ABOUT

Mexico has a serious problem with violence against women. As one of the country’s biggest brands, Ruffles, knew they could help. And while it might seem strange that a potato chip company would wade into this topic - there is a very important reason they did. Until a few years ago, Ruffles had been contributing to the problem with sexist advertising that objectified women and showcased them in stereotypical ways. Ruffles felt they had a responsibility to help. But rather than just talk about the problem, Ruffles wanted to create an actual behaviour change. The two not-for profits making the biggest difference in Mexico were Red Nacional de Refugios and Gendes. Red Nacional de Refugios are helping women escape violence and Gendes have been counselling men and helping them become less angry and violent. With the larger platform that Ruffles could provide, they could both do even more.
Working with our two NGO partners, we recognised that to stop violence against women, we needed men to make a change. But we couldn’t simply vilify the perpetrators. Pointing a finger of blame would only push them further away. (as so many other anti-violence campaigns have done in the past) We needed to pull these men in and inspire them to want to change. Working with experts like Gary Barker at gender-based charity, Equimundo, we understood that we needed to meet these violent men in the middle. Once they understood that their violent behaviour was learned, we could convince them that it could be “unlearned”. If Mexico was trapped in a cycle of violence, we would convince men and women across the country that they had the power to break it. This was a societal problem and together, we would create a societal solution.
Our campaign has become a revolution. In the first two months, our film had over 42M views, with hundreds of comments. 73 of Mexico’s largest news outlets covered our campaign creating another 45M organic impressions, and dozens of influencers have carried our campaign message and anti-violence interventions to their millions of subscribers. Ruffles and PepsiCo have now begun running anti-violence workshops for the men in their teams. But best of all, Red Nacional de Refugios experienced a 25% year-on-year lift in calls. And most importantly, Gendes saw a 112% lift in calls from men looking to change their behaviour. Emboldened by these results, Ruffles has made a 3-year commitment to both these NGO’s. For generations, men and women in Mexico have been caught in a cycle of violence. But together we are proving that what is learned can be unlearned by those brave enough to do so.