Neither whores nor submissives

NPNS (Ni Putes Ni Soumis). Let’s assume that a group brave enough to call itself Neither Whores Nor Submissives is into bold ideas.

That it chose to give its advertising to Havas Worldwide’s French creative hotshop, BETC , is therefore unsurprising. And its 2012 campaign is therefore a just reward. BETC is a long time supporter of NPNS and produced the campaign pro bono.

The four print executions are to tie in with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25th.

Each print ad features a close-up of what you come to realise is heavily bruised skin. Each is captioned as if an art work. But Booze Brown, Rape Red, Rape Violet and Grave Green are colours you don’t encounter in The Louvre. And you realise there is woman’s name assigned to each caption - to Booze Brown, Kathia L. 1973-2012. The captions refer to the fact that domestic abuse can involve rape or even death. Less said is more heard. A simple call to action, Fight Violence Against Women, clinches the deal. In 2011, 122 women died as a result of domestic violence in France.

BETC was founded in 1994 and is now France’s largest advertising agency with 400 staff. In the past 14 years, it has been named the most creative agency in France 11 times. This year it won a Gold Pencil for The Bear, a commercial for French movie channel Canal+, starring an animal-skin rug with a passion for filmmaking. It also won Agency of the Year at the annual Art Directors Club awards.

BETC lives in a freaky building in Paris - a huge industrial hall called Aux Classes Laborieuses (by/of the working classes). During the Nazi occupation, Jewish prisoners were held there and forced to work manual labour before being sent to Auschwitz or Bergen-Belsen. Does this sound like your workplace?

The campaign’s chief creative officer is Stephanie Xiberras.
Creative Director, Manoelle Van Der Vaeren; art director, Francis De Ligt and
copywriter. David Soussan. Photographer, Eric Traore and production, Catherine Bouchaud