Romance Scams Campaign

EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS

Using:

THE BRIEF

The challenge was to design an impactful campaign raising awareness about the dangers of romance scams, with a creative twist to captivate the audience during Valentine's season. The campaign needed to educate while capturing attention through relatable and thoughtful designs.

THE PROCESS

I began by researching romance scam tactics and victim experiences to ensure the campaign would address real vulnerabilities with appropriate sensitivity. This informed the development of a creative concept that would use the familiar language and imagery of Valentine's Day as an entry point to the serious topic.

THE SOLUTION

The centrepiece of the campaign was an innovative Valentine's card with a dual-layered message. The front featured traditional romantic imagery and language where 'I Love You' was visible through the die-cut heart shape. This created an immediately recognisable Valentine's context. Upon opening, however, the card revealed critical warnings about romance scams, with clever wordplay connecting romantic language to potential deception.

Several well-known journalists were sent an advance copy to help promotion of the campaign in main-stream media outlets and an exhibition stand was created to showcase the campaign at a conference running alongside.

Supporting this concept, I created:

• A dedicated Romance Scams logo that could be used beyond the Valentine's period

• Coordinated materials including posters, digital graphics, and social media content

• Information leaflets that expanded on the warning signs and prevention advice

• Design templates that could be adapted by partner organisations

THE RESULTS

The campaign achieved significant impact:

• Generated substantial media coverage due to its creative approach to a serious topic

• Increased reporting of suspected romance scams during and after the campaign period

• Created highly shareable content that extended reach beyond traditional channels

• Received positive feedback from both the public and organisations supporting scam victims

• Established a template for future creative approaches to fraud awareness

By using the familiar context of Valentine's Day in an unexpected way, the campaign successfully broke through public awareness fatigue around scam warnings, creating meaningful engagement with this important safety message.