Transport for London partners with Wavemaker to tackle sexual harassment on public transport

The London-based media network was assisted by agency OTM to raise awareness about what constitutes sexual harassment on public transport through a bold campaign.

Date
28 October 2021

The fight to de-normalise the acceptance of sexual harassment has been spearheaded by many brave women, and now, TfL’s campaign aims to deter potential offenders by demanding that sexual harassment is not tolerated on TfL services and pointing to its criminality and punishment by law. It also hopes to encourage Londoners to report instances.

Disproportionately affecting women and girls, but experienced by all, sexual harassment should be widely discussed, claims TfL, so that by reporting it, instances on public transport lessen in frequency. Across sites and OOH, the creative campaign from Wavemaker and OTM spells out just a few of the types of sexual harassment, defining the behaviour and providing reference to reporting channels for bystanders and victims. The campaign will also be featured in print across London through titles like Metro and The Evening Standard, as well as in select regional press.

Miranda Leedham, head of customer marketing and behaviour change at TfL, said: “No one should be subjected to sexual harassment on our transport network and we are determined to challenge acceptance of these behaviours.” Research from earlier this year found that 97 per cent of women aged 18-24 surveyed said they had experienced sexual harassment, and only one per cent reported the incident. Leedham continues, “People may be reluctant to report an incident because they think it isn’t severe enough or won’t be taken seriously by authorities. But if someone's behaviour has made you uncomfortable, it’s serious to us and we strongly encourage victims to report anything that makes them feel uncomfortable.”

The four posters address the issues of upskirting, catcalling, pressing and cyber-flashing: bold lettering catches the traveller’s attention whilst maintaining TfL’s signature sans-serif typeface so as to carry through their identity. And a colour palette with either a solid deep navy or magenta make up the backgrounds, harshly contrasting lettering to make the information stand out whilst keeping the tone appropriate for the serious nature of the campaign and keep deterrence and justice front and centre.

Gavin Laisby at Wavemaker added that “any journey on the TfL network – be it the commute to work or to visit family and friends – should feel safe and the method of transport a welcoming place for all. If you see or experience sexual harassment, it’s crucial to report it so that we can take action to make public transportation a safer place for all.” London-based Wavemaker was responsible for media and content strategy, whilst creative marketing agency OTM supported in adapting the creative to OOH sites.

GalleryTfL Campaign, courtesy of Wavemaker (Copyright © Transport for London, 2021)

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TfL Campaign, courtesy of Wavemaker (Copyright © Transport for London, 2021)

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About the Author

Dalia Al-Dujaili

Dalia is a freelance writer, producer and editor based in London. She’s currently the digital editor of Azeema, and the editor-in-chief of The Road to Nowhere Magazine. Previously, she was news writer at It’s Nice That, after graduating in English Literature from The University of Edinburgh.

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