The Cannes Lions Festival is the world's largest annual awards show in advertising, marketing, and communications. The Festival was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19. This year, judging and announcement of the winning works from the 2020 and 2021 competitions has been conducted online.

The Silver Lion received by Ogilvy Cape Town and the Rape Crisis, was awarded for the ‘The Rape Page’, which turned a daily newspaper into a weapon against rapists.

Zeenat Hendricks, communications specialist, Rape Crisis, “The advert is multi-layered. It functions as an advert, as awareness-raising, as information, as a resource and tool for survivors and as an innovative way to start the conversation about a difficult topic. Just a few days ago we were still "managing" and "engaging" with our online audiences around this print ad. Over the last three years, the dramatic increase in awareness of sexual violence in South Africa has been a catalyst, for change and action from civil society through various ways and platforms such as protests and an uprise in social media activism on gender-based violence.”

Ogilvy partnered with Rape Crisis to identify areas in Cape Town with the highest rape statistics and designed a double page print ad and placed it in the centrefold of the Athlone News newspaper – raising awareness where it’s needed the most.

Cape Town radio stations and local celebrities were leveraged to help build awareness for the campaign, through organic impressions. The impact was immediate and widespread.

Within hours, the campaign reached an estimated 7.1 million people on the day it was launched, and by the end of the day, Rape Crisis appeared on national radio stations, giving this crisis the attention, it so desperately needs.

Hendricks adds, “As an organisation we are extremely happy and excited to share this award with the Ogilvy Cape Town team. This collaboration and the work we have co-created has truly been a testament to understanding the context in which we work, create and live in. More so, when we bring communications of this type to communities and our broader beneficiaries, it gives them access to information and empowers them to make decisions. We know today more than anything, knowledge shared is a form of social change.”

Within the SA context, Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust is a national brand, well known and well respected, as an expert in sexual violence, Hendricks says this kind of communications and work, strengthens the organisations relationship with communities.

‘The Rape Page’ has six finalists at the 2021 Bookmarks. It recently received an In-Book at D&AD Awards 2021, in the Print & Outdoor category. It also received a Merit at One Show in the previous year and awarded Silver at the Loeries.

According to Vicki Buys, managing director, Ogilvy Cape Town, “The Rape Page is a campaign that is close to our hearts, and its impact showcases the effectiveness of borderless creativity to drive social impact.”

“Our mission as a creative partner to brands, is to inspire them to make an impact on the world. We are thrilled at the Cannes recognition and how well the campaign has performed across industry award shows, but more importantly, the reach it has achieved to make a difference in our local communities,” Buys continues.

Camilla Clerke, executive creative director, Ogilvy Cape Town comments, “Global recognition of South African work is testament to the quality of work and local talent. The bar is raised year-on-year at the Lions. We are beyond happy to share this victory with our internal teams and our client, who inspire us to keep pursuing creative excellence.”

It is estimated that 40% of South African women will be raped in their lifetime, and only 8.6% of perpetrators are convicted. One of the biggest factors contributing to this is the lack of usable evidence, due to it being compromised through incorrect gathering methods. It's Rape Crisis' mission to help empower rape survivors. Whether it's through their 24hr crisis line, seminars, or by providing information that could lead to a conviction - something as simple as using a newspaper instead of a plastic bag could be the difference.

Team credits

Client: Rape Crisis
Client Leads: Kathleen Dey, Zeenat Hendricks
Agency: Ogilvy Cape Town
Chief Creative Officer: Pete Case
Executive Creative Director: Tseliso Rangaka, Nicholas Wittenberg
Creative Director: Mike Martin
Creative Director/Copywriter: Alex Goldberg
Associate Creative Director/Art Director: Riaan van Wyk
Art Director: Karen Vermeulen
Creative Group Head: Ryan Barkhuizen
Project Manager: Mel Forgus
Account team: Nefeli Valakelis, Chris Spencer, Heather Andrews, Loryn Westoby
PR: Lameez Mohd, Bulelani Ngcauzele