Direct Response – Film Advertising
Awards
Client Make Love Not Scars
Agency Ogilvy & Mather
Brief In India, almost every day an angry man throws acid on his girlfriend’s or wife’s face. Over a thousand cases of acid attacks are reported every year. The Supreme Court of India has banned over-the-counter sale of acid since 2013. Yet acid is easily available. Make Love Not Scars, an NGO dedicated to acid attack victims, took on a mammoth task – to ban over-the-counter sale of acid.
Cultural Context
 We thought whose plea to end acid sale would be more compelling than an acid attack survivor’s. Reshma, an acid attack survivor was made the NGO’s spokesperson. She shared beauty tips in a series of beauty vlogs called ‘Beauty Tips by Reshma’. Each vlog ended with a plea to crowd source signatures on a petition addressed to the Prime Minister of India for enforcing the ban on open sale of acid.
Solution
 90% of acid attack victims are women. We knew they would be most empathetic to the cause. The question was how do we reach women online? We sought what do women search online. It wasn’t acid attack. Instead it was ‘Do it yourself Beauty Videos’. Beauty Videos and Acid Attack – it was the perfect contradiction. That’s how Beauty Tips by Reshma, an acid attack survivor became the big idea.
Results
 Reshma’s plea instantly triggered a global conversation. PR worth USD 17 MM was generated at zero cost. The NGO was encouraged to turn the campaign into a fundraiser. We needed 25,000 signatures. The petition has over 309,000 signatures. August 31, 2015: End Acid Sale campaign begins. December 8, 2015: The Supreme Court of India directs Indian States to enforce the ban on open sale of acid.