Director Amy Allais pours her soul into human trafficking ad

The commercial focuses on a young girl, in Zambia, being lured into a trafficking ring under the false promise of becoming a model in South Africa. Messages like: “you will be raped” and “you will be a sex slave” become part of the dusty township landscape as the ad unfolds.

Allais said her task was to keep viewers glued to their screens while highlighting the plight of so many young women that are poor and desperate. “I saw an opportunity to make something visually arresting and memorable.”

The commercial certainly seems to be doing a job. According to Frans De Villiers from Saatchi & Saatchi, the human Trafficking call centre began receiving unprecedented call volumes after the ad commenced flighting.

“The call centre is now receiving about 100 calls a day. We usually only receive no more than 50 calls a week. Who says advertising doesn't work?”

Allais says, “In our business you don't often get an opportunity to make a positive social impact. This was one of those rare occasions. I wanted to make a beautiful, well-crafted commercial, but I also really wanted it to do its job.”