Luxury brand YSL Beauty has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of intimate partner violence (IPV).
According to the United Nations it is estimated 736 million women and girls across the world have experienced IPV. Now YSL Beauty has partnered with award-winning director Léa Ceheivi to highlight the issue during this year’s International Women’s Day.
“It’s been about five years now that the brand has been engaged in this important battle,” said Manon Ergin, YSL Beauty‘s global communications and image director.
“The idea is really for the brand to try to change and to be engaged in what is, to us, a very important societal issue.”
Entitled ‘Don’t Call it Love’, the campaign is part of the brand’s ‘Abuse is Not Love‘ programme. Launched in 2020, the initiative has donated over €5.2m (£4.36m) to local NGO partners and trained more than 1.3m people to recognise the signs of domestic violence and abuse.
“As a beauty brand, we communicate a lot towards women consumer society, and hence for us, it’s important also to take the voice we have and tackle topics that can change and shape the society we evolve in,” said Ergin.
“Education is key to shedding light on cultural topics, so through all the means we have as a brand, we aim to use that responsibly in the societies we operate in.”
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Stereotypes
The campaign encourages audiences to take a closer look at behaviours that can seem normal but are the precursors to abuse, by taking a luxury perfume ad and turning it on its head.
“The issue of intimate partner violence is a very sensitive one and one that also sometimes attracts cliché. The whole point of the campaign today is how do we somehow flip or switch these cliché and shed light on this more complex topic,” said Ergin.
The ad opens with a seemingly happy couple, but despite the romantic strolls, intimate moments and glamorous parties, something doesn’t feel quite right.
At the end it displays the message: “Did you see signs of abuse in this film?” It then rewinds, taking the audience back through each scene, highlighting the signs of abuse.
The ad was created in consultation with psychotherapist and film consultant Dr Sara Kuburic, to ensure the issue was treated with respect. It highlights nine warning signs of abuse to be aware of, such as intrusion, jealousy and isolation.
“One of the biggest challenges is the fine line between sensitivity and to not to be cliché or to somehow caricature signs of abuse,” said Ergin.
“We want to change the way people perceive the signs of abuse, and that’s really why we are launching this campaign as a second step.”
At the end of the film is information encouraging people to seek support and learn more about IPV.
“As a brand, we encode narratives on social media to shape culture and help drive social change. I would say that we have a responsibility in everything we do- from the smallest piece of content on socials to the biggest ones,” said Ergin.
“We always really question ourselves on how we do it, the message we convey, how we encode it, the symbolism behind it, to ensure that it’s aligned with our values and the society we want to contribute to.”
Social Responsibility
Research from Dentsu UK and Ireland showed that 90% of Gen Z consumers expect brands to demonstrate social responsibility. YSL Beauty has a responsibility to its consumers to “reflect culture and actively shape it”, said Ergin.
“As a leading international beauty brand, we have a responsibility to take a stand, to not only reflect culture but to actively shape it,” she said.
“With Abuse Is Not Love, we’re trying to challenge harmful narratives, raise awareness and shift perceptions about abusive relationships. We aim to create a ripple effect that extends beyond traditional advertising campaigns and drives meaningful change on a global scale.”
