Responses by Júnior Lisboa, creative director/planner, Maianga Group

Background: The Portuguese Association for Victim Support, or APAV, supports people who are victims of crime and violence. This year, with the aim of creating something in time for the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, we proposed a print campaign that would warn those who are unemployed about the dangers of some job offers that are, in fact, the main tactic that are used by gangs who participate in human trafficking.

Reasoning: The creative solution presents a path made with the main arguments used by criminals to attract and convince people to accept their job offers. In fact, these real traps condemn people to a routine of abuse, exploitation and violence. I thought the association with the objects in the print ads—a mouse trap, a trap and a cage—was appropriate.

Challenges: This is our first project for APAV, a respectful organization in Portugal that has previously launched other memorable campaigns. In addition to the the fact that we are always responsible for doing our best, this time, the pressure was a bit bigger. The main challenge was finding a solution that combined simplicity and creativity. We knew about the financial limitations that had been placed in our hands because APAV is a nonprofit organization. We also found partners to help us with this project, helping us print the posters and finding places to announce the campaign.

Favorite details: The pandemic has accentuated unemployment and social inequalities and this environment of hopelessness and despair is even more conducive to human trafficking. We all wanted to avoid this and the possibility of helping people was the biggest reward about this job.

Visual influences: I am a defender of simplicity in advertising. Good advertising doesn’t have to necessarily be full of great pictures, multiple treatments or tons of post-production. I like those as well, but some of the smartest ads I’ve seen use simplicity as a solution.

Anything new: Yes, I knew about human trafficking. But I learned a lot more about a kind of crime that is, unfortunately, more common than I could ever imagine.

maianga.com