2025 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Since the pandemic, the number of reported cases of child/youth sextortion has spiked in BC and worldwide. And in 2023, the vast majority (90%) of reported cases affected teen boys (typically those aged 15 to 17).

Between their comfort with and daily use of social media, as well as the fear and shame of admitting any indiscretions to parents, teen boys end up being the perfect target of these crimes.

Online predators will do whatever they can to blackmail teen boys to get money, and the result is that teen boys are in jeopardy of real danger (emotionally and often physically).

Children of the Street, a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of sexual exploitation of children and youth, wanted to find a way to raise awareness about sextortion and get teen boys to recognize the dangers of sharing private pics in a DM.

After an in-depth review of research surrounding the topic, the agency recognized that it needed to find a way to speak directly to teen boys about the dangers of sextortion.

To get there, they held a focus group with the boys themselves — to better understand their awareness of cyber sextortion, their perception of its risk, and, most importantly, what message would get them to
take action.

Their focus group validated the research, confirming that teen boys aren’t seeing the danger of sharing explicit pics. They consider sharing d*ck pics harmless because they don’t see the danger coming. While teen girls are acutely aware of the dangers they face from online predators, these days, most teen boys don’t even know they are a target. They see sextortion as a “girls’ problem.”

Knowing that teens don’t like being told what to do, they needed to figure out how to grab their attention and make them aware of these online risks without coming across as reprimanding. So, they had conversations with teen boys to come up with a list of the most dangerous places they could think of to put their d*cks. And none of them mentioned the most dangerous place — sharing pics online.

There are endless situations and places you’d never want to put your d*ck because you know instinctively that you’ll very likely get hurt. But of all the places, online or in a DM is actually the most dangerous
place of all.

This insight gave the brand an opportunity to capture the attention of an audience that had previously had low engagement with COTS messaging, and would be resistant to anything that felt like an adult waving
their finger.

The idea? To make the risk of cyber sextortion unignorable by comparing it to something much more personal…and painful. “Don’t put your d*ck here” was born.

The campaign was built showcasing a series of teen-curated places where you’d never want to put your d*ck (cheesegrater, beehive, mousetrap, etc.) The video was edited and cut to a fun, fast-paced, slightly quirky music track, with all versions of the video resolving on a phone, telling the audience that online is actually the most dangerous place of all, and encouraging teens not to share their pics. The static Wild Postings featured a single scenario with the headline “Don't Put Your D*ck Here,” to really capture people’s attention.

The seven-week campaign, which ran in Greater Vancouver, utilized social media (TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram) and also Wild Postings, which were strategically placed at high-traction intersections within close proximity to schools and community centres. The campaign drove teens to a landing page on Children of the Street’s website where they could find more information about sextortion and how to get support if needed.

The campaign stood out in social feeds, but most importantly, it got teens thinking and acting, resulting in 6.8 million impressions, 3.4X higher CTR than the non-profit industry average, and a 565% increase in web traffic.

While the campaign was not intended for the queer community specifically, it was selected to be preserved in British Columbia’s Gay and Lesbian Archives because of its historical significance in its ability to address a critically important issue for teen boys. The success of this campaign continues to inform the brand’s approach heading into 2025, going beyond the typical PSA approach to capture attention and
challenge misperceptions.

Credits

Agency: WILL
Client Name: Children of the Street
ECD: Lisa Lebedovich
CD / Copywriter: Danielle Haythorne
ACD / Art Director: Allison Chambers
Designer / Website: Noah Kawamura
Strategist: Ally Speirs
Account Director: Robin Hall
Producers: Brie Puffer, Isabelle Apps
Photographer / Director: Clinton Hussey
Photo Retouching: Conor Byrne
Studio Artist: Will Erickson, Conor Byrne, Noah Kawamura
Post-Production: PostPro Media
Sound Design: Flip78
Developer: Yardstick Services