SPOT THE FLAGS

To mark its 50th anniversary, Women’s Aid sought to drive awareness around coercive control, empowering people to recognise red flags in abusive relationships. With at least one woman killed weekly by a current or former partner, early intervention is crucial.

Inspired by Bad Sisters, Women’s Aid collaborated with Merman to create Van Wife, a gripping 10-minute film exposing coercive control. However, budget constraints threatened distribution, requiring a partner that could maximise reach. Enter LADbible Group, the world’s biggest social publisher, with the ability to authentically engage 16–25-year-olds—particularly men. The Spot the Flags campaign leveraged the aspirational ‘van life’ trend, juxtaposing curated social media moments with the harsh reality of abuse. Combining Merman’s storytelling with LADbible’s social expertise, the campaign delivered powerful, relatable content that sparked national conversation. With 15 million views across platforms, Van Wife drove 2.4 million film views and 175.3K engagements. It increased awareness of coercive control by 3%, boosted men’s confidence in spotting red flags by 17%, and elevated Women’s Aid’s brand awareness by 10 points.