Title	FLAW IN THE LAW
Brand	NSPCC
Product/Service	NSPCC
Category	A03. Public Affairs & Lobbying
Entrant Company	LEO BURNETT LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Advertising Agency	LEO BURNETT LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Beri Cheetham	Leo Burnett London	Creative Director
Alison Steven	Leo Burnett London	Copywriter
Liam Bushby	Leo Burnett London	Art Director
Abby Jenkins	Leo Burnett London	Agency Producer
Bruce Macrae	Leo Burnett London	Agency Producer
Serena Schellenberg	Leo Burnett London	Agency Producer
Dan and Jason	Leo Burnett London	Director

The Campaign

A dangerous loophole in the UK law was allowing predators to send sexual messages to children, without fear of prosecution. Despite the NSPCC bringing this to the attention of the government and the Prime Minister, they refused to recognise the need for a swift change in law. Our challenge was to reach enough people to achieve a critical mass of support, allowing the issue to be raised in UK Parliament with our budget of just £42,000. To achieve legislative change we had to appeal to multiple audiences. Government ministers: their agreement would be crucial to achieving legislative change. Opposition and backbenchers: their support would enable us to exert consistent parliamentary pressure on the Government. The media: mainstream support would amplify the issue to a national level. ‘Flaw in the Law’ was brought to life with an engaging film that simplified this complex issue and made clear the need for new legislation. It prompted viewers to sign an online petition where every signature triggered a letter to the Minister from the signatory, demanding that the flaw in the law be addressed. The campaign was promoted across social media and to NSPCC supporters via e-mails. The parliamentary engagement afforded by the volume of letters sent allowed the NSPCC to push an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill. Significant media coverage and PR was also achieved, creating enough hype around the story for it to be picked up in national media.

The Brief

We knew that online contact from perpetrators was a growing problem: In 2013 ChildLine had received a 168% increase in contacts from children reporting online sexual abuse. With more children spending more time online - 93% of 5-16 year olds are accessing the internet six times a week on average – the online environment was posing an increasing risk. At the start of the campaign, the Government publicly claimed that a new law was not required, as it was covered by existing legislation. NSPCC was determined to change this flaw in the law, making the internet safer for children to enjoy.

Execution

‘Flaw in the Law’ was brought to life with an engaging film that simplified the complex issue and made clear the need for new legislation. The film contrasted some of the UK’s more ludicrous laws that exist with this gap in the law. The film prompted viewers to sign an online petition where they could show support for Flaw in the Law. The campaign’s positive, quirky tone cut through the multitude of petitions people now receive. Every signature triggered a letter to the Minister from the signatory, demanding that the flaw in the law be addressed. Our four week campaign caught the UK’s imagination, communicating the urgency for change. It was promoted across social media, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and to NSPCC supporters via e-mails. The volume of letters sent allowed the NSPCC to work with the opposition and Parliamentary backbenchers to push an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill.

With a budget of only £42,000 our challenge was to reach enough people to achieve a critical mass of support. Over 50,000 people signed our petition and wrote to the Minister for Online Child Protection calling for a new law. And the Government listened. Within just 6 weeks David Cameron made a complete U-turn, from denying there was a problem to publicly admitting there was a issue with the current legislation. At a major global summit in December 2014, the Prime Minister announced that the UK would introduce such a law. The law was passed as part of the Serious Crime Act (2015). It is now a criminal offence for an adult to send a sexual message to a child.

The Strategy

To achieve legislative change we had to appeal to four distinct audiences: Government ministers: their agreement would be crucial to achieving legislative change. The campaign needed to be positive and non-partisan, positioning this as case of where legislation had not kept up with technology. Opposition and backbench parliamentarians: their support would enable us to exert consistent parliamentary pressure on the Government. The general public: mass support was key to achieving change. If enough people demanded it, the groundswell of pressure on the Government would be insurmountable. The media: mainstream media support would amplify the issue to a national level.