VMLY&R: Movistar’s Shout

Gay and trans people continue to face enormous societal prejudice in Mexico. Religious groups in the predominantly Catholic country tend to be staunchly opposed to LGBTQ+ rights and machismo, so embedded in the country, makes coming out as a gay man particularly dangerous.

Against this backdrop, VMLY&R Mexico has released a short film for telecommunications provider Movistar that tackles the issue of homophobia – in particularly, the cyberbullying of gay people – through a film that turns the notion of machismo on its head.

The five-minute film, set to a remake of the Tears for Fears song Shout, tells the story of an up-and-coming boxer whose path to a title fight gets complicated when photos of him kissing another man at a nightclub are disseminated on social media. The film’s approach is notable for its take on what masculinity means in the Mexican culture, and how it’s inextricably linked to violence.

Shouts was published on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and received +18m impressions, +10m views and +150k comments.

“We know that there is a lot of hate about homosexuality on social networks,” said Luis “Madruga” Enriquez, Chief Creative Officer at VMLY&R Mexico. “Movistar is a telecom that wants to connect people, and that is why we created Shout, a cry against homophobia.”

“At Movistar we are committed to improving people’s lives through connectivity,” said Karely Munarriz, Head of Brand and Integrated Marketing Communications for Movistar. “Within this vision, and this connected world that is driven by technology, we can say we believe in the power of diversity as a boost to competitiveness.”