A 50% rise in domestic violence cases in 2021 in Greece stunned the nation, especially after 13 brutal femicides were reported in the media by November, creating a grim body count that kept rising each month to reach 18 by the end of the year.

Greece is one of Europe's most patriarchal societies. It ranks last in the EU's Gender Equality index. And that is reflected in the country's news media that had initially called these murders "crimes of passion" or attributed them to "extreme love".

Lacta chocolate is a brand that has always been telling love stories in the form of Branded Entertainment, becoming a symbol of love in Greece. Seeing how these murders were committed in the name of love, Lacta wanted to make clear that possessive behaviour isn't "love" and warn women trapped into abusive relationships to see the signs and seek help before it's too late.

The idea was to subvert the very subject that had made Lacta campaigns famous and produce another branded entertainment fiction film, like the ones that had been so popular with audiences, disguised as a love story. Viewers would soon find out that it was, in fact, the story of an abusive relationship that would lead to a tragic finale, inspired by the true events that had shocked the public opinion during the summer of 2021.

The film's screenplay was based on the confessions given to the Police by domestic violence perpetrators, describing the events and the escalation of violence in their relationships with the victims.

The film's online release was planned to coincide with the United Nations' "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women" on November 25th.

While unsuspecting audiences were asking for the next Lacta romantic film, we "dropped" the video on Lacta's YouTube channel four days ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The film aimed to begin a public discussion about the causes of possessive behaviour, rooted in the patriarchal stereotypes that let women be trapped into abusive relationships under the pretence of love. We wanted to let everyone know that "this is not love", and our society should stop tolerating it.

At the same time, we wanted the film to act as a warning to women that were already in such relationships and let them seek help. Thus we cooperated with the NGO "DIOTIMA", which deals with issues of Gender Rights and Equality and provides free legal help to the victims of domestic violence.

The 4-minute film begins as a cliché love story under the Greek summer sun. Soon, however, the story takes a darker turn, and viewers get to experience the manipulative ways women are being trapped into toxic relationships, leading to a tragic finale inspired by true events.

Christina Hilla-Fameli, the actress who plays the film's protagonist, has by now become the biggest star on Greek TV. Her approachable looks and authentic performance helped women identify with her and played a major role in the viral impact of the film. Its success contributed to her becoming a household name.

And while we chose Christina, she was the one that chose her co-star, Ektor Liatsos, a friend of hers since acting school, since the whole premise had to be built on trust, as she would have to be affectionate with him in one scene and then be brutally abused by him in another.

The film instantly went viral, becoming the #1 trending video on YouTube in Greece for ten days, with more than 1.2M organic views in a country of 7M Internet users, 60% of which came from outside sources, and all the major media outlets in the country reporting about it.

On YouTube alone, the video had 34.000 likes and 68.000 shares.

Almost all major TV news and talk shows aired the film for free, some devoting complete shows, initiating a big discussion around the subject that had been unsettling the Greek society for months.

The film was shown at schools by educators and was shared on social media by the Greek Police.

More importantly, calls for help through DIOTIMA's helpline increased 8 times during November and December, while visits to its website proving information increased by 650%, and donations covering all expenses for legal services provided to victims increased by 100%.