BETC Etoile Rouge & Yves Saint Laurent Beauty launch internationally “Abuse is not Love”

Cristina Blanaru Business, CSR, Marketing

According to the United Nations data, a woman is killed by their partner every three days in the United States. This alarming statistic is part of the global crisis of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), something that 30% of women will experience in their lifetime.

In response, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, whose brand heritage is closely linked to the defense of women’s freedom and independence, has decided to launch an international program to prevent Intimate Partner Violence.

Yves Saint Laurent Beauty called on agency BETC Etoile Rouge to create the program’s associated communication campaign, including the name, logo and visual identity.

In September 2020, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty launched Abuse is Not Love, a program created in partnership with local associations in order to take into account cultural differences between countries, but above all to be as close as possible to the problem.

In the United Kingdom, the brand is working with Women’s Aid (federation of 250 organizations that provide assistance to women victims of domestic violence), with It’s on Us in United States (actively fights against sexual assault on campuses and promotes the concept of consent), and with En avant toute(s) in France (group that promotes equality between women and men and fights against gender based and anti-LGBTQIA+ violence). The program will be extended to several other countries around the world in the following years.

The program has three pillars:

  • Financial support, to enable NGO partners to inform, prevent and raise public awareness and support their actions.
  • Training of the brand’s internal teams up to in-store sales advisers, who are on the front line, to understand the nature of violence within couples.
  • The development of enlightened leadership through contribution to studies on young people and IPV prevention.

The brand is using its voice to help tackle this problem by opening its communication platforms to NGOs, offering conferences, awareness campaigns on its social networks, and interviews. By 2030, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty aims to scale up its action and educate 2 million people around the world about IPV.

In November 2020, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty and BETC Etoile Rouge are launching the program’s first awareness campaign. It highlights the potential dangers and nine key warning signs of an abusive relationship to prevent and help people take action in the face of such behavior. BETC Etoile Rouge created the campaign, illustrated as an ode to true love. The heart, a universal symbol of love and a healthy relationship, but also a symbol strongly associated with and dear to the brand, is systematically shattered by the nine key signs of an abusive relationship.

“It is more crucial than ever that brands and their agencies use their power to support causes as important as this one. We are very proud to support Yves Saint Laurent Beauty in this fight which is particularly close to our hearts.” Brune Buonomano, president of BETC Etoile Rouge.

From November 16, the campaign has been broadcast online and on social media. A website was also created, offering additional information on the signs of an abusive relationship: www.thesignsofabuse.com.