Neon Combats Domestic Violence in Campaign for Safe in Harm’s Way and Domesticshelters.org

Every minute, an average of 24 individuals in the United States become victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, amounting to over 12 million women and men annually. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this crisis, with domestic violence incidents in the U.S. increasing by 8.1% following the 2020 lockdown orders, as reported by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice. Despite the prevalence of domestic violence, fewer than 40% of people in these situations utilize pre-existing resources.

In an effort to address this pressing issue, Neon, Safe in Harm’s Way and Domesticshelters.org launched “Love Me Not,” which aims to reveal and amplify nuanced narratives surrounding domestic violence in order to validate experiences, create visibility, negate isolation and provide access to concentrated resources and vital assistance.

Designed to draw attention, the campaign was brought to life through outdoor billboards — a space where abusers cannot control their partner’s access. Each billboard was paired with a memorable URL that directs individuals to an interstitial site offering resources and assistance tailored to their specific circumstances. The website platform, a decision tree-matrix build, is the first of its kind in the domestic violence space.

By leveraging mass media that leads individuals to a private and safe space, the “Love Me Not” campaign has been displayed on 7,600 digital screens and billboards in 95 markets across the U.S. This initiative has significantly increased viewership and traffic to DomesticShelters.org and Safe in Harm’s Way by over 415%. With an impressive reach of 638 million impressions and counting, the campaign has effectively served as a gateway to safety and healing for approximately 15,000 users since its launch.