Agency: BBDO NY
Date: Oct 2018
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October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and social activist and speaker Monica Lewinsky has released her latest campaign, titled #DefyTheName, which enlists a who’s who of celebrity names to show those experiencing bullying that they’re not alone – and in fact part of an incredible community of celebrities, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, artists and others.

Created by BBDO New York, #DefyTheName points a finger at the most common type of bullying behavior – name calling. The PSA features an all-star cast acknowledging the hurtful names they’ve been called while in situations that highlight their success. Notable celebrities include Questlove, Alan Cumming, Andy Cohen, Bill Ritter, Dan Patrick, John Oliver, Lena Dunham, Maysoon Zayid, Olivia Munn, Paula Faris, Sarah Silverman and Tony Hawk.

#DefyTheName encourages those on social media to change their name (not username) to reflect their bullied name and share the campaign’s PSA and their own story. For instance, Lewinsky changed her Twitter name to Monica Chunky Slut Stalker That Woman Lewinsky.

In the video, we see these stars either introducing or being introduced with their bullying name, as Patrick introduces Hawk on his radio show as Tony “Piece of Crap” Hawk, while at a fake awards show, Lena “The Whiny Fat C*nt” Dunham is given an award, and Andy Cohen introduces us to Alan “Useless” Cumming.

The net effect of the campaign is to flood social media with a community that proves that bullying and name-calling don’t reflect one’s real self-worth. It especially sends a powerful message to teens: Don’t let the name define you and instead, #DefyTheName.

Credits

AGENCY: BBDO New York

CLIENT: Monica Lewinsky

SPOTS: “Defy the Name”

Chief Creative Officer, BBDO WW: David Lubars

Chief Creative Officer, BBDO NY: Greg Hahn

Creative Director: Bianca Guimaraes

Associate Creative Director: Roberto Danino

Head of Integrated Production: David Rolfe

Executive Producer: George Sholley

Producer: Jack Patrick

Music Production: Julia Millison

Business Manager: Grace Kelly

Director of Business Affairs: Bernadette Naughton

Account Director: Lindsey Cash

Account Director: Carrie White

Assistant Account Executive: Jackie Silver

Assistant Account Executive, Partnerships: Jordan Ji

Planning Director: Karin Santiago

Senior Comms Planner: Julie Naidu

Senior Analyst, Marketing Science: Crystal Lin

Creator Partnerships Manager: Lucy Bennett

Production Company: O Positive

Director: Brian Billow

EP’s: Ralph Laucella and Marc Grill

Prod: Grayson Bithell and Jason Reda

DP’s: Larry Fong and Jay Feather

Prod Designer: Maia Javan

Music Company: Hook & Line

Composed by Bryan Senti

Music produced by Hook and Line Music Inc.

Editorial Company: Number 6

Editor: Justin Quagliata

Assistant Editor: Benjamin M. Algar

Producer: Malia Rose

Executive Producer: Corina Dennison

Senior VFX Artist: Ed Skupeen

Senior VFX Artist: John Shea

Assistant VFX Artist: Mark Reyes

Telecine Company: Company 3

Colorist: Tim Masick

Assistant Colorist: Melina Smith

Mix & Record Company: Sonic Union

Engineer: Michael Marinelli

Dini Von Mueffling Communications

Founder and CEO: Dini Von Mueffling

Account Executive: Daniel Lempert