Mark Sweney 

Amnesty pulls no punches with anti-violence ad

11.45am: Amnesty International is launching a gruesome 'Fight Club-meets-Raging Bull' online ad campaign to raise awareness of domestic violence against women. By Mark Sweney.
  
  

Amnesty 'Stop violence against women' ad
Amnesty ad: to run across viral websites from next week Photograph: PR

Amnesty International is launching a gruesome 'Fight Club-meets-Raging Bull' video ad campaign to raise awareness of domestic violence against women.

The online campaign, developed by ad agency Cake, will be supported by print advertising.

The clip, called "One man fight", is part of Amnesty's "Stop Violence Against Women" campaign and will run across viral websites such as Kontraband from next week.

The ad opens with two boxers fighting furiously; by the close the pair morph into a battered woman lying on the floor with her husband standing over her.

It deliberately avoids reference to women until near near the end to lead viewers to believe it is a video about boxing.

The clip finishes with a yellow branded Amnesty web page to allow the clip to be forwarded on. The text states: "Surprised? Shocked? The story doesn't have to be like this. You can make a difference. Tell your friends."

"We always felt that elements of Fight Club and Raging Bull would be the right approach to draw people into viewing the ad," said Jez Jowett, the head of digital at Cake.

"The primary target audience is men and we thought this approach would lead people into viewing the whole message by lulling them into a false sense of security."

"One man fight" will be followed next month with a second ad, both of which have been produced by Stink TV.

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