Smart use of lenticular printed image helps directly reach victims of child abuse

One of the coolest things about technology is seeing the ways in which it can be applied that were never envisioned by its creators. We're all familiar with lenticular printing, thanks to the little cards you'll find in cereal boxes and packs of Cracker Jack popcorn, which change their image depending on your viewing angle. The idea has been around for centuries but didn't become commonplace as a source of entertainment for kids and an eye-catching way of advertising until the 1940s. More recently, it's been used as a method of creating 3D photo prints by Fujifilm. Now, a Spanish nonprofit organization and its advertising agency have elevated lenticular printing from mere gimmick to a genuinely useful tool in the fight against child abuse.

Based out of Madrid, Spain, the Fundación ANAR provides psychological, social and legal assistance for children and adolescents who are victims of abuse. A toll free number serves as the first point of contact with the organization, and raising awareness of that number with those in need of it is therefore a key priority. With a traditional ad, though, the victim of abuse might be prevented from seeing and memorizing that number by the abuser, or might be intimidated and prevented from making the call were they seen to have read the number.

A unique solution was called for, and ad agency Grey Group proposed just that: a lenticular poster that would take advantage of a key difference between abuser and victim. One of the reasons the abuse happens in the first place is that the child is typically much smaller than the adult and, therefore, unable to defend themself physically. By placing a lenticular poster vertically, it could be designed to show one message to the adult and another to the child. Both versions show the same child, but only that aimed for viewing by a typical ten-year-old or younger includes the telephone number. It's accompanied by a message targeted at the victim of abuse, and a more graphic image that will draw attention in the first place. From the height of a typical adult, a different image and message are seen, and while there's still an anti-abuse message, there's no direct call to action visible to the adult.

Of course, there's no guarantee that an adult won't see the image intended for a child, or for that matter won't be aware of the lenticular design from the publicity it's receiving, but that's not really the point. The poster makes it more likely that the image will be seen only by those most in need of the message, and the publicity generated by announcing its existence will likely help spread the message through word of mouth as well.

It's a clever idea, a worthy cause, and if it helps even one adolescent or child it will have done its job: getting that number out there. (And if you're in Spain and want to know that number, it's 116 111.)

More info for Spanish speakers can be found on the Fundación ANAR website.

(via DIY Photography)