Stars Revisit the Names Bullies Called Them in New Campaign From Monica Lewinsky and BBDO

Last year, Monica Lewinsky and agency BBDO New York brought online bullying into the real world by staging racist and homophobic encounters in public and highlighting that such attacks happen daily online. That work was nominated for an Outstanding Commercial Emmy, and now it has a follow-up: #DefyTheName, a campaign aimed at turning the tables on bullies by embracing and disarming their insults. In the launch spot for the effort, we see (or hear mention of) a wide range of celebrities who've been mocked as children or even adults, with the visuals contrasting the insults against the success each star has had. [kickout id="1"] "From personal experience I know that one of the most insidious effects of bullying is the feeling of isolation," Lewinsky said in a statement announcing the campaign. "Especially for vulnerable populations, like our youth, it's feeling alone and suffering in silence that breaks down confidence, degrades self-worth and leads to even worse consequences." The work, timed to correspond with National Bullying Prevention Month, is supported by a litany of organizations: The Amanda Todd Legacy, Anti-Bullying Alliance, The Childhood Resilience Foundation, Crisis Text Line, The Diana Award, Ditch The Label, Heart Mob, iHollaback, Project Rockit, Sit With Us, Think Before You Type and The Tyler Clementi Foundation. The campaign encourages supporters to change their display names in social media to include an insult that was used against them by bullies. Lewinsky has led that charge by changing her Twitter display name to "Monica Chunky Slut Stalker That Woman Lewinsky," a reference to several of the insults aimed at her since her affair with President Bill Clinton came to light in the 1990s. Her choice notably includes "That Woman," a term infamously used by Clinton in his initial (and patently false) public denial of any sexual relationship with Lewinsky. Time will tell if that aspect of the campaign catches on, given that supporters might not be quite as willing to revisit their harshest insults and display them to the world. (The effort also awkwardly overlaps with the Twitter tradition of many users changing their display names each October to "spooky names" in advance of Halloween, though clearly there are enough days in a month to accommodate both.) Discussing the launch spot, BBDO NY Creative Chief Greg Hahn says he hopes the work will show that insults don't have to be obstacles to success. "On social media, names and words are often used as weapons," Hahn said. "By showing the names that well-known and highly accomplished people were once called as kids, we hope to use social media to diffuse the power of those weapons." CREDITS: AGENCY: BBDO New York CLIENT: Monica Lewinsky SPOTS: “Defy the Name” Chief Creative Officer, BBDO WW: David Lubars Chief Creative Officer, BBDO NY: Greg Hahn Creative Director: Bianca Guimaraes Associate Creative Director: Roberto Danino Head of Integrated Production: David Rolfe Executive Producer: George Sholley Producer: Jack Patrick Music Production: Julia Millison Business Manager: Grace Kelly Director of Business Affairs: Bernadette Naughton Account Director: Lindsey Cash Account Director: Carrie White Assistant Account Executive: Jackie Silver Assistant Account Executive, Partnerships: Jordan Ji Planning Director: Karin Santiago Senior Comms Planner: Julie Naidu Senior Analyst, Marketing Science: Crystal Lin Creator Partnerships Manager: Lucy Bennett Production Company: O Positive Director: Brian Billow EPs: Ralph Laucella and Marc Grill Prod: Grayson Bithell and Jason Reda DPs: Larry Fong and Jay Feather Prod Designer: Maia Javan Music Company: Hook &amp; Line Composed by Bryan Senti Music produced by Hook and Line Music Inc. Editorial Company: Number 6 Editor: Justin Quagliata Assistant Editor: Benjamin M. Algar Producer: Malia Rose Executive Producer: Corina Dennison Senior VFX Artist: Ed Skupeen Senior VFX Artist: John Shea Assistant VFX Artist: Mark Reyes Telecine Company: Company 3 Colorist: Tim Masick Assistant Colorist: Melina Smith Mix and Record Company: Sonic Union Engineer: Michael Marinelli PR: Dini Von Mueffling Communications Founder and CEO: Dini Von Mueffling Account Executive: Daniel Lempert

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Stars Revisit the Names Bullies Called Them in New Campaign From Monica Lewinsky and BBDO

John Oliver, Olivia Munn and more aim to #DefyTheName

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