CASE STUDY
GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN: TRICKED: A FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
The Challenge
“TRICKED” is a feature-length documentary that portrays the reality of sex trafficking in the United States. The award- winning filmmakers follow pimps, johns, girls, parents and law enforcement agents fighting trafficking, providing unprecedented access into their worlds and creating a comprehensive portrait of the American sex industry today. “TRICKED” highlights the pervasiveness of these crimes, which have historically been overlooked and ignored. The TASC Group was retained to promote the New York City premiere, drive interest in the film on a national level and use the film to launch a national grassroots movement to change the narrative that sex trafficking is a third-world problem that does not exist in the United States.
The Challenge
“TRICKED” is a feature-length documentary that portrays the reality of sex trafficking in the United States. The award- winning filmmakers follow pimps, johns, girls, parents and law enforcement agents fighting trafficking, providing unprecedented access into their worlds and creating a comprehensive portrait of the American sex industry today. “TRICKED” highlights the pervasiveness of these crimes, which have historically been overlooked and ignored. The TASC Group was retained to promote the New York City premiere, drive interest in the film on a national level and use the film to launch a national grassroots movement to change the narrative that sex trafficking is a third-world problem that does not exist in the United States.
The Strategy
TASC worked to change the dialogue on the issue of sex trafficking at the national level and create new messaging that would resonate with a range of audiences. TASC strategically positioned and placed the filmmakers, survivors and law enforcement officials in the media as expert commentators. TASC created and managed strategic partnerships for the film with MTV and UNICEF USA, as well as recruited influential advocates, reporters, industry leaders and celebrities to express public support for the film ahead of its release. TASC also capitalized on the intense media attention around Super Bowl XLVIII, which took place in New York right after the premiere, to shed light on and generate national attention on the issue. and determine needs around their enforcement. TASC also identified a nonprofit-focused law firm to independently investigate and create reports on two of the institutions to push legislators into action.
TASC rolled out a strategic communications media outreach plan, including introducing arts and culture reporters to the issue, promoting the campaign’s various calls to action and crafting op-eds on behalf of the campaign.
The Results
Over the course of the engagement, TASC generated 321 unique national and international media hits for “TRICKED” that resulted in over 100 million media impressions. This coverage moved the dial on the national conversation on sex trafficking, brought the film to thousands of theaters and homes nationwide, landed a major deal with Netflix and resulted in the Arizona Attorney General’s office’s use of the film as a training tool for law enforcement officials at Super Bowl XLIX in Phoenix the following year. The film was the subject of stories in outlets such as PBS NewsHour, PBS.org, CNN, MSNBC, the Associated Press, ABC’s Katie, Glamour, Fox News, HuffPost, Ms. Magazine, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter.
MEDIA COVERAGE
