Agent receives prestigious national award recognition!

We were proud to receive national recognition at the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards in London, taking home the Bronze award for our impactful It’s not a game, boy campaign in partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Mayor Andy Burnham.

The prestigious Campaign of the Year category at the LGC Awards had over 100 entries from across the country, with It’s not a game, boy commended for tackling coercive and controlling behaviour in relationships, reaching millions across Greater Manchester.

The LGC Awards celebrates outstanding the achievements, campaigns, people and innovations across the sector, with over 1,300 people gathering in London for the ceremony.

GMCA commissioned us to deliver a campaign to challenge the attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate gender-based abuse and violence against women and girls in all its forms. During our initial strategic engagement, coercive and controlling behaviour emerged as a consistent theme.

It’s not a game, boy launched with a major press event hosted by Mayor Andy Burnham, who hailed it as ‘one of the most important and impactful campaigns’ ever launched in the region, supported by a two-metre game-console installation specifically designed by our Creatives to display an impactful hero video.

The video, developed entirely by our in-house team, depicted a steady loss of autonomy for victims, receiving over 14 million impressions and almost 300,000 views, while accompanying social, digital and out-of-home assets were unveiled across prominent Greater Manchester locations.

The game console went on tour across Greater Manchester, amplifying visibility and creating discussion, while our partnership with LADbible achieved over 76,000 page views, with 72% of viewers in our primary demographic of men aged between 18-34.

Crucially, partner services reported an increase in website traffic as a direct result of the campaign, with a 70% increase for Independent Choices, a domestic abuse helpline. The hero video is also used as an educational resource at the University of Manchester.

“We are incredibly proud to receive this award on a national stage. It’s not a game, boy was developed using our range of specialisms across the entire agency and firmly displays the importance of delivering powerfully good work that inspires meaningful, real-life positive changes. We tackled a hugely important issue with insight and clarity, and the results are testament to the outstanding work of our team and partners.”

Find out more about our award-winning It’s not a game, boy campaign.