Domestic abuse cases rise by up to 38% during major football events. So for 1.6 million women living with domestic abuse in the UK, the World Cup is a time of fear not celebration. And 2022 saw the first ever winter tournament. This was significant because the cold weather and dark nights meant more abusers would be at home rather than the pub, posing an even greater risk to women. Women’s Aid, a small domestic abuse charity, needed the entire nation to support these women. With no budget and no media spend, they needed an idea to cut through, something that would resonate specifically with an English audience, to get the entire nation talking & sharing the vital support information to help the women at risk.

We hijacked England’s beloved football chant, ‘It’s Coming Home’ & changed one word to give it a powerful new meaning. ‘HE’S COMING HOME’ is seen bold and centre across the iconic red and white England flag. It replicates real flags that real supporters would use to support the English team. We worked in collaboration with artist Corbin Shaw, who’s personal work questions gender and football and also uses large black lettering over the England flag. We leaned into the visual language of football and crafted hand stitched flags with bold messaging that subverted the usual celebratory tone. The scale & simplicity made them unmissable. By taking something every English person would recognise and altering it slightly, this visual subversion of something so iconic to the English, meant they were seen and shared everywhere.

Despite no media spend the campaign went viral. It was watched 23 million times on TikTok alone. 1 in 8 views about the England World Cup on TikTok was for our campaign. Every major news outlet picked it up, generating a combined reach of 222 million. The British Home Office, police authorities and policy makers shared it. It drove a 17% increase in traffic to the Women’s Aid Support Page and 44% increase to the Donate page. Social channels saw a 4,000 follower boost since launch and an organic reach of over 250K. It has solidified Women’s Aid as an authority on domestic abuse and football. They are now asked to comment when the issue appears in the news. They are currently in conversations with the PFA and FA, and have been invited to visit clubs to educate on their message – providing opportunities for tangible changes to be made.