June
23, 2021
7 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When thinking about gender issues, preconceptions come to mind such as the reproductive and sexual rights of women, but also the violence that our country experiences: 11 women are killed daily by gender violence in Mexico. What is the role of women entrepreneurs and how can we help? Finding our voice in an industry such as audiovisual, which has been told from the male gaze, has made us unite our female voices. Every time we receive information about women marching, especially in recent years, the media have dedicated themselves to showing the most “vandalism” side, but few wonder why women protest and why it is necessary to support them.
How do I impact socially from the depths? How to remove cultural stigmas from a historically beaten, distorted and disqualified social movement? The polarization of opinions about gender issues makes Amnesty International’s Monument Scream Campaign a challenge and an exciting topic for us.
As creatives of the Amnesty International campaign ‘Our Cry is Monument’ we want to share some keys to generate a social impact with a digital campaign:
1. Be aware of the spirit of the time: It is essential to link the campaign with the contemporary zeigest : Zeisgest is a German expression that means “spirit of the time”. Be aware of the social, cultural, and economic moment that we are living, that will give you an idea of where to start managing your campaign and, above all, get the message you want to communicate right, the five whys: How? When? Where? Who? and because? These are questions that you have to ask yourself before starting any campaign or social cause.
2. Connect with your target audience: Remember that information consumption habits in the digital age are changing. Make organic content and break linear marketing paradigms. Knowing the stages that your audience goes through to search for content on social networks, will make you become more expert in giving a clear and concise message. It will make you more aware of the content you want to create. Today, we use more than one app, either for fun or to communicate. The diversification of the networks has made us more exclusive in our content. Know, then, from where your audience consumes what information and that will give you assertiveness.
3. Make alliances, especially if it is a social campaign, it is very important to connect with people, groups, collectives and media that share the same concerns and interests. Finding points of agreement and building respect and community is necessary in order to spread your message and reach the desired results. Recognizing the work of women and another group of women and building positive identifications is where you truly find positive change.
4. Interpret your metrics: We talk about the importance of generating relevant information that makes your audience want to know more. Use all the tools that social networks provide: stories, bubbles, publications, filters, whatever is necessary. Audience segmentation is basic. Who do I want to talk to? We fervently believe that women united are stronger, there are many historical success stories that show that when we unite, we move the world. Knowing the heart of the campaign to join our Cry, that is the true agent of change.
5. Labor Ethics: We cannot speak of a social campaign with a gender focus without leaving this aside, remembering that disagreeing is not synonymous with disqualifying and I acknowledge the skills, experiences, works, rank and prestige and the dedication that each one contributes to the campaign creation. Together we do more.
6. Listen to your audience. In a digital campaign, feedback is immediate, reading people’s feelings gives us a social thermometer of how the audience feels about the issue. This helps us to understand our contemporary zeisgest of which we spoke at the beginning and to vindicate the content we generate to achieve a better emotional connection. The more I know what the audience thinks about my content, the better I can understand their needs.
About the campaign ‘Our Cry is Monument’
Amnesty International has launched the international campaign Nuestro Grito es Monumento with the hashtag #GritoMonumento. The objective is to sensitize and call for action so that the repression against women who protest in Mexico is not installed as a practice by the authorities, nor is it normalized by public opinion and, instead, the legitimacy of the cause of the protests, which has to do with the State guaranteeing women’s access to a life free of violence. For several decades, women have come out to protest against gender violence. In 2020, the police corporations responded with violence and repression to our right to demonstrate.
The campaign highlights the importance of women’s activism throughout history, characterized by great creativity and organizational skills. This has been fundamental for the conquest of important issues on the gender agenda in Mexico, such as the General Law of Equality between Women and Men, the General Law of Access of Women to a Life Free of Violence or that there is gender parity in the Legislative Power. However, there is still a long way to go, as femicides and the impunity surrounding them are issues of national urgency that require immediate attention.
We are deeply honored to be able to help, from our trenches and with our voice, the women who are marching. The violence that women experience every time they go out to protest has been normalized and this must stop, since the human rights to exercise their opinion and go out and demonstrate are violated. Not only by marching and shouting we help achieve positive changes, it is required that each and everyone to ensure that the authorities do not forget us and above all that they create awareness of how. A digital signature helps create a better and fairer Mexico:
Support us with your signature!
