Why DDB Romania’s Printing Fake Money for Contraceptive Rights

Almost one in every ten births in Romania come from teenagers. The country ranks first in the European Union for the number of mothers under 15, and second for the number under 19. 

Given those stats, you might be surprised to learn that, for the past decade, the Romanian National Health Strategy has actually included a plan for free and universal access to contraception. It’s just been repeatedly ignored by the Ministry of Health – despite warnings from medical experts.

The shocking situation has been brought to light by women’s rights charities FILIA Center and the Gender Equality Coalition in a pro bono social campaign from DDB Romania. Titled ‘Pass the Bill’, it links the crisis to the story of Romania’s first ever banknote to feature a woman in 2021 – theoretically it exists, but it appears to have dropped off almost completely from circulation. Both are a metaphor for broken financial promises, of ideas that fail to truly take hold.

In a cinematic film directed by Bogdan 'Hypno' Moldoveanu through MME, actress Ilinca Manolache prints recreations of the rare 20 lei banknote – but rather than holding monetary value, it holds a code. When scanned, 20 lei is symbolically unlocked for the initiative.

Running across socials and in Regina Maria clinics, the campaign aims to demonstrate that Romanians demand access to state-reimbursed contraception methods. The progress of the unlocked amount can be tracked on this digital platform.

This week, Roxana Nita, executive creative director at DDB Romania delved into the campaign, its strategy, and why it’s so necessary, with LBB’s Zara Naseer.

Above: FILIA Center and Gender Equality Coalition ‘Pass the Bill’

LBB> How did you first come up with the link between the banknotes and contraception?

Roxana> Contraception is so neglected in our country that, for nearly 15 years, Romanian lawmakers have repeatedly failed to fund a free birth control program for vulnerable women.

Contraception and sexual health remain taboo topics in our society. As a result, Romania is home to almost a quarter (23%) of all underage mothers in the European Union.

In 2023, the Coalition for Gender Equality (ONGEN) urged the Ministry of Health to provide free and universal access to contraception. Under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), 7.5 million lei was supposed to be invested in the family planning network – yet the funds were never allocated.

At its core, the issue is money. Access to free contraception depends entirely on financial support that never materialises. Talking about money, we quickly came to this surprising, yet sad truth: just as there is no funding for women’s needs, there are also barely any women represented on the money itself. 

Only one Romanian banknote features a woman – the 20-lei bill depicting World War I soldier, Ecaterina Teodoroiu. Launched with much PR buzz in 2021, it was meant to be a symbolic tribute to women. But due to a limited print run, it quickly vanished from circulation.

And that’s the connection between the banknote and contraception: just as there are no women on our money, there’s no money for women either.

LBB> What insights informed your strategy?

Roxana> We quickly validated our insight that the 20-lei banknote was quietly disappearing from circulation. Colleagues confirmed it, online discussions echoed the same feeling, and the fact that the note was selling for ten times its value on resale platforms only reinforced the reality. This wasn’t just a perception – it was really happening.

This disappearing banknote mirrored the systemic issue: the only money featuring a woman had disappeared, just as funding for women’s reproductive health had never truly materialised. So, we decided to challenge the system with the very thing women had been denied – money.

Another major research part was fully understanding the depth of the issue. The absence of a national contraception plan sets off a chain reaction, pushing women and families into cycles of struggles – impacting their health, family stability, employment, and overall well-being.

LBB> What creative team did you put together for this campaign, and why were they the right fit?

Roxana> We were actually working on a different, similar brief when the team (Luca Costea and Ana Tanasa) brought up the idea of the 20 lei banknote. We immediately saw the potential in exploring this observation, and from there, we ran with it. They were absolutely the right people for the job – they’re both incredibly empathetic, the type of creatives who place human emotions at the heart of every project. They’re also incredibly driven and resilient, and together, we managed to overcome countless obstacles throughout this campaign. We worked on it for months together with our CS and strategy colleagues (Roxana Tampau, Roxana Memetea and Luciana Cucoanes) before finally seeing it come to life. I couldn’t have asked for better partners.

LBB> You did this campaign on a pro bono basis – why was this project particularly close to your heart?

Roxana> When FILIA and the Coalition for Gender Equality approached us with this issue, our immediate reaction was plain outrage – especially since the plan had already been drafted for years. And the amount of money needed to implement it isn’t even that significant in the grand scheme of things – 7.5 million lei (around 1.5 million euros) – compared to the deep, negative effects its absence has caused in society.

I’ve always had a soft spot for societal issues, particularly those affecting women. Before joining DDB, I worked for three consecutive years on a campaign fighting domestic violence, all of which got extraordinary results and were also internationally praised, including at Cannes. Then, in my first year at DDB, we launched ‘UnExaminable’, another Cannes winning campaign, which ended up putting enough pressure on lawmakers to finally ban virginity testing in Romania. Now, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that this year will be the one when the contraception plan finally gets funded.

LBB> Why did you select director Bogdan 'Hypno' Moldoveanu? What did he bring to the idea?

Roxana> Hypno is an incredible director – one of the most talented and respected in our industry. Our vision for the film was to create something bold, unconventional, and slightly dystopian – an alternative society where women produce their own money.

He brought an underground, slightly surreal, yet powerful approach to the message. The choice of camera lenses (huge shoutout to our DOP, Ate – Alexandru Dorobanțu), along with the location, lighting, visual effects, and even the sound of printing, perfectly captured the atmosphere we aimed for. We also had tremendous support from our producer, Adi Smeu, who managed to track down a fully functional, over 100 years old printing press that became a key element in the video.

LBB> And why did you opt to cast actress Ilinca Manolache?

Roxana> Ilinca is not only a brilliant actress, she’s also a prominent advocate for gender equality initiatives. Well aware of the FILIA team’s dedication and efforts, she supports their cause whenever possible. ‘Pass The Bill’ is one of those campaigns where she uses her voice to amplify feminist messages in a society that often regresses when it comes to women's fundamental rights. So she gladly took on the lead role in the campaign’s film.

LBB> What was the biggest challenge you faced in bringing this campaign to life, and how did you overcome it?

Roxana> It was one of those projects where we really dove into the numbers – calculating how many banknotes we needed to produce, how to distribute them, how to place them in the right proportions, and how many people needed to scan each banknote for the campaign to succeed. We definitely had a few ‘beautiful mind’ moments along the way.

We also faced a major challenge with distribution, as a lot of medical companies refused to support the campaign. We were incredibly grateful to partner with Regina Maria, Romania’s largest healthcare network. The reinterpreted banknote was distributed throughout their network of clinics, and they also ran the campaign on clinic screens, giving women the chance to access more information right at the reception desk.

It wasn’t easy, but we’re proud that we managed to distribute over 30,000 banknotes, identical to the original batch from 2021.

LBB> How will you be working with FILIA Center and the Gender Equality Coalition to measure the success of this campaign?

Roxana> The campaign has gained widespread support from feminist voices and the medical community, receiving coverage in top media outlets. The new banknote circulated through private clinics (Regina Maria), shopping malls, and social media, with over 30 influencers joining the cause. This sparked conversations and gave women a platform to be heard.

The community also played a significant role, as many people scanned the new banknote to show their support. The progress of the funds raised can be tracked on a dedicated landing page, where participants can also learn more about the contraception issue in Romania and the ongoing challenges women face in this area.

Our allies extend beyond national borders, with lobbying efforts from FILIA and The Coalition for Gender Equality. European ambassadors have joined the movement, and the issue has been discussed at the UN. High school students have reached out to ask how they can support, the press has invited us to speak, and additional NGOs have joined the cause.

Together, we will continue to push forward, demonstrating to the authorities the Romanian people's strong desire for access to state-funded contraception methods.