Educating and empowering the younger demographic is at the heart of Thames Valley Police’s latest initiative.
- The campaign, in collaboration with TMC and activist Lisa Squire, addresses non-contact sexual offences.
- Targeting 18 to 24-year-olds, it highlights the seriousness of crimes such as exposure and voyeurism.
- Utilising personal stories, the campaign strives to change perceptions and encourage reporting.
- Strategic insights and audience research were key to developing this impactful campaign.
Thames Valley Police, in conjunction with Cheshire agency TMC and campaigner Lisa Squire, has launched a campaign aimed at educating and empowering young victims of non-contact sexual offences. This initiative was conceived to coincide with Freshers’ Week, a time that often sees increased vulnerability among 18 to 24-year-olds.
The campaign underscores the importance of recognising and reporting non-contact sexual crimes such as exposure and voyeurism, emphasising that these actions are severe and warrant police attention. It was motivated by personal experiences, including those of Lisa Squire, whose daughter, Libby, fell victim to a heinous crime in 2019.
TMC’s involvement was multifaceted, including examining target audience attitudes, facilitating focus groups, and forming a project advisory team consisting of academics, former officials, psychologists, and law enforcement representatives. This diverse team ensured the campaign’s messages resonated deeply and appropriately with its audience.
According to Racheal Fudge, Project Director for Social Impact at TMC, the initiative held significant personal relevance for the team, many of whom had experienced similarly distressing situations themselves. “This campaign really did matter for the team here at TMC. The message, sadly, was very relatable,” she observed.
One of the campaign’s strengths lies in its use of powerful testimonial films, featuring TMC members who shared personal stories or those of colleagues, thereby humanising the issues at hand and encouraging viewer empathy and understanding.
The creative approach, bolstered by strategic insight and audience research, was instrumental in crafting the campaign’s compelling visual identity and its core messaging. A dedicated website and robust social media presence were also developed to amplify the campaign’s reach and impact.
Mel Reedman, Community Engagement and Campaigns Manager at Thames Valley Police, praised the collaborative effort with TMC as deeply valuable, highlighting the exceptional creativity and strategic insight brought to bear on this sensitive subject. Reedman acknowledged the critical role TMC played in bringing the campaign to fruition, stating that without their contribution, the powerful campaign identity would not have been possible.
The ‘It Does Matter!’ campaign stands as a significant step towards recognising and addressing non-contact sexual offences among young adults.
