Home Office recruits Hollyoaks stars for teen abuse ad
The Home Office has signed a partnership agreement with Channel 4’s Hollyoaks which will see some of its actors star in a new campaign tackling teen relationship abuse.
‘This is Abuse’ will be shown on TV, radio and digital channels and will be developed from a building storyline in the drama series.
It follows the publication of statistics showing that a third of teenage girls and 16 per cent of boys report some form of sexual violence from their partner.
Andy Moore, group partnership manager at Channel 4 said: “Working collaboratively with the Home Office, Lime Pictures, the Hollyoaks cast, MediaCom, M4C and Sassy Films, we have delivered a truly bespoke marketing campaign which leverages both our flagship Channel 4 brand and talent, and our loyal young, engaged audience.”
Emma Keegan from the Home Office marketing team said: “This latest round of publicity builds on our successful 'This is Abuse' campaign which has been running since 2010. In a recent survey 80% of teenagers said the ads make them more likely to challenge abuse if they see it. Linking the next phase of the campaign with a central Hollyoaks storyline, which attracts an average audience of two million viewers per episode, will help ensure our messages continue to resonate with young people.”
The first ad will be screened during this evenings edition of the show during an important plot development between the characters of Maxine and Patrick.