This Smart Photo Booth Reveals Germany's Shocking Domestic Violence Stats

To raise awareness for domestic violence against women in Germany, the Berlin based women’s rights organisation “TERRE DES FEMMES” and DDB Berlin created an impactful stunt in Alexanderplatz.

Using one of Berlin’s icons - the Photoautomat - the stunt aimed at drawing attention to a problem that affects a shocking number of women. “Domestic violence is a major problem in Germany. It affects one in four women at least once in their lifetime. Unfortunately, most people don’t know about this. Even though it might be happening to a friend, a neighbour or a colleague from work”, says Christa Stolle, TERRE DES FEMMES’ Managing Director.

To get people’s attention to this issue, advertising agency DDB Berlin and Polyxo Studios created a special four-picture-strip Photoautomat. The photo booth was customized with facial recognition technology that identified women when they were about to take a picture and automatically applied bruises to one of the four photos - thus replicating the one-in-four statistics.

“With this photo booth activation we clearly demonstrate how serious the problem is, and show that we all can do something to change this picture: by spreading information, by supporting the victims, by sharing this video. Every little help counts, so everyone can live a life without violence”, explains Stolle.

“This action is a great example of what happens when you bring creatives and technologists together to the same table. This is a powerful idea made more powerful by a tireless development team who put not only their minds but also their hearts into this initiative”, says Myles Lord, DDB Berlin’s Managing Creative Director.