- French insurance company AXA took home the Dan Wieden Titanium Grand Prix Lion for its work providing more protections in its policies for women looking to leave abusive relationships.
- The campaign, “Three Words,” highlights the company’s addition of the words “and domestic violence” to its home insurance policies that had provided emergency relocation in the case of fire or flood. The additional language provided women the ability to leave abusive relationships without worry of finding a place to live.
- The campaign from Publicis Conseil in Paris was one of the most awarded of the week at the Cannes Festival of Creativity, winning Grand Prixs in the Direct and Creative Business Transformation categories.
In awarding the prize, Titanium Jury President Judy John, who is also Global Chief Creative Officer at Edelman, noted the addition of those three words did more than change insurance policy, it changed the lives of women, their outcomes and the industry as a whole. “In insurance contracts, words matter, and with the addition of ‘and domestic violence,’ AXA turned a contract into a lifeline, giving women the freedom to leave abusive relationships and handing the industry a clear roadmap for reform,” John said in a statement.
The campaign was anchored by a short film that depicted young girls being shaped by societal and familial expectations and abusive relationships that can chip away at their confidence and self-worth. Using a melancholy version of “Girls just wanna have fun,” the film depicts the difficulties women have in breaking these patterns to claim the confidence they deserve. The spot concludes with the message, “Being a woman shouldn’t be a risk,” and encourages viewers to explore the company’s initiatives.
That line was part of a platform the company and agency developed in 2023 to address the disproportionate risks women face in various categories including health, finance, work and domestic violence. That platform led to the addition of the three words into its insurance policies, which cover 2.5 million households in France and is being rolled out across seven more countries, according to Ad Age.
