The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has created a powerful tool to help children regain control of their images online. The child protection organization has unveiled the Take It Down platform which helps minors remove their nude, partially nude and/or sexual explicit photos and videos from the internet. Meta provided initial funding to build the infrastructure for the program that NCMEC launched at the end of December 2022. Since then, more than 200 cases have been submitted.
“Having explicit content online can be scary and very traumatizing, especially for young people,” said Gavin Portnoy, VP, communications & brand, NCMEC. “The adage of ‘you can’t take back what is already out there’ is something we want to change. The past doesn’t define the future and help is available.”
This PSA, created by ad agency VCCP, focuses on the theme of moving forward. Directed by Jeremiah Mayhew, this spot will appear on platforms that kids frequent to ensure they are receiving the message directly. We can’t go back and change what happened, but we can help you move forward. The tool was created to fight against exploitation and sextortion of minors.
Take It Down, which is a free service, works by assigning a unique digital fingerprint, called a hash value, to specific images or videos. When tech platforms sign up to participate, they are provided these hash values so they can detect and remove the imagery on their public or unencrypted sites and apps. This all happens without the image or video ever leaving a device or anyone viewing it.
“We created this system because many children are facing these desperate situations,” said Michelle DeLaune, president and CEO, NCMEC. “Our hope is that children become aware of this service, and they feel a sense of relief that tools exist to help take the images down. NCMEC is here to help.”
CreditsClient National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) Agency VCCP Joel Kaplan, executive creative director, partner; Allen Yu, creative director; Taylor Dahl, art director; Trevor Larsen, copywriter; Nikki Castillo Sikes, executive producer; Ian Osselaer, production/BA coordinator; Brendan Robertson, chief strategy officer, associate partner; Melissa Santiago, sr. strategist. Production/Editorial Jeremiah Mayhew, director/editor; Ijah Garfield, VFX/edit. Music, Sound Design & Mix Pico Studio Ellis Hawes, exec producer; Lucas Field, executive creative director; Jamie Hunsdale, lead engineer. Online/Color/Finishing JAMM Visual, Inc. Asher Edwards, exec producer; Beau Leon, colorist; Jon Lazer, color & online producer.
Top Spot of the Week: Samsung, BBH Singapore, Director Rhys Thomas Get Fit For A Surf Holiday
Samsung’s new global campaign from BBH Singapore, featuring Samsung Health and Galaxy AI, tells the story of a young professional couple who compete to get fit for a surf holiday.
Titled “A Samsung Health Story: Racing to Fiji,” this film taps into Gen Z’s wellness dilemma and the fact that they can often find health information overwhelming; in particular, BBH Singapore took inspiration from young people who reference their “quarter life crisis” on social media. This film tells the story of Stacey and Steve who decide to go surfing in Fiji, something they did five years ago but haven’t done since they started their jobs. However, there’s one problem: they need to get fitter first.
Featuring a range of Galaxy products powered by Galaxy AI, they rebuild their fitness to prepare for the trip, competing playfully to spur each other on. We see them comparing their Energy Scores (a new feature on the Samsung Health app), recording their runs and swims on their Samsung Galaxy Watches, trying and failing to get fit at work and on their commutes and striving to improve in the run up to the trip. When they get there, however, there’s a fun twist, and the film ends on a cliffhanger.
The ad is expected to be the first in a series, which will develop the characters and their “world” in future episodes. This longform (two-and-a-half-minute) version of the spot delves deeper into the storytelling, in a fresh approach for Samsung’s product campaigns, while the shorter edits focus on driving exposure to specific features.
BBH Singapore also leaned into the entertainment aspect of the spot; it was directed by comedic specialist Rhys Thomas at Stink Films, who has a major TV background. Best known for his work on Saturday Night... Read More