Ogilvy: Mayor of London's Say Maaate To A Mate

Drawing on behavioural science and creativity, the Mayor of London and Ogilvy UK unveiled a bold campaign to empower men and boys to say “Maaate” to their mates to challenge misogynistic behaviour in the community. The aim is to build a better, safer London for everyone.

The campaign is part of Ogilvy’s “Have a Word” campaign for the Mayor of London and builds on the Mayor’s efforts to tackle sexist behaviour. Whilst most men and boys know they should call out sexist behaviour, the vast majority don’t know how. This campaign was designed to enable them to interrupt such behaviour through the use of a simple but effective intervention.

With the help of comedian Romesh Ranganathan, who developed a bespoke sketch which helped seed the intervention through social conversation, the campaign encourages everyone to play their part in changing perceptions of – and language about – women and girls.

An interactive short film – directed by renowned director Koby Adom which focuses on a group of young men having a conversation that takes a sexist turn – was also launched. The film enables the viewer to intervene so that the conversation results in a more appropriate ending (viewers can choose from up to 270 endings). In effect, the film is a tool to bring about change rather than a means of simply describing the problem.

As part of the launch, the ‘Maaate’ intervention was displayed in OOH and billboards across London, in the style of fly-posting. The campaign was also promoted across social media, including a LadBible collaboration and influencer partnerships.