WORK FOR GOOD CUT - PRINT (PRESS)

The Ad No Man Saw - 24/7 Emergency Room of the Hamburg Women's Shelters
24/7 Emergency Room of the Hamburg Women's Shelters

Shortlist

Title:	The Ad No Man Saw
Brand:	24/7 Emergency Room of the Hamburg Women's Shelters
Product/Service:	24/7 Emergency Room of the Hamburg Women's Shelters
Client:	24/7 Emergency Room of the Hamburg Women's Shelters
Agency:	Grabarz & Partner
Production Company:	The Shack Production
Editing Company:	The Shack Production
Sound Company:	The Soundshack
Creative Director:	Felix Fenz (CCO), Julijus Rebič (ECD), Robin Seufert
Release Date:	2025-02-17
Individual Credits:	Copywriter: Danijela Savkovic, Tabea Valerie Pick
Individual Credits:	Art Director: Sara Peterek, Anna Arndt, Enora le Ravallec
Individual Credits:	Account Manager: Angela Schubert, Mareike Heinzel, Amelie Claassen
Individual Credits:	Strategy: Lisa Walz, Alexander Walter
Individual Credits:	Production: Katrin Redeker, Petra Ahrens, Mascha Sheludiakova
Individual Credits:	Film Production: Georg Lucas Müller, Markus Skroblies, Paul Herbig
Individual Credits:	Postproduction: Simon Herrmann, Sebastian Chilla, Berit Kaltofen, Lars Schönpflug
Individual Credits:	Sound Production: Konrad Peschmann
Notes for Judging:	Situation: In Germany, nearly 600 women become victims of domestic violence every day. Every other day, one woman is killed by her partner. While there are close to 400 women’s shelters across the country, many women—including those from immigrant or refugee backgrounds—are unaware that such help even exists. In some of their countries of origin, the concept of a women’s shelter is entirely unfamiliar. Language barriers, isolation, and fear further limit access to support. The cultural context is essential, as the audience includes women from 11 of the most common ethnic groups in Germany, each with distinct cultural backgrounds. Problem: The challenge was not just to address the offer of help, but to do so in a way that was discreet, and accessible—especially for women who live under tight control and cannot safely search for help. These women often face difficulties in reaching out due to fear, language barriers, and the cultural unfamiliarity with shelters. Traditional outreach methods often fail because abusers monitor phones, internet use, and even advertising materials. There was a need for a communication method that would be safe and discreet, without alerting abusers, while providing women with critical information on how to seek shelter and support. Solution: The solution came from an unusual medium: romance novels. Often dismissed as a cliché, romance novels are one of the few print formats consumed almost exclusively by women across cultures. Precisely because of their familiarity and perceived harmlessness, they offered a discreet and effective platform to deliver vital information. The campaign for the 24/7 Emergency Room of the Hamburg Women’s Shelters was created to address this urgent need for women in Germany, including those from culturally diverse backgrounds, to access critical domestic violence support services. Romance novels were tailored to 11 ethnic communities in Germany, each written to match the unique cultural style, tone, and tropes of these communities. Using a custom GPT-based AI model, we analyzed the storytelling style, tone, and tropes specific to each group. The novels were written chapter by chapter to ensure emotional authenticity and narrative consistency. Once completed, they were translated and culturally localized into ten additional languages, with final reviews by native speakers to ensure sensitivity and clarity. Embedded within each novel was a five-page section, which used the example of a fictional “user experience” to communicate in detail all questions about a stay and the help offered by a women's shelter, reduce reservations, and explain step by step the safest way to make contact. The information was disguised in the flow of the narrative to protect the reader from suspicion if the book were discovered by a controlling partner. This approach ensured that the novels could be safely read, give guidance to the process of getting help and understood without raising suspicion. Cover artwork was also localized. We began with a base image generated in Midjourney, then used a Flux LoRa-trained AI model and ComfyUI to adapt the visual design to match regional aesthetics while maintaining a consistent, authentic romance novel look across all editions. Distribution focused on access points where women could encounter the novels safely: public health offices, doctors’ practices, integration centers, and community organizations. For women whose access to information is limited by control or fear, this campaign offered an alternative—quiet, familiar, and safe. By embedding vital shelter information within a romance novel, the design minimized suspicion, allowing women to access support without fear of detection. This project was inspired by the everyday realities and social behaviors of women experiencing domestic violence—many of whom live under constant control, with no access to unregulated information or safe spaces. By turning a romance novel into a discreet channel for support, we used this medium in a new way: not just to tell a story, but to offer a way forward.