Healthcare marketing agency The Considered, and culture strategy firm The Opt-In have collaborated on a groundbreaking campaign called “Speak Up Man,” aimed at reframing the conversation around reproductive rights.
Launched in response to the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade and ahead of the midterm elections, the campaign emphasizes that reproductive rights are human rights, and it is crucial for men to speak up about abortion. The initiative, developed in partnership with New Voices for Reproductive Justice, Men4Choice, and ProChoice Majority, seeks to activate both sides involved in pregnancy and amplify their voices to mobilize voters.
Recognizing that men hold disproportionate power and control in society, the campaign aims to engage men as allies in advocating for policy change and equity. The cornerstone of the “Speak Up Man” campaign is a series of short films featuring cisgender straight men sharing their personal stories about being involved in an abortion and how it impacted them.
By highlighting the perspectives of men who have benefited from abortion, the campaign aims to bring men into the reproductive rights conversation and appeal to a broad audience across generations. Watch below:
REELated:
Creative Director Emily Knight-Kristoffersen says, “Stories shape our world. For too long, abortion as a ‘women’s issue’ has been the narrative. Every voice that we capture and amplify has the power to change that. Our work here is far from done.”
The production of the campaign was executed on a limited budget, with a small crew traveling across the US to film interviews with four men from diverse backgrounds. The resulting videos were shared on social media platforms, generating significant engagement, including over 200,000 views on TikTok.
The campaign’s website, SpeakUpMan.com, provided a unique database that compiled extensive research on voting procedures, candidates’ views on reproductive rights, and registration information for each zip code in the US, enabling visitors to access relevant information based on their location.
The “Speak Up Man” campaign proved timely and impactful, particularly during the 2022 midterms, where states with abortion rights on the ballot voted in favor of protecting them. The initiative’s compassionate approach and results suggest that it played a role in keeping reproductive rights in the conversation among voters.
Looking ahead, The Considered and The Opt-In aim to expand the campaign to include the voices of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive individuals in the face of increasingly restrictive laws and the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
CREDITS:
- AGENCY: The Considered
- CEO + Founder: David Hunt
- Creative Director/Director: Emily Knight-Kristoffersen
- Senior Strategist: Aaron Lipp
- Strategist: Simone Munajj
Consultancy: The Opt-In
CEO + Founder: Aurora Archer
Digital Agency: Anything Agency
Co-Founder: Jono Brain
Independent:
Director/DP/Editor: Grace Goen
Social Media:
LinkedIn /the-considered/
Twitter /@the_considered
