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Today the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Ogilvy UK unveiled a bold new campaign to empower men and boys to say ‘Maaate’ to their mates, to challenge misogynistic male behaviour against women and girls nationwide. ‘Say Maaate to a mate’ is a fully integrated campaign combining creativity and behavioural science, and collaborations with comedian Romesh Ranganathan, social media activist Max Selwood and Top Boy and Noughts + Crosses director Koby Adom.

Last year the Mayor of London encouraged men to ‘have a word’ when they witnessed misogyny among their friends in Ogilvy UK’s celebrated marketing campaign. This year The Mayor of London suggests what that word could be: Maaate. One word innovatively seeded into popular culture using fly posters, billboards, a Romesh comedy set, a GIF, a partnership with LadBible and Influencers - all leading towards a seamless interactive film with 270 possible narratives, shot by Koby Adom, in collaboration with Vimeo. The campaign was created by senior creatives Dave Anderson and Ian Brassett, and ECD’s Nicola Wood and Andy Forrest.

Many of Ogilvy UK’s businesses again rallied to the cause. Advertising, Behavioural Science, Social, PR and Influence all worked together to create a broadcast film, flyposters, billboards, social assets, partnerships, media coverage and influencer engagement to deliver impact on a grand scale.

Jules Chalkley, chief executive creative director, Ogilvy UK, “Our first Mayor of London project, #HaveAWord, set out Sadiq’s long-term ambition to eradicate violence against women in London. Our second campaign #Maaate, embeds behavioural science at the heart of a unique and multidisciplined creative platform to give young men the tools to understand when they see misogyny, and enable them to stop it safely. By focusing on a simple expression of a single word in different media, our aim is to create something that allows sexist behaviour to be addressed at its root cause.”

Informed by a ground-breaking, in-depth behavioural science study conducted by Ogilvy Consulting, the campaign helps men and boys confidently step in when they witness misogyny. The interactive film is a tool for men and boys to help determine when, where and how to call out inappropriate language. The interactive short depicts a conversation between a group of twenty-something year old men and adopts the style of a ‘choose-your-own ending’ game. Its immersive design provides viewers with the opportunity to intervene – by clicking ‘Maaate’. The film is being promoted through PR, a Lad-Bible partnership & content, Influencer outreach, as well as a paid social campaign plan on Reddit, TikTok and Snapchat.

“I hate to call it a film because it’s more than that. It’s a tool for change. A practice run. A game if you will, that demonstrates the power of one word to stop low level misogyny in its tracks. The craft is mind blowing. Filmed by Koby Adom from RSA, we worked with Vimeo to create an experience that contains around 270 branches of content sitting under one seamless narrative, repurposing the skip button for an immersive experience.” Nicola Wood and Andy Forrest, executive creative director, Ogilvy UK

The launch comes as new research commissioned by Ogilvy PR revealed the shocking prevalence of misogyny in society and a lack of awareness around how to tackle it. To support the Mayor’s campaign, comedian Romesh Ranganathan performed a comedy set last month at the Soho comedy club to introduce the ‘Maaate’ intervention to the public. The set has been viewed by 2.5million people online and had massive engagement. 

Romesh Ranganathan said, “I’m backing this campaign because we can no longer allow sexism and misogyny to be dismissed as ‘banter.’ By asking men and boys to say ‘Maaate’ to a mate we can be better friends to each other and better allies to women and girls. As men, we have a responsibility to work together to stop sexist and misogynistic behaviour. Whether it’s in the classroom, the boardroom or onstage, everyone deserves to be treated with respect.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said, “My new campaign recognises that male violence against women and girls often starts with words. That’s why I’m determined to ensure that men and boys feel empowered to call out their mates when their behaviour crosses the line. ‘Maaate’ is a simple and effective intervention that can help stop problematic language and behaviour in its tracks. Last year I urged men and boys to challenge sexist behaviour and misogynistic attitudes with my award-winning ‘Have A Word’ campaign. Now, we’re giving them the word to say. It is only by ensuring that women and girls are both protected and respected that we can continue to build a better, safer London for everyone.”

David Fanner, consultant, Ogilvy UK Consulting’s Behavioural Science Practice, “We spent hours observing and interacting with men in male-dominated spaces – from bars and barbershops to the barbell section of gyms – in order to truly understand the male psyche in relation to tackling misogyny and sexism. This diligence enabled us to uncover a completely new approach to the fight against misogyny. We found that men don’t want to shame or ostracise their mates, they want to call them out with respect and levity. This insight sits at the heart of our ‘say Maaate’ approach which we are confident will empower men to challenge inappropriate behaviour in an effective way. A solution like this can only be truly successful when you have the rigour behind it."

Koby Adom, director, writer and executive producer said, “Having grown up in a household surrounded by strong women, this issue holds immense personal significance for me, but it’s only when we come together that we can truly foster a society that values and respects women universally. The creative vision behind our mini film was to authentically capture the experience of witnessing misogyny and provoke a visceral response from the audience, prompting them to recognise the injustice on a personal level. By crafting a raw and vivid presentation, our aim was to engage viewers on a profound level and compel them to join the conversation surrounding tackling misogyny. Male violence against women and girls can start with words. If you see it happening, have a word with yourself, then your mates. It’s time we kick these rotten attitudes out of our city and society for good.”