The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2023
Lux put QR codes where cameras leer at women's beach volleyball
Lux sponsored a women's volleyball broadcast, then hijacked the cameras to expose sexist angles.
Unilever (Lux)
the move
Much sports coverage of female athletes still focuses on anatomy rather than performance, and LUX, a beauty brand built on fighting everyday sexism, wanted to challenge it. A public-service film would have been ignored; instead the brand used the broadcast itself.
LUX, with Wunderman Thompson Singapore, Volleyball SA and broadcaster SABC, sponsored the Durban Open women's beach volleyball tournament, broadcast to an estimated 19.7 million South Africans. The players wore QR codes on the very body areas that cameras habitually linger on; scanning them opened a film where sportswomen asked broadcasters to change the angle, citing statistics such as 2,500 objectifying images reported at the 2021 Olympics.
The campaign quoted research that women in sports are ten times more likely to be objectified by camera angles than men, and closed with six best-practice tips for the media. It was shortlisted at Spikes Asia 2024 with three nominations in the Media category, and LUX extended the work with NGO Sonke Gender Justice to tackle street harassment.
why it works
- The QR codes turn the problem itself into the mechanism of the message.
- A live tournament gives the campaign a real stage and a captive audience.
- Athletes' bodies carry the call to action rather than the brand logo.
- Best-practice tips give broadcasters something actionable, not just criticism.
what transfers
To change how an industry frames people, hijack the industry's own tool in a live moment - the lens that objectifies becomes the place where the new framing is demanded.
what came after
The campaign reached an estimated 19.7 million viewers on SABC, earned three Spikes Asia 2024 shortlist nominations in Media, and expanded into a partnership with Sonke Gender Justice to train community leaders, media personnel and teachers against everyday sexism.
references
- Lux and Wunderman Thompson Singapore hijack a live volleyball game to 'change the angle' towards women in sports
- Unilever's LUX raises awareness of sexism in sports through 'Change the Angle' campaign
- Spikes Asia 2024 shortlists: Australia leads the pack
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