#THEDRESS THAT BROKE THE INTERNET FOR A GOOD CAUSE

The Salvation Army has turned the talk about #TheDress into something more meaningful. PICTURE: WEB
The Salvation Army has turned the talk about #TheDress into something more meaningful. PICTURE: WEB
LAST month there was a trending social media mystery around a colour of a dress which was visibly white and gold and now the whole image of the dress has been used to drive a charity initiative to raise awareness on Domestic Violence.
While over 300 million people pettily debated about the dress' colour which included celebrities Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian West, James Fanco and more the topic consumed the time and attention and yet the message remained undeniably shallow.
According to Marie Claire the South African branch of the Salvation Army, together with advertising agency Ireland Davenport SA, channeled that attention towards something more important when they used #TheDress in a powerful ad to create awareness about domestic violence.
Major Carin Holmes at the Salvation Army’s SA branch to learn more about the ad and the cause behind it.

Most people thought of the #TheDress as a frivolous news item. How did you come up with the concept to use it in this way?
The idea for the campaign came about in a conversation between the creative team at Ireland Davenport. They were discussing how #TheDress has become a massive talking point around the world but it was not saying anything. They tried to figure out a way in which they could leverage the popularity of #TheDress and turn it into a discussion for good. They decided to use the concept in a campaign for abuse as, unfortunately, too many women have suffered abuse and it’s not always something people can, or want to, address.
The main challenge was to get the ad done in a very short time frame as they wanted to capitalise on it while #TheDress was still a hot topic.
As soon as they put the campaign together they  approached the Salvation Army and we took it from there. For us it’s just amazing that together we can help create awareness for institutions that are doing amazing work.

What has the response to the ad been like?
Absolutely overwhelming. We gained tremendous international awareness in just the first 12 hours since the ad was posted on Twitter on Friday.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your charity CareHaven?
CareHaven provides residential shelter and refuge to abused women and their children in South Africa, giving them the opportunity to find healing and to learn skills that will empower them to cope as self-reliant members of society. Our vision is to help create a society where women and children can live with full dignity and a sense of worth, being self-reliant and free from fear and abuse.

What can South Africans do to get involved?
They could support the work we do.  Our website, www.salvationarmy.org.za has a donate button, or SMS the letters TSA to 42290 to donate R30. You can also follow and tweet @TheSalvationArmySA. It is necessary for us all to speak out against this injustice on every platform possible. - report by Marie Claire 

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