Too Into You
Background
Violence against women is an epidemic. Worldwide, at least 1 in 3 women, or up to one billion women, have been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in their lifetimes, usually by a family member, spouse, friend or acquaintance. Similarly, in Ireland, 1 in 3 women have experienced abuse by a partner. When we think of domestic abuse we often think of married couples, or older women who may have children. However, abuse can also happen to younger women in their teens or twenties.
Women’s Aid is a national organisation that has been working in Ireland to stop domestic violence against women and children since 1974. Language have worked with Women’s Aid since 1996 on all of their communications programmes, events and campaigns. In 2011 we began working with Women’s Aid to develop a campaign to raise awareness about ‘dating abuse’ or ‘intimate relationship abuse’.
Intimate relationship abuse
The campaign objective was to help younger women recognise if they were experiencing intimate relationship abuse, and to encourage them to seek support. Younger women may actually be at higher risk of abuse than their older counterparts, but our research found that there was low recognition of certain kinds of abuse among younger women (18-25).
The campaign’s core message was that ‘abuse’ doesn’t just mean physical abuse, but also more subtle and insidious forms of coercion. This could include sexually coercive behaviour; controlling behaviour such as ‘keeping tabs’ on digital profiles or passwords; emotional manipulation such as distancing from friends or relatives, or threatening to hurt oneself; and other forms of harassment, coercion and control.
By dealing specifically with abuse as it manifests in younger people’s relationships, the campaign would reach women who may not identify with broader domestic abuse definitions or campaigns. Too Into You would employ a highly targeted approach to raise awareness among these women more effectively.
Brand Refresh
As a campaign that continually needs to appeal to new generations of young women, the styling of Too Into You has evolved over the years. In 2021 we completed a comprehensive brand refresh on Too Into You, updating the identity with new colours and new design features, and making it more contemporary for our young audiences. Today, this look and feel has been brought to life in new ways year on year.
The styling of the campaign, including the bright colour palette, photography and iconography was all designed to resonate with this younger audience. We also used language aligned with contemporary culture and online discourse to make the campaign sound, for young women, like you were talking to a friend.
We created a website for Too Into You which hosted a number of resources for women. This included an online quiz to help women identify aspects of abuse, a list of danger signs and personal stories from other young women who had experienced abuse. If women came to the conclusion that they themselves were experiencing abuse, they were directed to supports including an online chat and 24 Hour Helpline. The website was designed to be easy and fun to use, with animated elements and a trendy visual style. In 2023 the website won a Bronze Bell in the ICAD Awards.
Every year the campaign is updated to address new concerns, reach new audiences and maximise new channels. By its nature, this is a campaign that has new audiences every year as new generations of young women enter the stage of life where they learn how to navigate intimate relationships. Too Into You is highly active on Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok via posts, videos, Stories badged with the hashtags #TooIntoYou and #YesItsAbuse. Every year creative activations create new interest and momentum behind the campaign. This can include everything from giveaways to murals, influencer partnerships, public events and more. In 2024 we created a series of short films explaining different aspects of abuse, which won a Gold Bell at the ICAD Awards. Today there is also a Too Into You podcast, and the project team maintain a presence in colleges, youth organisations and at music festivals.
Impact
The campaign has raised awareness of abuse in young people’s relationships among the general population, giving them the knowledge and terminology to recognise signs and talk about abuse. This led to a change in the law in 2019 which means that people in ‘dating relationships’ are protected by the Domestic Violence Act. In 2020 the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill (Coco’s Law) was also passed, strengthening protections for victims of online abuse. The success of the campaign has meant increased funding and resourcing has been allocated – Too Into You now has its own dedicated team who work on the project full time. In 2021 Too Into You won the European Parliament’s European Citizenship Prize for exceptional achievements. The campaign has also gained significant coverage in the press.
Under the pressures exerted by gaslighting and emotional manipulation, acknowledgment matters. Language matters. By recognising and naming abuse for what it is, we give young women the tools to understand their own experience and demand the freedom from harm that is their right.
