How UN Women UK empowered people to take action against everyday sexism

‘Oi!’ – perhaps the bluntest statement in the English language and one no-one wants shouted in their direction. It is a phrase (one of many) that women have endured from members of the opposite sex when attempting to gain their attention. Now, the UK chapter of UN Women is backing the movement against global misogyny and sexism with the campaign mantra “Observe and Intervene to stop sexism”. 

Developed for this year’s UN International Women’s Day (8 March) by Revolt to mark 30 years from the pivotal Beijing Declaration and Platform For Action agreement, the 'ONOi!' campaign aims to combat sexism, highlighting two main actions against sexism everyone can take – observe and intervene.

More than two-thirds (70 per cent) of women in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in public but very few (4 per cent) have reported it. That is because almost half (45 per cent) admit to feeling that even by doing so, nothing would change, even though the British government proposed a new law against street harassment in 2022. 

The behaviour change campaign focused on raising awareness of the prevalence of everyday sexism in the UK and outlined how people could help.

“Right now, we’re 300 years away from gender equality,” states Pip Christie, head of communications, UN Women UK. “To speed that timeline up, a lot needs to change. One of the biggest issues is the lack of awareness around sexism. When people think women’s rights have ‘gone too far’, they’re missing the nuances women experience every day. What starts as ‘just a joke’ is actually the first step on a journey to something bigger.”

Drawing on this year’s theme of ‘For All Women And Girls’ –  the UN Women UK enlisted Revolt to help maximise a limited marketing budget to create a campaign that would cut through the noise and stand the test of time, bringing to life UN Women’s global theme and taking advantage of media space that they’d been gifted.

Creating change

The campaign was deliberately created to be inclusive and engage with as wide an audience as possible to spark and inspire action among all genders, but with a particular focus on men. 

It also aimed to counterbalance the rhetoric ‘men are losing out’ and outline that when women can thrive, everyone will benefit. 

“Sexism isn’t always loud; it often manifests in everyday microaggressions that go unchecked. That’s why it was important for us to be as loud as possible this International Women's Day. By ’Observing and Intervening’ when we witness these behaviours, we can create real change,” outlines Alice Dowdall, senior creative for Revolt.

Working with UN Women UK, it was important that the campaign not only highlighted how prevalent everyday sexism is today but importantly equip people with the tools to know how to act when they witness a moment of sexism or a sexist scenario, be that in the workplace, in a bar, or on a train.

With a development period of just four weeks, Revolt called for an all-hands agency brainstorm that would devise the creative platform as well as the executional ideas. Quickly, the idea was formed around highlighting everyday micro-aggressions against women. Each creative execution would show a micro-aggression – made massive – and how that could be challenged by an intervention that any of us could make.

Centred around the micro-aggressive statement 'Oi!', the work aimed to convey authenticity, supported by the agency discovering the stories of real women on social media, in the street, or the workplace. Community members of UN Women UK were also encouraged to share their stories and amplified through PR and social activity. 

The resulting creative executions ran across outdoor, Instagram, and LinkedIn with each asset contextualising where it had been seen or heard. This was supported by EssenceMediacom, which secured £300,000 of out-of-home media through Ocean Outdoor, JCDecaux and Global. An additional £100,000 of media space was secured through Ocean Outdoor, BUILDHOLLYWOOD, and London Lites. 

“With our Observe and Intervene campaign, we were able to shine a light on those sexist expressions we hear every day and empower people to challenge them in the moment. By making these comments impossible to ignore, we can create a culture where sexism is no longer tolerated anywhere,” adds Christie. 

Following this year’s campaign, Revolt is continuing to exploring how it can creatively help UN Women UK and its mission to support all women and girls, while striving for gender equality. 

Jenny Spindler is head of client relations at Revolt