The print campaign, which breaks on December 11, shows a family photograph of a mother and two children, which has been violently torn up and then carefully pieced back together, with the strapline: "Domestic violence tears lives apart. For 35 years we've been helping to put them back together".
The ad aims to reveal the impact of domestic violence on a physical and emotional level and demonstrates Refuge's long-established role in rebuilding lives affected by domestic violence.
This is the third campaign McCann Erickson has created for Refuge and it marks 35 years since the charity set up the world's first safe house for women and children escaping domestic violence in Chiswick in 1971.
Sandra Horley, Refuge's chief executive, said: "The 'Rebuilding lives' campaign will help us reach out to millions of people across the UK. As well as illustrating the devastating effect of domestic violence, the campaign will help women living with the daily terror of domestic violence to see that Refuge can help them rebuild their lives."
Brian Fraser, executive creative director at McCann Erickson, described the job of producing compelling advertising for Refuge as "a moral obligation".
Fraser said: "Achieving cut-through while retaining the integrity of the brand is key. The challenge arises in addressing the dual functions of all good charity communication, which is stating the nature of the problem while demonstrating the positive role of the organisation. We feel that this campaign performs to both of those criteria in a clever and original way. This is strong stuff."
Viacom Outdoor has also donated 2,000 complimentary bus panels to Refuge at an estimated cost of 拢70,000, for the campaign.
Refuge launched a direct marketing campaign in August to raise awareness of its work. The mailing, by Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel, includes a bruise concealer called Slap, featuring the tagline "Tested on women by animals".
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