Expect Respect television advertising campaign: evaluation report

The Expect Respect project was a social marketing campaign to increase young people’s knowledge of the dynamics of healthy and unhealthy relationships. It represented the latest stage in an ongoing campaign by the Kids Really Count interagency committee (a collaboration between the Ballina Byron Family Centre, the NSW Strategy to Reduce Violence Against Women, Lismore & District Women’s Health Centre, Mullumbimby Community Health and Lismore City Council) to raise public awareness about the impact of domestic violence on children and young people. The Expect Respect television advertisement was developed following consultations with young people from diverse geographical environments and cultural backgrounds about what messages they thought would be useful for young people experiencing violence and abuse in their intimate relationships – following a competition. The advert particularly targeted young women, aged 14 to 24 years old, with the message to talk to someone if they were concerned they were in an unhealthy relationship. It was screened on a Northern Rivers regional television station for a seven week period, starting at the beginning of June 2005, during programs most watched by the target group, such as Big Brother, The Simpsons, Neighbours and Video Hits.