Body Proud: “Don’t Fall for the Smooth Talk” campaign for Gen Z’s safety in cuffing season
Body Proud, in collaboration with The Cyber Helpline, has proudly launched the Don’t Fall for the Smooth Talk campaign, marking Cyber Security awareness month.
This campaign is dedicated to equipping Generation Z with essential knowledge about catfishing and online dating, particularly during cuffing season. The initiative underscores Body Proud’s commitment to promoting safe online dating through education and support within the Gen Z community.
A notable facet of this campaign involved the participation of Sami, the beloved Body Proud brand mascot, who ventured into the realm of online dating by creating their own dating profile on various platforms. Sami’s experiences and interactions shed light on the ease with which one can fabricate a ‘fake’ profile and initiate conversations. They did get some interesting conversations, as you’d expect from a duck on a dating app.
A spokesperson for Body Proud highlighted the necessity for dating platforms to fortify their safeguards, stating, “While many dating platforms offer resources for users who encounter unwanted or harmful experiences, there’s a pressing need for more robust measures to prevent the prevalence of catfishing scenarios.”
Key findings from studies conducted by The Cyber Helpline indicate the severity of the issue:
– 49% of Gen Z individuals have fallen victim to sextortion catfishing crimes.
– 90% reported making alterations to their daily routines due to these experiences.
– 74% claimed that their physical safety was compromised.
Since the campaign’s launch, Body Proud has observed an outpouring of support and engagement from its community across various social media platforms, with a remarkable increase in engagement rate (+486%), individual acts of engagement (+223%), and video views (+241%). This campaign has generated the highest social sentiment and engagement, surpassing all previous initiatives since the brand’s inception.
Recogniaing the importance of community, Body Proud is issuing a call to action, urging all dating platforms to come together and introduce mandatory profile verification as part of the existing safeguards available to users. This includes mandatory verification during profile creation and notifying users when they engage with an unverified profile. The campaign’s overarching goal is to amplify awareness of this vital issue and unite the community in making online dating safer.
To this end, Body Proud has extended invitations to dating platforms such as Hinge, Bumble, and Tinder to partner in this united call to action.
Nora Zukauskaite, Global Marketing Director at Body Proud, shared her thoughts on the campaign:
“When launching the Body Proud ‘Don’t Fall for the Smooth Talk’ campaign in partnership with The Cyber Helpline, we had a key mission to encourage Gen Zs to enjoy cuffing season and raise awareness of catfishing and safe online dating whilst educating Gen Z. Through Sami’s experience and interactions, we saw how easy it was to create a ‘fake’ profile and start engaging with users. As a community-led brand, we knew it was our responsibility to take action from our learnings and initiate a united call to action with the dating platforms to join together as a community to create safer online dating for Gen Z and our communities.”
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