Care France Turns Heat Into a Degree of Violence
As Paris faced an intense summer heatwave, CARE France turned digital outdoor screens into a disturbing real-time warning.
Created by independent French agency Belle, the Degree of Violence campaign ran across Paris from July 7 to 14, using live weather data to connect extreme heat with gender-based violence.
A Billboard That Changed With the Temperature
The creative centered on the portrait of a woman displayed on digital billboards across the city.
As the outside temperature rose, her appearance gradually changed. Bruises, cuts and cracks appeared on the image, creating a direct visual link between heatwaves and violence against women.
The Data Behind the Message
The campaign was based on research cited by CARE France and the UN Spotlight Initiative, which links every additional 1°C increase in temperature with a 4.7% rise in domestic violence.
By translating that statistic into a live DOOH execution, the campaign made the issue immediate, public and emotionally clear.
Why the Campaign Worked
- It used context: The message appeared during one of Paris' hottest periods of the summer.
- It reacted in real time: The creative changed according to the outside temperature.
- It made data visible: A statistic became a physical, emotional image.
- It used public space responsibly: The campaign brought attention to an issue often hidden inside homes.
- It extended beyond screens: A bike tour, street interviews and influencer content amplified the message.
Beyond the Billboards
The campaign also included a bike tour across symbolic locations in Paris, including institutional and media sites.
Street interviews and a coordinated social media push helped extend the campaign beyond the digital billboards, turning the OOH activation into a broader public conversation.
The OOH Lesson
DOOH is especially powerful when the message responds to the world around it.
In this case, temperature was not just background context. It became the trigger for the creative idea.
CARE France and Belle showed how digital outdoor media can connect real-time data, public awareness and social urgency in a way that feels immediate and difficult to ignore.
Bottom Line
Degree of Violence demonstrates how purpose-led DOOH can turn environmental data into a human message.
By linking rising temperatures with rising risks for women, the campaign used public screens to expose one of the hidden consequences of the climate crisis.
The result is a powerful reminder that outdoor advertising can do more than capture attention. It can make urgent realities visible.
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