RCMP have launched a new awareness campaign that has already sparked social media conversation in Victoria.
The ads seen on local bus shelters around the city were created to raise awareness on sextortion crimes.
This risqué bus shelter ad campaign features emojis of eggplants, peaches, melons and cats, which are meant to be sexually suggestive, with the goal of starting conversations among youths and parents.
This intentional tone was meant to break the traditional direction of the RCMP’s media campaigns in order to resonate with youths and stir up controversy deliberately.
Along with the suggestive emoji, these ads also contain important facts, which the RCMP hope break through the suggestive tone of the posters and resonate with youths and parents.
Some of these extortion facts are: two-in-three victims were girls and were threatened before they turned 16-years-old, 91% of sextortion victims are boys, 60% of child victims are threatened within two weeks and lastly, 47% of child victims experienced threats daily.
According to the RCMP, this plan worked, as some heated Reddit threads were initiated about the bus shelter ad campaign, and some even posted about it on LinkedIn.
Some praised the ad campaign and its relevance to teens’ communication habits, while others noted it made them feel uncomfortable.
“If this campaign makes people uncomfortable or sparks shock — good. It is designed to get your attention, as sextortion is a serious issue and staying quiet isn’t an option,” says Chief Superintendent Elija Rain, Officer in Charge of BC RCMP Major Crime Section.
“Traditional approaches haven’t always reached the people who need them most, so we’re doing things differently — louder, bolder, and more direct. This campaign is about starting real conversations, using symbols youth use, to raise awareness and prevent sextortion, especially among those between the ages of 8–17 years old.”
Along with the suggestive emoji and the sextortion fact, these bus shelter ads also contain a QR code, which will direct people to the RCMP’s dedicated resource page on sextortion.
This page provides advice for how to proceed if an individual believes they have been victimized and provides information on how to do so.
See below for images of the campaign posters:
