The Day a Chocolate Ad Betrayed How Love Stories Are Supposed to Be Told / LACTA "Don't Ever Leave Me"

The problem

In 2021, Greece was shaken by a sharp rise in domestic violence and femicide (cases where women are killed). Many of these cases were wrongly dismissed as "crimes of passion" or "acts committed out of love."

The insight

LACTA is a brand that has spent years telling love stories. According to Ogilvy Greece's CCO, it was precisely because of that history that the brand had earned the right to depict "something that isn't love." It's a reversal: a brand that has long told love stories now turns around to depict control disguised as love.

The idea

A young man and woman meet on a beach one Greek summer. At first, it plays out like any familiar romantic cliché, but gradually the man's possessiveness and controlling behavior start to surface, and the story slides into psychological and physical abuse. The title, "Don't Ever Leave Me," flips its meaning at the very end when the words "(because I'll hurt you)" are added. Working with the gender equality organization Diotima, the campaign also includes information to help people recognize the warning signs of abuse.

What happened

The ad spread organically without any ad spend, hitting number one on YouTube trending in Greece right after release, and TV stations aired it for free. It won Gold in the Glass: The Lion for Change category at Cannes Lions 2022, along with a D&AD Graphite Pencil and other awards.

Afterthought

A chocolate ad taking on a subject this heavy, head-on. The logic of "only a brand that has always spoken of love can tell this story" is incredibly powerful. An ending nobody wants to see somehow becomes one that everybody ends up watching. It made me realize advertising can sometimes wear this kind of face too.

Awards

• Cannes Lions Gold 2022

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