Five hundred red signs cover Sadler Lawn, however, Red Flags are all around.Red Flags are things people can be looking for, like insults or criticisms that could lead to a violent relationship, said Rebecca Farrow, vice president of community service for Safe Haven, a local women’s shelter.
The Red Flag campaign, which is part of the statewide Texas Council on Family Violence project, consists of flags, posters and emergency cards that will be passed out around Tarrant County, Farrow said.
“The signs on campus give such a visual impact to such a critical issue,” Farrow said. “We wanted to make sure that students cannot hide from domestic violence issues, and by surrounding them with the political signs, it brands the campaign.”
RealWorld Integrated Marketing Communications, a student-run advertising agency, designed the Red Flags campaign strategy for Safe Haven’s relationship abuse prevention week, said Heather Tansill, RealWorld IMC account executive.
Tansill said half of people 16 to 24 have experienced dating violence, and TCU is the first campus in Tarrant County to participate in the Red Flags campaign.
“I wanted to create a campaign that would make students look, especially the students who feel violence will not happen to them,” Tansill said.
She said Safe Haven came to RealWorld IMC in January for help to create awareness for domestic violence, or Red Flags, in Tarrant County.
The campaign will be moving to other campuses.
“TCU has been such a fabulous place to start the campaign,” Farrow said. “Visually, everything looks wonderful. We have had so much positive feedback from the press and other organizations.”
Claudia Butts, director of RealWorld IMC, said this campaign was a special project to work with.
“This job was important to us because you never think about all the aspects to abuse,” Butts said. “We are trying to help Safe Haven get their voice out there before it gets really bad.”
After a 10-month preparation, Tansill said she was satisfied.
“This campaign has gotten a lot of publicity and it’s very exciting to see the product on TV,” Tansill said. “It feels so great to spread the word about such a great cause.
