TIM is one of the largest telecommunication companies in Brazil, and since 2020 brand purpose has become a fundamental part of its activity. As part of its purpose, TIM has taken up the cause for abused women, noting that 93 percent of these victims do not report the violence because they feel a lack of societal support or fear retaliation.
With its "Silent Hit" campaign, the brand partnered with three prominent female pop stars to create a "lyric-less" song, which reflected the way abused women are silenced and generated a healthy amount of social media buzz.
Objective:
The pandemic increased the violence against women, particularly in their own homes in Brazil. According to a leading Brazilian statistics bureau, in 2021, over 26 million women experienced some type of violence in Brazil (physical or psychological), a tragic number that is probably even higher if those who do not come forward are counted. TIM decided to tackle gender-based violence and harassment towards women in the country with three main objectives:
Target Audience:
The main target audience was women who have been victims of violence or harassment, since they are the ones who need help the most. But reaching them alone would not solve the problem. In order to spur true societal change, TIM needed to reach a wide swath of Brazilian society.
Additionally, because respect and the limits of a healthy relationship are learned at an early age, TIM decided to target mainly young people. This strategy came with a bonus, as young people are more active on social media and could help carry the message to others. In fact, according to the leading intelligence firm in Brazil, 60 percent of millennials and members of generation Z want to be protagonists of social transformations.
Creative Strategy:
Young people love music, and artists, through their songs and influence, can convey important messages and reach an important part of society. Therefore, music was an ideal medium for reaching the primary target audience. Additionally, TIM found that the best way to connect with silenced women was through other women who had a great voice and the strength to inspire them.
Armed with these two insights, TIM decided to leverage the power of well-known female musicians to encourage women to come out of their silence and, at the same time, send a message to the whole society.
TIM enlisted Agnes Nunes, Marina Sena, and Cynthia Luz, three rising female singers in Brazil to serve as the creative force for the campaign. With their help, the brand created a song called "Silent Hit," and recorded an accompanying video clip. The song came with an important twist: It featured no lyrics.
The idea was to create buzz around the absence of lyrics and connect it to the silence of women who have been abused. To maximize the campaign's impact, TIM activated through the month of March, which is Women's History Month and also when International Women's Day is celebrated.
Context:
In the last years, TIM has implemented several projects and campaigns promoting diversity, inclusion, and gender equality, striving to become the voice of minorities who are often not heard. This purpose, in turn, has become one of the most relevant pillars of the brand.
Overall Campaign Execution:
Upon the release of the "Silent Hit" video on March 8, 2022, International Women's Day, viewers initially thought that there were some technical issues related to the lack of sound. The artists and a squad of female influencers then came in to set the record straight. They used the hashtag #FreeYourVoice to encourage Brazilian women to share their histories.
"The silencing I suffer is daily. I'm called crazy for having my opinions," and "My clothes don't measure my competence," are just a few of the many testimonials received. These stories became part of the lyrics of the song, one that reflected women's true feelings, showed their resilience, and encouraged them to break a vicious cycle.
At the end of the video, viewers were directed to TIM's Positive Women app, a space to empower women in many aspects of their lives such as work and education, where any woman could count on the psychological support of 150 professionals.
Finally, the video, with its lyrics based on the stories received, was released on the last day of March.
Mobile Execution:
The media strategy was based on social media and the buzz around "Silent Hit." To achieve the media goals, an umbrella of content was created on TIM's social networks, and amplified by a squad of female influencers, news articles, PR, and spontaneous media — each operating on a platform where mobile dominated. This campaign could only have been a reality thanks to social media and its power to generate conversation and debate.
The campaign created a positive impact. It reached over 23 million people and garnered more than 304,000 engagements. The clip of "Silent Hit" had over two million views on TIM's YouTube channel.
In a category where social media is used as a place to complain, the initiative had 96-percent-positive comments.
Far beyond TIM's proprietary channels, the initiative was able to tap into the influencer's channels. They joined TIM's efforts and generated awareness, commitment, opinions, and interest in participating in the construction of the song's lyrics. This union drew attention to an urgent issue in Brazilian society and reaffirmed TIM's commitment to a fairer society.
