Lacta – Don’t ever leave me

A rise in domestic violence cases in 2021 in Greece, has stunned the nation, especially after 13 brutal femicides had been reported in the media since the beginning of the year, creating a grim body count, that kept rising every other month to reach 17 women dead, by the end of the year.

Mondelez's Lacta, a chocolate brand that for years has been telling love stories in the form of Branded Entertainment, chose to produce a short film that shows what a love story is not.

The 4-minute film titled "Don't ever leave me", directed by acclaimed Greek director Argyris Papadimitropoulos (Suntan, Monday), stars two young actors in what appears to begin as a cliché love story, set under the Greek summer sun. Soon, however, the story takes a darker turn, and viewers get to experience the manipulative ways women are being trapped into toxic relationships.

After a tragic finale, the film ends with a warning to women to be on the lookout for the telling signs of psychological and physical abuse, providing further information in cooperation with “Diotima”, an NGO devoted to Gender Rights and Equality.

The video was posted the week ahead of November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The campaign instantly went viral, becoming the #1 trending video on YouTube in Greece for more than a week, with 1M+ organic views, 60% of which came from outside sources, and the major media outlets in the country reporting on it.

The video was featured in all major TV news and talk shows, creating a big discussion around the subject that had been unsettling the Greek society for months.

Many major international trade publications, have reported on the story, with articles on Muse by CLIO and Adweek, and becoming an Editor’s Pick on AdAge, and an Ad of the Day on The Drum.