| case_study |
| The Language of Violence: Semaphore creates Public Service Campaign Against Domestic Abuse |
| Robbie Robertson |
 Domestic violence tends to have a language of its own. It's a language of denial, half-truths, and multiple meanings spoken by both the offenders and their victims. It's a language where an abuser will admit to "roughing up" his partner or "teaching her a lesson," but it's rarely a language where someone admits they are assaulting someone. It's also a language where "love" and "marital privileges" can often mean rape and violence. And unfortunately, domestic violence is often language that a victim thinks no one else will ever understand.
To help bring a sharper focus to this serious issue, Semaphore recently partnered with advertising, public relations and communications professionals from across South Carolina. Our common goal was to help the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (SCCADVASA) increase awareness about domestic abuse and to bring a message of prevention directly to our main target audience of current and potential abusers.
By speaking directly to men, our goal was to educate abusers and their victims about domestic and sexual assault. SCCADVASA representatives secured three of South Carolina's most prominent university football coaches-USC's Steve Spurrier, Clemson's Tommy Bowden and South Carolina State's Buddy Pough-to be spokesmen for the campaign. The idea behind the campaign was for these prominent male role models to make a direct and lasting impression by speaking "man to man" with our target audience.
Semaphore (along with TVP Studios of Greenville) created two public service announcements for the campaign, one that highlighted the tragic numbers of domestic abuse, and another that spoke to the language of abuse. In the "language" spot, the three coaches all quote euphemisms for abuse, mild anecdotal terms that some men might use to lessen the severity of the abuse they had caused. The message was crafted to tell all abusers and potential abusers that no matter what term is used, there is "no excuse for domestic abuse."
Both television spots have been running during college football games throughout the month of October in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
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