. 50 Shades of No is the product of a group of Melbourne women, and agency, The Otto Empire.

The concept was developed in response to the 2018 International Women’s Day #PressforProgress call out. The collective vowed to create a campaign that would call out inappropriate behaviour, campaign for equality in meaningful ways and actively contribute to changing the status quo. Prompted by the magnitude of sexual harassment and unwanted sexual behaviour, 50 Shades of No seeks to educate men on the ways women demonstrate non-consent; to remove the grey area around consent.

Women around the world were asked what verbal and physical cues they used when they didn’t feel comfortable or confident enough to give an outright ‘no’. The real statements from 50 women were printed on a range of T-shirts. The team then created a short film using these statements to tell the women’s stories. The result is a powerful, thought provoking piece.

The campaign launched on International Women’s Day. 50 high profile celebrities, sports stars, musicians, politicians and TV personalities wore the t-shirts and shared photos of themselves in the shirts on the same day. The campaign provoked a broader conversation about consent and t-shirt sales helped raise funds for further education through Project Consent.

Executive Producer Jo de Fina is thrilled about the shortlisting. “We’re really proud of the work we’ve created. It has resonated with both men and women and is helping to move the conversation beyond ‘no means no’ towards that of enthusiastic consent. We hope it will encourage more people to take responsibility for checking in with their partner to ensure they feel safe and are having a good time. It’s so important.”

Jo will head to Cannes later this month to present the campaign in person to a panel of judges. Last year the Fearless Girl Wall St statue won the esteemed award. No Australian project has ever taken home the Glass Lion.

50 Shades of No is the only shortlisted campaign from a small organisation. It is up against the likes of Nike, Samsung, Tesco, Gatorade, GE, Dove and Coca-Cola. A win would certainly be a huge achievement.

Judging will take place in Cannes on the 19th and 20th of June. Winners will be announced on the 22nd of June 2018.