Shoppable Girls Campaign Sells Models to Teach Girls about Sex Trafficking

Covenant House has launched a new campaign called Shoppable Girls with the goal to raise awareness and start a dialogue about sex trafficking ahead of Human Trafficking Awareness Day on February 22nd. The hope is young girls will be encouraged to educate themselves on the issue and ultimately be equipped to help prevent sex trafficking. 

The digital campaign from TAXI Toronto centers around Shoppable Girls - a fictional fashion brand that doesn’t actually sell clothes, but instead sells the models wearing them. It’s a unique and unsettling approach to targeting an elusive teenage female demographic that is largely uneducated about the ongoing sex trafficking crisis in Canada. 

"One of the major misconceptions is that sex trafficking doesn't happen in Canada, when in fact 93 per cent of sex trafficking victims are Canadian citizens," said Julie Neubauer, program manager of anti-trafficking services at Covenant House. "The truth is that it's happening in our communities, to our children and often right in front of us.” 

Shoppable Girls launched alongside a digital retail campaign that utilised shoppable ad units on Instagram and Snapchat. At first glance the ads appear to be for a typical fashion campaign. It’s only once ‘shoppers’ click through that they realise it’s not the clothing that’s for sale, but the models themselves. In reaching the campaign website, ‘shoppers’ will learn about sex trafficking myths and warning signs so they can protect themselves and look out for their friends. 

“To traffickers, girls this age are just another product,” said TAXI co-ECD Alexis Bronstorph. “It’s a stark reality, but one that we knew we needed to express strategically, in a compelling and memorable way that would resonate with these young women.” 

The agency challenged themselves to root the creative in a behavioural insight. 

“Most teenage girls don’t like to watch the news,” noted Alexis, “but they do like to use their phones, and they do like to shop. Using shoppable ads on Instagram and Snapchat allowed for us to capitalise on that shared behaviour.” 

The campaign was also geo-targeted to locations known to be frequented by traffickers, like malls, schools, and community centers. 

Covenant House is a national leader in providing direct support to survivors of sex trafficking. Their comprehensive anti-trafficking plan includes prevention, front line services and knowledge sharing. They have supported over 200 survivors in their healing journey since launching this plan in 2016.