Human Trafficking Public Awareness Campaign Research Final Report

Prepared for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

Prepared by Narrative Research

PSPC Contract Number: 0D160-211836/001/CY

Contracted Value: $107,474.30

Contract Date: September 4, 2020

Delivery Date: November 17, 2020

POR number: 031-20

For more information, please contact:

ps.communications-communications.sp@canada.ca

Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français

Human Trafficking Public Awareness Campaign Research

Final Report

Prepared for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

Supplier Name: Narrative Research

November 2020

This public opinion research report presents the results of focus groups conducted by Narrative Research on behalf of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada. The research study was done using qualitative focus groups, specifically 25 online Netfocus discussion groups. Five groups were conducted in each of five regions, namely Western Canada (BC and AB), Prairies (SK and MB), Ontario, Quebec, and Eastern Canada (NB, NS, PE and NL). Within each of those regions, one group was conducted with each of four audiences: male youth 16-19 years old; female youth 16-19 years old; male young adults 20-25 years old; and female young adults 20-25 years old. In addition, two groups were conducted with Indigenous women 19 to 24 years old (Ontario/Atlantic and Prairies/West) and three groups were conducted with parents of youth 13-19 years old (Quebec, Ontario/Atlantic and Prairies/West). Each group included a mix of ages (within range), education level, employment status and household income. Groups also included some representation of people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ2+ community, newcomers less than 10 years and cultural backgrounds. Quebec sessions were conducted in French while other focus groups were conducted in English.

Across groups, 221 individuals were recruited, while 183 people participated in the sessions – averaging 7 per focus group. Each group discussion lasted approximately two hours and participants received a cash incentive of $100 in appreciation for their time. The focus groups were conducted between October 19^th and 28^th, 2020.

Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre:

Recherche sur la campagne de sensibilisation du public à la traite de personnes

This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada. For more information on this report, please contact Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness at:

ps.communications-communications.sp@canada.ca

Catalogue Number:

PS4-281/1-2021E-PDF

International Standard Book Number (ISBN):

978-0-660-38784-0

Related publications (registration number: POR-022-20):

Catalogue Number: PS4-281/1-2021F-PDF (Final Report, French)

ISBN: 978-0-660-38786-4

Table of Contents

Executive Summary. 0

Introduction. 0

Research Methodology. 0

Context of Qualitative Research. 0

Detailed Analysis. 0

Awareness of Human Trafficking. 0

Campaign Testing. 0

Overall Reactions Across Concepts. 0

Strongest Campaign. 0

Campaign Concept: Uncontained (Non-confiné) 0

Campaign Concept: Hard to See (Pas toujours visible). 0

Campaign Concept: Changed (Changé). 0

Key Messages. 0

Terminology. 0

Conclusions and Direction. 0

Appendix A: Recruitment Screener. 0

Appendix B: Moderator’s Guide. 0

Appendix C: Materials Tested. 0

Executive Summary

Narrative Research Inc.

Contract Number: 0D160-211836/001/CY

POR Registration Number: 031-20

Contract Award Date: September 4, 2020

Contracted Cost: $107,474.30

Background and Research Methodology

In 2019, the Government of Canada announced its commitment to invest new federal funding in the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking as a means to strengthen Canada’s response to human trafficking. The National Strategy aims to frame all federal activities under the internationally-recognized pillars of prevention, protection, prosecution and partnerships, and adding a new pillar of “empowerment”. Moreover, the Strategy will support broader Government of Canada commitments, prevent and address gender-based violence, and support the safety and security of Indigenous peoples. The financial commitment proposed includes an initial investment of $57 million over five years beginning in 2019-2020, and $10 million annually thereafter.

Insights obtained from 2018 nationwide Human Trafficking consultations indicated the pressing need for increased public awareness and knowledge to help communities and stakeholders better recognize the early signs of human trafficking, reduce the stigmatization of victims, and improve proactive response to incidents. As the first step in addressing public awareness needs, Public Safety’s Marketing team conducted research in March of 2020 to establish baseline levels of awareness about Canadians’ perceptions, behaviours, and understanding of human trafficking, as well as to help identify optimal target audiences.

As part of the National Strategy, a qualitative project was undertaken across the country, to inform a multi-year public awareness campaign. At this stage in the campaign development, Public Safety is interested in evaluating the relative effectiveness of proposed ad concepts with four target audiences, to ensure that the concepts will draw the attention of those vulnerable populations. The research findings will guide the final choice and development of a campaign creative concept. More specifically, research objectives include:

· Evaluation of three ideas for a public awareness campaign (each including one video animatic and a sample print ad) to determine if the content is clearly understood; credible; relevant and of value; appealing and attention-grabbing; memorable; and able to motivate to take intended action(s).

· Determine which concept is best at raising the public’s awareness about the issue of human trafficking.

· Assess the perceived impact of ten related messages.

· Determine the best terminology to speak of various types of human trafficking.

To achieve these objectives, a qualitative research approach was undertaken. Specifically, 25 online Netfocus (online, real-time) discussion groups were conducted. Five groups were conducted in each of five regions, namely Western Canada (BC and AB), Prairies (SK and MB), Ontario, Quebec, and Eastern Canada (NB, NS, PE and NL). Within each of those regions, one group was conducted with each of four audiences: male youth 16-19 years old; female youth 16-19 years old; male young adults 20-25 years old; and female young adults 20-25 years old. In addition, two groups were conducted with Indigenous women 19 to 24 years old (Ontario/Atlantic and Prairies/West) and three groups were conducted with parents of youth 13-19 years old (Quebec, Ontario/Atlantic and Prairies/West). Each group included a mix of ages (within range), education level, employment status and household income. Groups also included some representation of people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ2+ communities, newcomers less than 10 years, and a variety of cultural backgrounds. Quebec sessions were conducted in French while other focus groups were conducted in English.

All participants were recruited per the specifications for the Government of Canada. Recruitment was conducted through qualitative panels stored on Canadian servers, with follow-up calls to confirm the details provided and to ensure quotas were met.

This report presents the findings from the study. Caution must be exercised when interpreting the results from this study, as qualitative research is directional only. Results cannot be attributed to the overall population under study, with any degree of confidence.

Political Neutrality Certification

I hereby certify as a Representative of Narrative Research that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Directive on the Management of Communications. Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.

Signed

Signature

Margaret Brigley, CEO & Partner | Narrative Research

Date: November 17, 2020

Key Findings and Conclusions

Findings from the Human Trafficking Public Awareness Campaign Research reveal that there is limited awareness and knowledge of issues related to human trafficking, and it is primarily perceived to be more prevalent internationally than in Canada. As such, the idea of a public education campaign was well received, especially if it were combined with initiatives incorporated into the school curriculum. With the Internet, social media, and news outlets being heavily relied upon for information, the public education campaign on human trafficking would benefit from a strong online presence.

During the testing, three concepts for a public awareness campaign were reviewed and discussed. The one referred to as ‘Uncontained’ was clearly preferred across English-speaking audiences, for being thought-provoking and addressing misconceptions regarding human trafficking. The opinions of French-speaking participants were mixed, with each of the three concepts equally selected for different reasons, as most effective in raising the public’s awareness about human trafficking.

Looking at reactions to each idea individually, the ‘Uncontained’ concept was considered as clearly communicating that human trafficking ‘is not what you think it is’ and that it can begin with a healthy and happy romantic relationship or work situation. Identifying human trafficking as the topic of the campaign upfront in the print ads’ headlines and in the narration of the video, contributed in part to the campaign’s message clarity. The images and scenario debunked the myth that human trafficking involves smuggling or kidnapping of people and conveyed that human trafficking can happen in more familiar and seemingly normal situations. That said, the labour image did not clearly show a Canadian context nor did it establish a hierarchal work relationship. Across both video and print, the visuals reinforced gender stereotypes.

Despite clearly identifying human trafficking as the topic, the ‘Uncontained’ concept failed to effectively explains the signs leading to the abusive relationship, as well as not showing the dire consequences it may have on victims. As such, this concept did not communicate the severity and seriousness of the situation and thus, it failed to emotionally engage viewers. The presence of statistics, however, helped grab attention and establish some relevance. This concept appeared to have a broader target audience, though as with the other concepts, it lacked a strong call to action.

Reactions to the ‘Hard to See’ concept were mixed, and although the message lacked clarity and broad relevance, seeing how the victim reacts to the abuse, and better explaining the progression from a positive to a negative situation, was felt to be more emotionally engaging. The print ads were less effective than the video at suggesting the seriousness of the situations. Nonetheless, the appearance of consent caused confusion and the scenario spoke more closely of kinky sex, abuse or rape, than what is conceived as human trafficking. As such, in its current form, there is a risk of normalizing or trivializing sexual exploitation, especially in how the concept presents the idea of consent. Further there is a risk that this concept could act as an emotional trigger to those impacted by sexual violence. The campaign’s target audience was felt to be more narrowly including young women and victims of sexual abuse, and to a lesser extent friends and relatives. The visuals in the print ads spoke to a younger audience, as they were reminiscent of cropped images they use when posting on social media.

The ‘Changed’ concept elicited mixed reactions, though it failed to effectively engage participants. Moreover, while relatable to many and providing an emotional connection, the ‘Changed’ concept elicited confusion and did not succeed overall in achieving the intended call to action. Indeed, some felt it difficult to understand the scenario in the video, and the print ads’ headlines did not clearly highlight a negative or abusive situation, nor were the bright colours deemed appropriate to convey the seriousness of the issue. The lack of visuals and wordiness in the print ads further affected the message clarity. Nonetheless, hearing the victim’s voice in the video, and the familiarity with the claims made in the print ads’ headlines, caused some to feel more emotionally connected to this concept than to the other two.

Results suggest that consideration should be given to further develop the ‘Uncontained’ concept, with some modifications. Specifically, the campaign should more clearly show what leads to an abusive relationship and what type of abuse is considered human trafficking. It should also show how victims are impacted and more clearly establish the seriousness of the situation through visuals and additional statistics.

Regardless of the concept selected, there is merit in campaign materials addressing myths in terms of who is most at risk and how human trafficking manifests itself. Consideration should also be given to include a stronger call to action, notably in understanding why it is important for everyone to get involved, and what can be done to address the issue. This could be done by inviting the public to visit the website to learn how to identify possible situations or indicators of human trafficking; learn what are unacceptable behaviours to report; or how victims are impacted, as examples.

Incorporating statistics and facts about the human trafficking situations in campaign materials is also an important component to grab attention and address misconceptions. It would also have the added benefit of explaining the choice of featuring certain audiences in the ads, to avoid a perception that the campaign reinforces stereotypes in who is victimized. Nonetheless, it will be important for the campaign to balance the portrayal of the most common types of human trafficking, while demonstrating diversity.

When reviewing ten statements about human trafficking, messages with facts or statistics and those with clear direction on what people can do to address the issue, were felt to be stronger and more engaging. By contrast, more general, broad or vague statements were felt to be less powerful.

Perhaps not surprising given the lack of awareness regarding how human trafficking manifests itself, there is a preference for more specific terminology to identify various types of human trafficking. That said, opinions were divided with the use of the term ‘slavery’ in the context of human trafficking. It was either thought to stress the severity of an abusive situation, or to be more appropriate when speaking of discrimination. Mixed opinions were offered in the best term to describe the traffic of people, between “modern slavery” and “human trafficking” in English, while the French term “traite des personnes” was deemed most appropriate. Terms like “sex slavery” or “sex trafficking” in English, and “esclavage sexuel” in French were considered as more precisely illustrating the concept of sexual exploitation. The terms “domestic labour trafficking” in English and “trafic de main d’oeuvre domestique” in French were preferred to speak of the exploitation of someone in a private household. Finally, the traffic of organs was considered as best described by the term “organ trafficking” in English and “trafic d’organes” in French.

Introduction

In 2019, the Government of Canada announced its commitment to invest new federal funding in the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking as a means to strengthen Canada’s response to human trafficking. The National Strategy aims to frame all federal activities under the internationally recognized pillars of prevention, protection, prosecution and partnerships, and adding a new pillar of “empowerment”. Moreover, the Strategy will support broader Government of Canada commitments, prevent and address gender-based violence, and support the safety and security of Indigenous peoples. The financial commitment proposed includes an initial investment of $57 million over five years beginning in 2019-2020, and $10 million annually thereafter.

As part of the National Strategy, a qualitative project was undertaken across the country, to inform a multi-year public awareness campaign. The research findings will guide the final choice and development of a campaign creative concept.

Objectives

Specific research objectives included:

· Evaluate three ideas for a public awareness campaign (each including one video animatic and a sample print ad) to determine if the content is:

o Clearly understood;

o Credible;

o Relevant and of value;

o Appealing and attention-grabbing;

o Memorable; and

o Able to motivate to take intended action(s).

· Determine which concept is best at raising the public’s awareness about the issue of human trafficking.

· Assess the perceived impact of ten related messages.

· Determine the best terminology to speak of various types of human trafficking.

This report presents the findings of the research. It includes a high-level executive summary, the description of the detailed methodology used, the detailed findings of the focus group discussions, and considerations derived from the analysis of research findings. The working documents are appended to the report, including the recruitment screener (Appendix A), the moderator’s guide (Appendix B), and a description of the materials tested (Appendix C).

Research Methodology

Target Audiences

There are four target audiences for the study, namely:

· Youth 16-19 years old

· Young adults 20-25 years old

· Indigenous women 19 to 24 years of old

· Parents of youth aged 13 to 19 years old

Research Approach

The study included a total of 25 online, real-time group discussions, equally divided to include five regions. All groups were conducted from October 19^th to 28^th, 2020. The following provides a breakdown of groups based on location, language, and audience:

Number of online, real-time focus groups
Region	Language	Youth Male	Youth Female	Young Adults Male	Young Adults Female	Parents	Indigenous Women
Atlantic	English	1	1	1	1	1	1
Ontario	English	1	1	1	1	1	1
Prairies	English	1	1	1	1	1	1
West	English	1	1	1	1	1	1
Quebec	French	1	1	1	1	1	-
TOTAL # SESSIONS:		5	5	5	5	3	2

Each group included a mix of ages (within range), education level, employment status and household income. Groups also included some representation of people with disabilities, members of LGBTQ2+ communities, newcomers less than 10 years, and a variety of cultural backgrounds. As the groups were conducted online and via conference call simultaneously, participants required access to a laptop or desktop computer or tablet, connected to high speed Internet, as well as a dedicated telephone line.

All participants were recruited per the recruitment specifications for the Government of Canada. Recruitment was conducted through qualitative panels stored on Canadian servers, with follow-up calls to confirm the details provided, and to ensure quotas were met. Those with current or past employment in sensitive occupations were excluded from the research, in addition to those living in the household. These sectors included marketing, marketing research, public relations, advertising, media, graphic design, provincial and federal government departments or agencies. Individuals who participated in at least five qualitative sessions in the past five years, those who have participated in a session in the past six months, and those who have participated in group discussions or interviews on the advertising were excluded from the research.

Group discussions were held in English, except those in Quebec where the discussions were conducted in French. Each session lasted approximately two hours with participants each receiving $100 in appreciation of their time. Across groups, 221 individuals were recruited, while 183 people participated in the sessions – averaging 7 per focus group

Presentation of Concepts

Three campaign were presented during each session for participants’ comments. Each campaign included two print applications a mock-up of a TV ad (in an animatic format). To avoid any presentation bias, the campaigns were presented in different orders across groups, as follows:

CAMPAIGN A – Hard to See

CAMPAIGN B –Changed

CAMPAIGN C –Uncontained

Rotation Schedule – Campaign Presentation Order
Audience	Youth Male	Youth Female	Young Adults Male	Young Adults Female	Parents	Indigenous Women
Atlantic (EN)	A-B-C	A-C-B	B-A-C	C-B-A	C-B-A	B-C-A
Ontario (EN)	B-C-A	A-B-C	A-C-B	B-A-C	C-B-A	B-C-A
Prairies (EN)	C-B-A	B-C-A	A-B-C	A-C-B	B-A-C	A-B-C
West (EN)	B-A-C	C-B-A	B-C-A	A-B-C	B-A-C	A-B-C
Quebec (FR)	A-C-B	B-A-C	C-B-A	B-C-A	A-B-C	-

Context of Qualitative Research

Qualitative discussions are intended as moderator-directed, informal, non-threatening discussions with participants whose characteristics, habits, and attitudes are considered relevant to the topic of discussion. The primary benefits of individual or group qualitative discussions are that they allow for in-depth probing with qualifying participants on behavioural habits, usage patterns, perceptions, and attitudes related to the subject matter. This type of discussion allows for flexibility in exploring other areas that may be pertinent to the investigation. Qualitative research allows for more complete understanding of the segment in that the thoughts or feelings are expressed in the participants’ “own language” and at their “own levels of passion.” Qualitative techniques are used in marketing research as a means of developing insight and direction, rather than collecting quantitatively precise data or absolute measures. As such, results are directional only and cannot be projected to the overall population under study.

Detailed Analysis

The following presents an analysis of focus group discussions.

Awareness of Human Trafficking

There is some knowledge of human trafficking happening in Canada, though it is primarily perceived to be more of an issue internationally.

Current Awareness

Across audiences and locations, a good number of participants felt that they were familiar with the concept of human trafficking, and mentioned having heard of human trafficking incidents primarily involving people being abducted, and the international trafficking or smuggling of people. The concept itself is most notably associated with sexual exploitation that is a result of abduction, forceful action, or persecution.

“C’est une forme d’esclavage, d’exploitation par des propriétaires ou des compagnies.” (It’s a type of slavery, exploitation by landlords or companies.) Youth Male

“It is people taken away by other people often time for sexual purposes or illegal labour purposes.” Young Adult Female

“C’est par rapport à l’égalité; que les gens soient traités également.” (It has to do with equality; that people be treated equally.) Youth Female

“Anything that uses a person as a commodity.” Young Adult Female

“Des situations spécifiques d’Afrique du nord, Taiwan, le marchandage d’êtres humains et l’esclavagisme.” (Specific situations in north Africa and Taiwan. Human being traded and slavery.) Young Adult Male

Many have seen posts on social media or news stories regarding sexual exploitation or kidnappings, but for the most part, human trafficking is not considered to be a problem that is especially relevant in their community. While some participants readily identified it as an issue among specific audiences (e.g. Indigenous youth and LGBTQ2+), human trafficking was perceived to be more of a problem elsewhere in the country or in the world.

“I heard about it through YouTube; they steal people and sell them.” Youth Male

“It’s a real problem in the Queer community.” Young Adult Male

“La gravité [de la situation dans ma communauté] est difficile à évaluer. Je n’en ai pas vraiment conscience. Je n’ai jamais côtoyé ce problème. Je n’ai pas de référence.” (The gravity of the situation in my community is difficult to assess. I am not really aware of it. I have never been around this problem. I do not have a reference point.) Young Adult Female

“I don’t know that it’s that big of an issue. It seems distant -something that happens elsewhere. It might be a bigger issue than it seems?” Youth Female

“Exploiting or using people for various reasons (labour or sexual). It’s not a big issue in Canada – probably more in third world countries.” Young Adult Male

The exception to this statement was mentions in Indigenous women’s groups, some female groups, and by those living in communities where a greater presence of Indigenous peoples was evident. For them there was much more acute awareness of the issue, and relevance for individuals within their respective communities.

“It’s kidnapping, rape and drugs… they take people for sex. It’s really common in Canada.” Indigenous Female

“People are being sold for sex… brought in to be exploited for labour or sex.” Indigenous Female

“It’s not widely talked about, but Indigenous women go missing all the time.” Indigenous Female

“In rural Nova Scotia people are forced to work and not well treated.” Indigenous Female

“It’s more of a problem with missing people, especially in Indigenous areas.” Youth Female

Overall, participants reported seeing minimal news coverage or advertising campaigns relating to human trafficking. Recall of news story and advertising was limited to larger cities (e.g. Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal among other locations), with some having seen posters in public transit or in airports. Others cited specific news coverage (e.g. Howard Epstein, Wayfair, Save our Children).

“Montréal est une plaque tournante dans la traite des personnes.” (Montreal is a hub in human trafficking.) Young Adult Female

Communication Sources

If looking for information on human trafficking, participants would primarily turn online, initially through a general Google search. Government websites would also be relied upon (particularly if highlighted in an online search), and federal government sites were generally deemed both reliable and trustworthy to many.

“I would jump on the internet and start Googling. If I were to see the ads you showed, there was a link in the fine print so I would likely go there as a reputable source. But if I had not seen the ads, I would Google something and see what would come up.” Youth Male

Other resources, mentioned by a few youths, included their school resource personnel as a key place to seek assistance in the situation of needing information if they had witnessed human trafficking or knew someone who was in that circumstance. Others would turn to a healthcare professional or community resource (such as YMCA).

“Si je voulais juste m’informer pour le plaisir, j’irais sur Internet mais si pour moi une amie serait dans cette situation, j’irais trouver des personnes ressources à l’école.” (If I just wanted to get information for fun, I would go online but if a friend was in that situation, I would go speak to resource people at school.) Youth Female

Many expressed a desire to understand the signs and hints suggesting that someone they know might be a victim of human trafficking. Indeed, there was a stated desire by many, particularly following the discussions, to better understand the issue.

Increasing Awareness of Human Trafficking

Near the end of the discussions, participants were asked what the federal government could do, in addition to a public awareness campaign, to increase public awareness of human trafficking. A wide range of suggestions were offered, with most having to do with addressing the topics within the education system. In fact, it was commonly believed that young people should be the primary target audience for initiatives aimed at raising awareness of human trafficking.

“Because none of us were knowledgeable about this, implementing it in the school system might be useful.” Youth Male

“Talk about it more! A platform to let people know – show Indigenous women specifically, and have politicians speaking about it. Everyone needs to know, but younger people particularly. Show on social media so young people know how to protect themselves.” Indigenous Female

“Those who are most naïve and most vulnerable need to be made aware.” Parent

The various suggestions included:

· Include human trafficking in the education curriculum (elementary, middle, high school);

· Create a series of information assemblies / presentations to schools (high school levels), whereby facts are shared and victims share their experience;

· Increase social media presence (Instagram, Snap Chat, Tic Tok and Facebook (for parents);

· Create YouTube videos, showing the signs to look for;

· Present informative series / a documentary on targeted networks (e.g. on APTN);

· Partner with a recognizable spokesperson;

· Increase support for advocacy groups;

· Strengthen the laws to address human trafficking;

· Increase assistance or resources through the healthcare system and other community resources (such as YMCA);

· Legalize and legislate prostitution to control the situation;

· Provide materials at doctors’ offices; and

· Ensure search engine optimization for resources.

Campaign Testing

The bulk of each discussion was spent on reviewing and discussing ideas for an advertising campaign being considered by the Government of Canada. Participants were shown three different advertising campaign concepts, each including two print applications and a mock-up of a TV ad shown in an animatic format (basic animation with recorded narration).

The presentation of campaign concepts was rotated across groups to avoid any order bias. Each campaign was presented and discussed one at a time. The campaign presentation was followed by a series of five short individual exercises asking participants to rate each concept on key aspects (ability to grab attention; message clarity; memorability; message credibility; and ability to motivate action) and subsequently a group discussion.

The following outlines reactions to the creative concepts.

Overall Reactions Across Concepts

Participants expressed a desire to see a strong call to action, with facts or statistics to back up why the issue is important. In addition, it will be important to balance the portrayal of the most common types of human trafficking, while also demonstrating diversity.

While a detailed discussion on each concept is presented later in this report, a few reactions were consistent across all concepts and are worth mentioning.

· There was a desire for a clearer and stronger call to action: Although all three concepts were seen as clearly positioning human trafficking as an issue that is closer to home than one might think, it was believed that none of the campaigns provided a strong call to action. More specifically, the asks to ‘see the whole picture’, ‘find out more’ or ‘learn more’ in the Hard to See and Changed concepts were too vague to be compelling to many participants, while the invitation to ‘learn the real story of human trafficking’ in the Uncontained concept was too broad to be of pressing interest. It was believed that to elicit action, the campaign must suggest how individuals can get involved in identifying and addressing human trafficking. Things such as ‘learn the signs or human trafficking’, or ‘it is closer to you than you might think’ would be more compelling arguments to seek additional information.

· Avoid gender and sexual stereotypes in the use of imagery: In a few instances, notably when discussing the Hard to See and Uncontained concepts, participants critiqued the choice of the characters’ gender and sexual orientation that reinforced gender stereotypes. Indeed, one of the scenarios positioned the victim as being female in a heterosexual relationship while the other scenario showed a male worker. Suggestions were made to consider showing other genders and sexual orientations in the final campaign, as well as to ensure that Indigenous people are included.

“Je remarque que c’est beaucoup des femmes [dans les vidéos] et je trouve ça dommage parce que ce peut être des garçons et des trans.” (I noticed that the videos often showed women and I find that disappointing because it can be the situation for boys or transgender individuals.) Young Adult Female

“Make it targeted to more people other than cis-gendered straight white people. Give people visibility so it reaches people.” Young Adult Female

“Aujourd’hui les proxénètes vont faire de l’agent avec les petits gars pas juste les filles.” (Today’s pimps will make money with young boys, not just girls.) Young Adult Male

· Facts and statistics help convey that human trafficking is an important issue in Canada: Saying that ‘almost a third of cases start as intimate relationships’ in the Uncontained concept grabbed attention and established the seriousness of the issue of human trafficking with some credibility. In fact, many participants felt that inclusion of factual information and statistics about the situation in the final campaign would help convey the message that human trafficking is significant, and happening in Canadian communities.

Strongest Campaign

The ‘Uncontained’ concept was clearly the strongest of the three concepts tested.

After discussing each campaign, participants were asked which one campaign would be most effective at raising public awareness about the issue of human trafficking. Of the three concepts discussed, the one referred to as Uncontained was the clear preference among English-speaking participants, across locations and audiences. Uncontained was largely preferred for its clarity in messaging, its effectiveness in challenging current misconceptions of human trafficking, and because it was perceived to speak to a wider audience than the other two campaigns. By contrast, opinions were more divided among French-speaking Quebec participants in terms of which concept was best at raising awareness of human trafficking, with none of the three ideas standing out.

The following sections present the detailed findings related to each of the three campaign concepts included in the testing.

Campaign Concept: Uncontained (Non-confiné)

The ‘Uncontained’ concept was considered thought-provoking and adept at addressing misconceptions regarding human trafficking.

Overall Reactions, Attention and Memorability

This concept was generally well liked, deemed attention-getting and impactful. This concept held widespread appeal and was considered easy to understand. The approach was considered thought-provoking, challenging preconceived notions of human trafficking and effectively portraying how it can begin with a trustworthy relationship. It was felt that the campaign effectively debunked the misconception that human trafficking primarily involves people being smuggled in shipping containers. It opened people’s eyes to the possibility that human trafficking may happen in their community, and that while it may not be visible, it is more evident than one might think.

“J’ai adoré et j’ai trouvé que c’était la plus réaliste. Ça compare ce que les gens pensent dans l’opinion populaire - on pense à la mafia et les cachés mais on réalise que ça peut être des gens banals dans la rue, dans ton propre couple. Tout le monde peut se sentir concerné.” (I loved it and I thought that it was the most realistic. It compares what people think about human trafficking – we think of the mafia, those hiding, but we don’t realize that it can be ordinary people on the street, in your own relationship. Everyone can feel concerned.) Youth Female

“It addresses the stereotype, debunks it and offers the ability to learn the truth.” Youth Male

“Ça capte mon attention. Ça vient bousculer mes croyances.” (It grabs my attention; it shakes up my beliefs). Young Adult Female

“I like the juxtaposition of what we think and what it is.” Young Adult Female

That being said, a few felt that placing the primary focus, and much of the ‘air time’ on smuggling and shipping containers reinforced preconceived ideas regarding human trafficking.

Message, Trust and Credibility

The campaign’s message was generally considered clear, simple and easy to understand – namely that human trafficking is not what you think it is. The campaign was viewed as a challenge to the myth that human trafficking only involves people from abroad, and was adept at suggesting that it can happen closer to home and may be less obvious to detect. It encouraged viewers to open their eyes.

“I thought this was a good video and a good set of print ads. It was saying that 30 percent or something start with a relationship. It’s not just someone being kidnapped. It starts with a normal relationship. This is not the way I was looking at human trafficking at first so it made me have a different view of looking at it. I understand what they are getting at.” Youth Male

“I think this addressed how people think of human trafficking right off the bat. When I thought about it, the first thing I thought is moving strangers into your country. The way the print ads showed that this is not just that, it also looks like this, the idea of having that in the shipping container was pretty good.” Youth Male

“This shuts down what I believed from movies! I like that you don’t see consequences.” Young Adult Female

“On voit que ça part de rien; un moment entre une fille et un gars et après ça se passe. Une relation intime qui peut mal tourner.” (It can start from nothing; a moment between a woman and a man and then it breaks. An intimate relationship that turns bad.) Parent

That said, a number of participants, especially French-speaking youth participants, were generally less likely than the other audiences to fully appreciate the message being conveyed. Some of them, who spontaneously associated human trafficking with sexual exploitation, were confused with the concept being associated, even as a myth, as human smuggling by showing the shipping containers. Similarly, for a number of French-speaking youth participants, the situation portraying the relationship spoke more to them about domestic abuse than about human trafficking, especially when shown in a context that resembled what would be expected of human smuggling.

“Pour le couple, je ne comprends pas la connexion entre le container et que la personne va se faire abuser.” (For the couple, I do not understand the connection between the container and the person who will get abused.) Youth Female

“Je ne pensais pas que les prostituées venaient d’ailleurs.” (I did not think prostitutes came from away.) Youth Female

“J’ai compris le principe du container et l’image à travers ce n’est pas juste des situations uniques. C’est des gens de tous les jours. Mais ça n’a pas allumé tout de suite. Des gens qui arrivent en container pour travailler je n’y avais pas pensé que c’était la traite des personnes.” (I understood the idea of the container and the image inside it; that it isn’t just unique situations; it’s everyday people. But I did not grasp it right away. People who arrive in containers to work; I had not thought about that as human trafficking.) Youth Male

“The video could have had more information in it instead of just saying it is an intimate relationship. Going into more details about how this would happen.” Young Adult Female

Nonetheless, introducing the topic of human trafficking early in the video, and clearly addressing it in the print ads’ headline, grabbed attention and provided clarity in messaging. At the same time, the video’s dark and serious tone grabbed viewers’ attention, creating a sense of intrigue and curiosity that held attention.

“It was dark to start – you know it’s going to be serious. It really speaks to young adults and teens.” Youth Female

“This is informative. The problem is identified at the start of the story. We know the dark side of human trafficking. But we don’t know how it starts.” Youth Female

“The bold headline [in the print ads] is in your face. It is very clear, precise. You know it is about human trafficking.” Youth Female

Some, however, criticized the campaign for neither showing the devastating consequences of human trafficking, nor showing what leads to it. This was in part compounded by the fact that the imagery shows happy situations/people. In essence, it was felt that the message is incomplete or unable to clearly convey the complexity of human trafficking. Further, it was felt that the campaign did not effectively identify the variety of situations that could lead to human trafficking issues.

“On centre sur juste un aspect, la relation de couple. Mais est-ce seulement ça la traite de personnes?” (It focuses on only one aspect: the couple relationship. But is human trafficking only that?) Young Adult Female

While participants found the approach informative and engaging, some felt it did not go far enough in addressing the issue. Across locations, many participants appreciated that the public can imagine what the dark side of human trafficking looks like, but are generally unsure how it starts and where it can lead. In essence, it was felt that the campaign positions human trafficking as an issue, but without explaining how it is so. While some liked that the campaign showed happy and potentially healthy relationships, depicting how a bad situation can start with something ‘normal’ and even positive, others criticized the campaign for not showing the consequences or outcomes of human trafficking. Some felt the campaign did not provide clues on the signs of human trafficking to watch for.

“Why is the couple so happy? It doesn’t show how gruesome human trafficking is.” Young Adult Female

“Oui c’est important de dire que [la traite des personnes] n’est pas ce qu’on pense mais [la campagne] ne désigne pas un vrai problème. On ne dirait pas que ça amène une résolution.” (It is important to say that human trafficking is not what we think but the campaign does not highlight the real issue. It does not bring resolution to the issue.) Youth Male

“This doesn’t talk about the signs to look for. Show me the signs of human trafficking. Show me the red flags of an unhealthy relationship!” Youth Female

“Show me the dark side! They are looking a little too happy.” Young Adult Male

“If we see no problem, we don’t think there is a problem. Show the problem.” Youth Female

Although this concept appeared to more clearly communicate the message among some audiences, it elicited the lowest level of emotion of all three concepts across all audiences. In fact, the concept was felt to evoke happy situations without showing how they can end up causing pain, and thus it lacked emotional relevance to some. In addition, the concept did not effectively portray a personal situation that shows the negative consequences of human trafficking on a victim. It described a generic situation rather than identifying how one person is impacted.

“Ça n’a pas vraiment laissé une émotion. Quand je regarde les affiches je suis obligé de lire pour comprendre le message. [L’image] a l’air joyeuse.” (It did not leave me emotional. When I look at the print ads, I need to read to understand the message. The image looks happy.) Youth Male

“Je trouvais que la vidéo j’avais moins d’émotions reliées à celle-ci contrairement à la première [campagne Changé] ou j’avais plus de compassion et d’empathie envers la personne en détresse.” (I found the video left me with fewer emotions as opposed to the first campaign (Changed) where I felt compassion and empathy towards the person in distress.) Young Adult Female

“J’ai trouvé que la pub n’avait pas d’impact. Je n’étais pas saisi ou sous le choc. J’aurais aimé avoir des stats. Lorsque les portes du container se sont ouvertes, j’aurais aimé voir des gens en détresse ou que le gars fasse un ‘move’ ou qu’il fasse preuve de violence envers la femme.” (I found that this ad had no impact. I was not struck or in shock. I would have liked to see stats. When the container doors opened, I would have liked to see people in distress or that the man was violent towards the woman.) Young Adult Male

“I’m confused. Why are people in shipping containers? I don’t get the happy date with an ice cream. It needs to be more explicit and ‘in your face’ – more than just two people eating ice cream.” Young Adult Male

Relevance and Appeal

The target audience was consistently seen as broadly encompassing the general public, most notably those who primarily associate human trafficking with the smuggling and coercion of people.

“This speaks to Canadians in general.” Young Adult Male

That said, a few participants felt that the creative depicting human smuggling implied that the message is more closely directed at newcomers who may have entered the country illegally or those who are victims of abuse. The fact that it did not portray situations that are relevant to them personally made the campaign less compelling to some participants.

“Ça pourrait s’adresser à des victimes de ça, des nouveaux arrivants qui n’ont pas les ressources et leur permettre d’avoir accès aux ressources.” (It could be targeting victims, newcomers who do not have the resources; allowing them to access those resources.) Youth Male

“La traite de la personnes ne me touche pas donc je ne la regarderais pas… la première [campagne, Changé] fait référence à des choses que je connais.” (I am not concerned with human trafficking so I would not look at this campaign. The first one – Changed – refers to things I know.) Young Adult Female

Clarity and Creative Approach

Mixed opinions were offered in terms of the message’s credibility. Those who felt the concept effectively addressed misconceptions believed the claims, which are further supported by the presence of statistics. Those who felt the message lacked clarity and did not properly explain how human trafficking happened, and those who disliked the ‘movie trailer’ approach, were less likely to believe what the campaign is saying.

“On va moins jouer sur la peur et on va chercher quelque chose de plus rationnel avec les statistiques, c’est rassurant et ça rend la pub plus crédible.” (They play less on fear and the use of statistics makes it more rational. It is reassuring and it makes the ad more credible.) Young Adult Female

“I believe it. The stats give you the feeling it’s really going on.” Young Adult Female

“This is a good place to start – correcting misinformation. The statistics are effective. It localizes the problem.” Youth Male

Of note, this concept was generally considered more impactful than other concepts to males, and a few commented that the video especially grabbed their attention.

“This video really grabs attention – it had the feel of a video game. It is exposing a world we are not truly aware of. It would raise awareness. By not showing consequences it makes it more thought provoking.” Youth Male

“It gave an ‘organized crime look’. The video is complete. It puts it in perspective and eliminates a stereotype.” Youth Male

From a creative standpoint, the bold and large headlines in the print ads were appreciated for their clarity, and the use of statistics throughout the campaign was considered impactful in establishing relevance both at the local level and nationally. In fact, a number of people would have liked to see more facts referenced directly in the advertisements to quantify the prevalence of human trafficking in Canada.

Although the visuals in the print ads were generally understood, some questioned what the labour image was depicting. It was felt that the image needed to better reflect a Canadian working environment (versus what was perceived by some to be a walk in a field) and also clearly portray a hierarchical relationship between the two people. It was suggested to illustrate a wheat field to make it more obvious that the ad referenced a situation happening in Canada. Finally, a few felt that the illustration should make it more obvious that it was showing the inside of a container, to ensure that the message is conveyed without having to read the entire text.

“I’m not sure what I’m looking at in the print ad. Are the two guys gay?” Young Adult Male

“The image of the two men is misleading and doesn’t address the topic.” Youth Female

Some participants critiqued the campaign for reinforcing gender stereotypes by having the potential victim in the video and one print ad being female in a heterosexual relationship, while the labour ad focussed on a male worker. Suggestions were made to ensure that other genders and sexual orientations are shown in the final campaign.

“Why is it only men in the labour and women as victims in romantic relationships? Diversity of gender is important!” Indigenous Female

Intended Call to Action

While some were motivated to look further for more information to learn more, others felt the call to action should be more specific in its ask (e.g. learn the signs of human trafficking; it’s happening around you so learn to spot the signs). Further, a number of youth participants felt that the lack of message clarity and emotional appeal did not elicit their desire to find out more about human trafficking.

“Je ne ferais pas grand-chose parce que je trouve ça moyen crédible.” (I would not do much because I did not find the concept credible.) Youth Female

In a few instances, however, the inclusion of statistics not only informed on the extent of the problem, but sparked curiosity to find out more.

“I think it did a good job to put actual data and information. That might drive me to look more into it just hearing how much it is and that I did not know that.” Youth Male

Regardless of personal motivations, the call to action was believed to be encouraging the public to identify, and to some extent, report, instances of human trafficking they may witness around them.

“Ils aimeraient qu’il y ait plus de dénonciations. Il ne faut pas avoir peur de dénoncé par la ligne 1-800.” (They would like more reporting. We can’t fear reporting by calling the 1-800 line.) Parent

Campaign Concept: Hard to See (Pas toujours visible)

The ‘Hard to See’ concept was not clear to all, though showing a progression from a positive to a negative situation was felt to be an interesting approach, along with the print concept’s links to social media filtering out what’s really happening.

Overall Reactions, Attention and Memorability

This concept evoked a strong emotional response for many, in its apparent demonstration of the consequences of human trafficking. While participants appreciated the serious and informative content in this idea, many were confused by the storylines presented, and were unsure of what was being depicted. Some felt the video concept could easily be speaking of abuse, rape or more broadly the issue of consent, rather than human trafficking.

Message, Trust and Credibility

Despite some confusion with the campaign’s execution, the overall message of this campaign was clearly identified as ‘human trafficking can be hard to see’ or that ‘you only see what you want to see’. It showed how normalized or covert human trafficking can be, although some criticized the concept for bringing awareness to a problem without providing contextual information.

“For the print ad, the message that I got from it is that it is everyday people amongst us. It is difficult to see the difference at first glance.” Young Adult Female

“It’s not that you get kidnapped. You meet someone on a dating app and you have a couple of dates and then they get trafficking you. I never thought that is how you could be trafficked – I always thought you were kidnapped on the street.” Young Adult Female

“It’s bold. It smacks you in the face that it could be anybody. It’s a common situation that was safe but turns bad.” Youth Male

“This shows the dark side of human trafficking. It’s easy to understand and has a shock factor. It makes people uncomfortable – which is good.” Young Adult Female

“I didn’t get the message. The video is forgettable and basic. They could just be a couple trying something else. It should be more fact-based. It’s missing back up or support to bring up emphasis to the issue.” Youth Female

While participants generally appreciated having the negative emotional consequences portrayed in the concept, some expressed concern for such portrayal, suggesting it could easily be an emotional trigger to those impacted by human trafficking, rape or physical violence.

“The video is showing a victim – it can be very triggering for people who are victims of sexual assault or rape.” Parent

“Seeing this might bother someone who is a victim of sexual assault. Using animated people would be less likely to be a trigger – it speaks to a broader age range. This is hard to watch. It makes me uneasy down to my core.” Youth Male

It should also be noted that in a few instances, the message confusion resulted from preconceived ideas regarding the power imbalance in relationships involved in human trafficking versus in a rape situation. Indeed, a few youth males were under the impression that one of the things that clearly establishes human trafficking is the level of physical violence or the victim’s coercion, things that were not clearly conveyed in the video as the woman appeared to consent. For those participants, rape is not a form of human trafficking, hence the confusion with the campaign’s message.

“I feel like human trafficking I personally think it is more violent [thank what is shown in the video]: grabbing, forcing her against her will.” Youth Male

“The video needs to be grippy, but in this case it’s too vague.” Youth Male

“The message is just be careful who you trust. It’s not always what you think.” Youth Male

“I don’t get the story – it’s a couple on a date.” Young Adult Male

“The video is confusing. How does it apply to human trafficking? There is a dark tone – he is forcing her into a threesome. They are together and adding a third person.” Youth Male

As with the other two concepts, a few felt that the inclusion of the Government of Canada logo lends credibility to the message.

Relevance and Appeal

This concept held particular relevance to young females and new Canadians, given the portrayal of the young girl and immigrant worker.

“The print ads are showing minorities. The girl looks Indigenous and buy looks Asian – like a migrant worker. It’s not speaking to me.” Young Adult Male

That being said, a few females indicated that they felt less emotionally-connected to the victim than in the Changed concept, given their impression that the girl was somewhat consenting to the situation portrayed in the video. Indeed, it was believed that the girl could have left the situation or the relationship if she felt a threat. As such, perhaps the pernicious nature of human trafficking was not well communicated in this concept.

“La pub est claire mais j’ai moins de compassion pour la jeune fille parce qu’elle aurait pu partir avant d’en arriver là.” (This ad is clear but I have less compassion for the girl because she could have left before ending up there.) Youth Female

“Ça me dit que c’est subtil; qu’il y en a plus qu’on pense et qu’on ne le voit pas. On ne voit pas toujours venir ce qui se passe.” (It says that human trafficking is subtle. It is more prevalent than we might think and we don’t always see it coming.) Parent

The concept clearly held less emotional appeal for male participants. Further, some males felt the concept was not intended to make them react, but rather only to provide basic information about human trafficking.

“Très honnêtement, ça me rend indifférent parce que j’ai déjà un peu de connaissances générales sur [la traite des personnes]. C’est plus pour quelqu’un qui n’a jamais entendu parler de ça.” (Honestly, I am indifferent to the campaign because I already know a little bit about human trafficking. It’s more for someone who has never heard about this.) Youth Male

“I wouldn’t do anything. It kind of says I can’t do anything about it.” Young Adult Male

“I’m not sure what to do with this. Bring the facts to the table. How much does it impact the country?” Young Adult Male

In some instances, males felt that the campaign targeted victims of sexual or labour exploitation, rather than those around them or those who are more susceptible to be victimized.

“Ça ne s’adresse pas à moi mais à des gens qui se font abuser. Ils peuvent appeler dans un numéro pour demander de l’aide ou des questions.” (It is not for me but for people who are abused. They can call the number to ask for help or ask questions.) Youth Male

That said, other young males felt that the campaign was informative and would help them to understand that their female friends may be unwitting victims of human trafficking.

“It tells me to keep an eye out for those around me.” Young Adult Male

It was also suggested by a few youth participants that parents might be one of the target audiences.

Clarity and Creative Approach

The video storyline proved problematic for some, with participants expressing uncertainty as to what was happening. Some saw the video as showing a couple’s first date, which ended in a sexual encounter, while others felt it showed a couple that was willingly exploring other sexual activities (i.e. a three-some). That said, some participants identified the scenario as relating to a girl being sexually exploited. For many, the storyline was confusing, too subtle and vague by being non-explicit in what was happening and who was involved. Having human trafficking introduced at the very end of the video was considered problematic in that the message could be easily missed or ignored if the video was not watched to the end.

“Je me rend compte que la vidéo est confuse. Certains peuvent penser que la fille ne savait pas dans quoi elle s’embarquait tandis que d’autres peuvent penser qu’elle le sait et est d’accord.” (I realize that the video is confusing. Some people might think that the girl did not know what she was up for while other people might think that she did know and consented.) Youth Female

“On voit au début ce qui paraît comme une relation normale et je n’ai pas saisi tout de suite que c’est de l’abus sexuel. Plus comme une relation à trois plutôt que la prostitution.” (At first it looks like a normal relationship and I did not catch right away that it was sexual abuse. More like a three-some rather than prostitution.) Youth Male

“The video was too vague – it was too subtle. The pictures suggest the boyfriend is going in the room too. I thought it was about rape.” Young Adult Male

“J’ai l’impression que c’est un ‘one-night’ et la fille se fait embarquer dans quelque chose qu’elle n’est pas consentante.” (I am under the impression that this is a ‘one-night stand’ and that the girl gets into a situation without consenting to it.) Young Adult Female

“Je ne comprends pas spécialement ce que la publicité dit. L’homme dit je t’aime et l’amène dans une chambre et là elle se retrouve avec deux hommes et je ne comprends pas.” (I don’t understand what the ad is saying. The man tells her that he loves her and brings her in a hotel room where she is with two men. I don’t understand.) Young Adult Male

At the same time, suggestions were made to put more emphasis or spend more time on the latter part of the video, where the situation of distress is portrayed, to clarify the message.

“With the music in the background (in the video) it felt more tacky than terrifying. It needs to be more graphic and gruesome.” Young Adult Female

“This shows how normalized and covert human trafficking can be. When we take a photo, we take a picture of what we want to focus on. It makes me want to know more about it.” Youth Female

“For the video I was confused when I first watched it. The transition from the end of the hallway and the room is abrupt. It should show her going into the room alone. At the end of the video, it would be more impactful if she looked distraught. The end fizzled out. The message had less impactful because of that.” Young Adult Female

The narrated scenario was felt to describe the factual aspects of the situation and a few female young adult participants suggested to incorporate the young women’s inner dialogue to clarify her confusion and clearly state that she is not fully consenting to the situation.

“It would be more effective if while they are walking down the hallway there are inner dialogues. It would be giving a preface to what will happen.” Young Adult Female

Likewise, it was suggesting to show the men waiting in the room while the couple is walking down the hallway to indicate the present of looming danger and increase the emotional appeal of the ad. It was also suggested to show an exchange of money between the men to further reinforce the relation of abuse.

While the music in the video was liked by some for implying that a happy situation is turning into a somber one, others felt the cheerful tone was inappropriate for the topic at hand.

“J’ai remarqué la musique au début est plus forte et plus heureuse et on voit que le gars la manipule un peu et à la fin la musique ralentie et on voit que la fille ne se sent pas bien. On retient le message – elle a fait confiance au gars mais au final ce n’est pas vrai qu’il l’aime c’est juste pour avoir ce qu’il voulait.” (I noticed that the music is loud and happy at first and we seen the guy manipulating her and then at the end the music slows down and we see that the girl isn’t feeling well. We remember the message – she trusted the guy but in the end it’s not true that he loves him; it was just to get what he wanted.) Youth Female

“It’s explicit of what it could look like. It’s intense, and powerful.” Young Adult Male

The print ads were generally well liked, and deemed to be straightforward, providing clear messaging. The bold and brief headlines were appreciated, and helped to provide clarity. Of note, a few participants criticized the posters’ copy for a perception of victim shaming, in indicating that some victims are hiding the truth. This underscores the importance of ensuring that any copy is sensitive to how victims could be perceived or could react in seeing such a campaign.

“It’s insensitive to say victims are hiding the truth – the government should not be victim shaming.” Youth Female

The imagery included in the print ads was easily understood as depicting how easy it is not to see the whole picture, or what is really going on. That said, some felt the images were not graphic enough in showing the brutal consequences of human trafficking, and believed the viewer had to work to figure out what the image is trying to portray. This demonstrates the importance of ensuring a clear difference between what is shown in the frame and outside of the frame of the photo. It was felt that the cropped design was especially effective at speaking to a younger audience who regularly crops images on Instagram to show only what they want others to see.

“J’aime les pubs imprimées parce que ça montre que les apparences sont trompeuses mais je ne comprends pas trop ce qui se passe avec la jeune fille dans l’image.” (I like the print ads because it shows that what you see can be deceiving, but I do not understand from the image what is happening to the young girl.) Young Adult Female

“Ça ne se voit pas dans les photos devant moi, ça ne se voit pas que la personne est maltraitée par le gars. Ils ne montrent pas la maltraitance.” (It does not show in the ads that the person is mistreated. They don’t show the abuse.) Parent

“Shock value is needed in this campaign – more emotion and fear. It’s not serious enough.” Parent

“The print grabs my attention. I think of Instagram where you can choose part of the picture to post.” Young Adult Female

“The design in the print ads are good – showing only part of the picture works well with the words ‘see the whole picture’.” Youth Female

Intended Call to Action

While the video did not effectively grab all participants’ attention due to confusion about its storyline, the print ads’ headlines were deemed direct and to the point, and the provision of contact information was appreciated. This campaign was considered to bring awareness to a serious topic, and while it effectively provided contact details, it failed to establish personal relevance to many.

“C’est choquant. Je ne peux pas regarder ça et avoir la conscience tranquille mais en même temps je ne prendrais pas action. Je ne peux pas lutter contre ça. Je ne me sens pas en pouvoir.” (It is shocking. I cannot look at this in good conscience but at the same time, I would not take action. I can’t fight it; I am not empowered to do so.) Young Adult Male

It was also felt that the campaign does not guide the viewer into action, and the invitation to ‘learn more’ or ‘see the whole picture’ was not a compelling call to action. At the same time, the lack of clear guidance on how to recognize situations involving human trafficking made it unlikely for viewers to have to report such situation.

“There is a lot more that meets the eye than what goes on. I would like to know how to spot it and prevent it.” Youth Male

“The call to action is vague. It needs to be more urgent.” Young Adult Male

“The message is that just because you can’t see it doesn’t me it’s not happening. But there is no information to help me identify the signs.” Young Adult Female

Nonetheless, it was still felt important to include a help line number and a website address in the ads, although some felt that the phone number should be enlarged to draw more attention to it.

The lack of clear understanding regarding consent, and how it plays in establishing the health of a relationship, brought a few youth females to question whether or not the campaign would draw the opposite reaction to what is intended – that is to trivialize or normalize sexual exploitation.

“Moi honnêtement la pub ne m’inciterait pas tant que ça à faire des recherches. Ça banalise la situation dans laquelle la jeune fille se trouve. Ça banalise la prostitution ou la traite sexuelle des personnes. La discussion au début de la vidéo est très classique et la fille sait vers quoi elle s’en va.” (Honestly, this ad would not entice me to look for information. It trivializes the situation in which the young girl is. It trivializes prostitution or sexual exploitation. The discussion at the beginning of the video is a classic one and the girl knows what is going to happen.) Youth Female

Of note, because of the scenario in the video, some female felt that the campaign might open their eyes to be more cautious with new relationships or on a first date, especially if the relationship had started on an online dating app, rather than be concerned with more established or more traditional relationships.

“This concept makes me feel like it’s my issue. It evokes more concern to me than the others. It’s not just their issue. It makes me want to speak about issues.” Youth Female

A few parents mentioned that this concept might help them initiate conversations with their children – notably girls – regarding the inherent risks in any relationship. That said, it was believed that although this is what the campaign is asking for, it lacks ‘punch’ or the emotional impact required to make them follow-through on those conversations.

“Shock value is needed in this campaign – more emotion and fear. It’s not serious enough.” Parent

Campaign Concept: Changed (Changé)

While relatable to many and providing an emotional connection, the ‘Changed’ concept elicited confusion and did not succeed overall in achieving the intended call to action.

Overall Reactions, Attention and Memorability

That said, it was often perceived by French-speaking participants (notably youth) as being the most effective of the three campaigns at raising the public’s awareness of the issue of human trafficking. This choice resulted from the confusion caused by the other concepts’ message and by the Changed concept’s ability to convey the victim’s emotion. This sentiment was also voiced by some English-speaking participants, particularly young women and Indigenous women, who found the main character’s situation relatable to them.

“The video is reality, how everything is ok and then progresses and you sacrifice for someone else. Someone in love who doesn’t realize what’s happening.” Indigenous Female

Message, Trust and Credibility

There was some confusion regarding the intent of the campaign. While the campaign’s main message was generally considered to ‘be aware’, many felt that it did not define human trafficking or properly educate the public about it. In some instances, it was felt that the campaign could easily be construed for one speaking of domestic violence or sexual assault. Further, stating that human trafficking ‘is not what it may seem’ did not provide an explanation regarding what it is.

“La traite des personnes ce n’est pas ce que vous croyez, c’est vague et ça laisse sur ma faim. Je me suis posé la question, c’est quoi la traite des personnes?” (Saying ‘human trafficking is not what you might think it is’ is vague and it leaves me wanting to know more. I asked myself, what is human trafficking?) Youth Female

“It’s not impactful enough to make me stick around to the end of the video. It seemed to be more about sexual violence / domestic violence more than human trafficking.” Youth Female

“This seems more about emotional or mental abuse in a relationship than human trafficking.” Youth Female

“I found these ads show you how easily human trafficking can be a thing. There is a lot of people out there like that that can easily get into a bad situation.” Youth Male

The print ads were criticized for putting all relationships in question, given that many considered the headlines to be phrases that realistically could be indicative of a loving relationship or of a hard worker’s comments. At the same time, it was believed that additional information was needed to help the viewer identify what is considered an unhealthy relationship or work situation.

“Je trouve par contre que ça prend un chemin trop détourné. Ils devraient donner des informations comme, à partir de 30 heures par semaine on peut parler d’exploitation. Ça me ferait me questionner sur ma situation.” (It takes a roundabout path. They should provide information such as, starting at 30 hours a week, we consider that exploitation. It would help reconsider my own situation.) Young Adult Female

“The print ad headlines could easily be misinterpreted. ‘I’d do anything for you’ – I would say that as an act of love. And it’s not a negative to be a hard worker.” Parent

“The print caption isn’t necessarily labour trafficking. A hard worker could also say that.” Young Adult Female

Perhaps due to the message confusion, this campaign was generally felt to be less memorable, especially among English-speaking participants.

“This campaign was not memorable. I already forget what the video was like. The background pictures with the kitchen and the car I did not understand the purpose of that, I did not understand what was happening.” Young Adult Female

Relevance and Appeal

The campaign received mixed reviews. While participants appreciated the somber mood and serious tone of the video given the topic, it lacked personal relevance to many, especially in the English-speaking groups, and was deemed bland, vague and not captivating for some.

“Because it’s scary it is effective, but because it’s confusing [as to what is happening] it’s a problem.” Youth Female

“It’s important to have a serious tone, but not to incite fear. Dark is good. It makes it intense and grabs attention.” Youth Female

Others, however, found they could relate to the female character’s situation, and understood how a relationship could degrade from something positive to something sinister. It was felt to be most relevant to young adults and teenagers, particularly females.

“It makes me think twice about a really common situation. I like that it was subtle.” Young Adult Male

Some, particularly French-speaking participants, felt a greater emotional connection to the victim narrating their experience in the video. This was particularly the case of female participants. The fact that the victim is looking directly at the viewer throughout the ad also contributed to this level of connection. A number of French-speaking participants also liked the visual impact of the print ads’ headlines, and suggested that it would be even more impactful to show those statements in quotation – to show that those words are directed at them. The idea of hearing or reading the victim’s words focused their attention on the victim’s situation and elicited a desire to help.

“La vidéo j’ai trouvé ça touchant et triste et j’aimerais savoir ce qui s’est passé après avec la fille.” (I found the video touching and sad and it makes me want to know what happened to the girl shown.) Youth Female

“Ça m’a beaucoup touché et je ne peux pas m’imaginer ce qu’elle vit. C’est intense. On voit l’évolution de ce qui se passe et ça m’a marqué.” (It touched me a lot and I can’t imagine what she is going through. It’s intense. We see the evolution of what is going on and it struck me.) Youth Male

The situation described – wanting to do everything for a relationship or wanting as many work hours as possible – were considered relevant to young people which helped make the concept memorable, appealing and relevant.

“Je ne me sentais pas concerné mais plus interpellé. Ces des phrases qu’on peut entendre tous les jours. Dans la vidéo, c’est une personne, l’histoire d’une personne ça me touche particulièrement.” (I did not feel concerned, but more challenged. We hear those phrases everyday. In the video, it is the story of one person and I am touched by hearing the story of that one person.) Young Adult Male

This campaign was seen as speaking primarily to young women, those in a relationship, or to people who are at risk of being victimized. Males generally did not consider the campaign to hold relevance to them except as a secondary audience to ‘watch out’ for others. A few participants in multiple locations expressed concern that the concept, as presented, would trigger emotions of victims of sexual abuse.

“Ça ne me sensibiliserait pas nécessairement. Mais peut-être pour une personne qui n’est pas au courant de l’abus sexuel.” (It’s not relevant to me. But maybe for someone who is not aware of sexual abuse.) Youth Male

“I do think that this appeals more to the mentality of the victims’ side. ‘I would do anything for you’ and ‘all you have to do is ask’, I can think of people who have said that. In the video, the woman is narrating about what she perceived about the man. It’s the perspective of the victim.” Youth Male

“It’s speaking more to women and to friends of potential victims.” Young Adult Female

“Public cible c’est les jeunes femmes. Mais on a tous un peu entendu parlé aux médias de ce genre de situation.” (The target audience is young women. But we all have heard about this kind of situations in the media.) Young Adult Male

A few also took offense that it appears to position the victim as being responsible for what is happening to them.

“It is putting blame on the victim – they are willing to do anything and they are willing to take part in human trafficking and I don’t appreciate this message.” Young Adult Female

“You need to keep in mind that this would be a trigger mechanism for those who have been effected by sexual violence,” Youth Female

Clarity and Creative Approach

A number of participants considered the print ads too generic in design and some likened them to a Victoria’s Secret or Nike ad. While the bold colours of the print ads grabbed some participants’ attention, others considered the colours too bright and cheerful for the topic at hand. Across several groups, participants critiqued the colours for being overly gendered (pink for the female victim and green/blue for the male victim).

“I’m confused – who is saying the words in the print? I thought it was for a different topic (domestic abuse).” Youth Female

“The print doesn’t grab you at all – it’s underwhelming. Using pink is sexist and there are too many words. The green ad doesn’t seem to be in the realm of human trafficking.” Young Adult Female

“The colour scheme in the posters doesn’t work. It looks like a concert poster with colour or a Nike kind of work hard poster.” Youth Female

“These print ads are familiar. It’s the same font as Nike ads and the pink ad looks like a Victoria’s Secret ad.” Young Adult Male

Across most English locations and audiences, the print ads’ headlines were deemed confusing and off topic, with many questioning if the headline was intended to be the words of the victim or the perpetrator. Regardless, participants criticized the extensive headline copy, and believed the print ads had too many words. The ads’ body copy (human trafficking is not what it seems), was deemed more relevant than the headline in communicating the message, and warranting greater prominence.

Further, the print ads’ background imagery was considered confusing and unclear to most.

“In the print there are too many words. It’s too cluttered. ‘Human trafficking is not what it seems’ is too small.” Youth Female

“The posters are too bright for the topic. It’s just words – no one would take the time to read all that. The man in background is too subtle.” Youth Male

“The video engaged my attention I could quickly relate to it. But the print ads – much less so. Much less clear.” Young Adult Male

Across multiple English-speaking groups, participants likened the video to an unmemorable, horror movie trailer and criticized it for requiring too much work to figure out.

“The video is was hard to grasp initially. In didn’t understand what they are talking about. It dances around the point. It needs to be more explicit.” Young Adult Female

French-speaking participants generally liked the print ads, despite some confusion as to who is speaking the headline – the victim or the perpetrator. That said, some felt that the statement format in bold print grabbed their attention, as if someone what speaking those words to them directly. Some felt that to further this impression, quotation marks should be used for those headline statements.

“Pour les annonces imprimées, c’est comme s’ils nous pointaient du doigt donc ça interpelle vraiment une personne et ça incite à lire le paragraphe en dessous.” (For the print ads, it is as though they are pointing their finger at you and it is really compelling you and entice you to read the paragraph at the bottom.) Youth Male

Despite the creative approach for the print ads being liked by French-speaking participants, it was felt that the message of the labour-related one was unclear. This stemmed from the headline statement being commonly used in healthy work situations, thus not necessarily pointing to a risk of abuse.

Intended Call to Action

Across locations and audiences, this campaign was seen as having a weak call to action, primarily due to its message confusion and the lack of a reason to take action. It was seen by some as a reminder to monitor the health of the romantic relationships they are involved in.

“Ça me rappelle les pubs sur les relations qui peuvent mal tourner. Je ne changerais pas grands choses à ce que je fais mais c’est un rappel de faire attention.” (This reminds me of ads showing how relationships can become unhealthy. I would not change much to what I do, but it is a reminder to be careful.) Youth Female

“I definitely think that this is opening my eyes that it can happen from relationship and I will start looking at relationships differently because of that.” Youth Male

Another reason mentioned for lacking interest in following-up is the perceived knowledge that sexual or labour exploitation exists, and the perception that it is not something that can happen to them personally.

“The video is more impactful; it’s darker. But how can I fight it [human trafficking] and help someone? I can’t help who a girl is going to like.” Young Adult Male

One young female in the field of social work indicated that this would be a good advertisement to initiate conversations with some of her clients who are more vulnerable to abusive situations.

Key Messages

Messages with statistics and clear direction were felt to be strongest, while more general statements were felt to be less powerful.

Participants were shown ten statements about human trafficking, and asked to identify any that stands out as most impactful to them, and those that are not memorable or impactful. The ten statements are included below for reference. Messages included:

1. Human trafficking is not a foreign crime – it is happening in communities across Canada.

(La traite des personnes n’est pas un crime étranger – elle se produit dans les collectivités partout au Canada.)

2. Human trafficking is not the same as human smuggling.

(La traite des personnes n’est pas la même chose que le trafic de personnes.)

3. Human trafficking targets the vulnerable and Canadian women and children are most at risk.

(La traite des personnes cible les personnes vulnérables et les femmes et les enfants canadiens sont les plus à risque.)

4. 96% of victims are female and 70% of victims are under 25 years old.

(96% des victimes sont des femmes et 70% des victimes ont moins de 25 ans.)

5. Almost 30% of perpetrators are a current or former intimate partner.

(Près de 30 % des auteurs sont un partenaire intime actuel ou ancien.)

6. The warning signs of human trafficking are often disguised. Know what to look for and where to get help.

(Les signes avant-coureurs de la traite des personnes sont souvent déguisés. Sachez ce qu’il faut rechercher et où obtenir de l’aide.)

7. Together we can stop human trafficking.

(Ensemble, nous pouvons mettre fin à la traite des personnes.)

8. You can contribute to stopping human trafficking by becoming informed, watching for signs, sharing information and talking to your kids.

(Vous pouvez contribuer à mettre fin à la traite des personnes en vous informe, en surveillant les signes, en partageant de l’information et en parlant à vos enfants.)

9. If you or someone you know may be in danger of human trafficking, call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010.

(Si vous ou quelqu’un que vous connaissez risquez d’être en danger de traite de personnes, appelez la Ligne d’assistance canadienne sur la traite des personnes au 1-833-900-1010.)

10. There are resources available to help you manage and report instances of human trafficking.

(Il y a des ressources disponibles pour vous aider à gérer et à signaler les cas de traite des personnes.)

The statements considered most impactful consistently included:

· #4 and #5 for providing facts that highlight the importance, the severity of human trafficking and the fact that it is a societal issue; The fourth statement was also more compelling as it highlights the issue of human trafficking among young people.

· #1 for addressing current perceptions about human trafficking and acting as a wake-up call that it is prevalent in our own backyard. It debunks the perception that human trafficking is something that happens in other countries, or that involves refugees or immigrants to Canada. To increase personal relevant, it was suggested to more specifically identify provinces and specific communities where the campaign is shown, as a reminder of the prevalence of human trafficking.

· #9 for providing clear direction on where to turn for assistance.

· #6 and #8 for outlining guidance in necessary action, providing a preventable measure and for being empowering.

The statements considered least impactful consistently included:

· #2 for failing to provide an explanation of what human trafficking is compared with human smuggling. To some, this statement places the focus on the semantics of naming the issue of human trafficking, rather than focusing on how it is defined/it’s content.

· #7 for being vague, unrealistic, and not specifying how to stop human trafficking or what signs to look out for. To some, it felt like an empty promise or a cliché.

· #10 for being too vague by mentioning there are resources available, but not where to get them. Some also found that such a statement was too familiar and easy to ignore. That said, a few participants liked the fact that this statement implies there is help or resources available.

Terminology

There is a preference for more specific terminology to identify the various types of human trafficking. The term ‘slavery’ in any context is divisive, with some finding it to be strong, while others felt it was exaggerated.

Participants were informed that there are many forms of human trafficking and were asked which of two terms should be used to identify each of four types of human trafficking: the trafficking of people, exploitation or control of someone in a private household, sexual exploitation and the traffic of organs.

“Modern slavery” or “human trafficking”

Mixed opinions were offered. For some, the English term “human trafficking” is most commonly associated with the movement of people under constraint, and thus would be most naturally associated with the traffic of people. For others, the term “slavery” is an impactful word in itself, and provides a stronger reminder of the seriousness of the issue. Across multiple locations, some English-speaking participants felt the term “modern slavery” would be associated with ongoing racial tensions and the Black Lives Matter movement, and thus, would be best to be avoided in the context of human trafficking as it could be triggering or misconstrued.

“The word slavery is going to capture my attention and says how it’s important to discuss.” Youth Male

“Saying slavery almost sounds like it’s a gag or mocking it.” Youth Male

“Esclavage moderne” or “traite des personnes”

With the exception of youth males who preferred the impact of the French term “esclavage moderne”, French-speaking participants generally felt that “traite des personnes” was a more familiar and less controversial term to describe the traffic of humans.

“Traite de personne c’est un échange de produits, de marchandises, de rendre objet l’humain.” (‘Traite des personnes’ implies an exchange of products or merchandise. It is to objectify humans.) Young Adult Male

“Esclavage moderne c’est plus choquant. Esclavage c’est plus ‘punché’. J’irais avec ça surtout quand on parle de trafic humain.” (Modern slavery is more shocking. Slavering is punchier so I would go with that especially when speaking of human trafficking.) Youth Male

“Labour trafficking” or “domestic servitude”

The terms “labour trafficking” or “domestic labour trafficking” in English were considered better suited to speak of the exploitation or control of someone in a private household, than the term “domestic servitude”. Many English-speaking participants were unclear what “domestic servitude” was, and found the word ‘servitude’ confusing and misleading. Indeed, some did not consider the term ‘servitude’ to necessarily have a negative connotation.

“’Labour trafficking’ is broader, and could be exposing it for what it is.” Indigenous Female

“’Labour trafficking’ is more accessible – easier to understand.” Youth Male

“Servitude domestique” or “trafic de main d’œuvre”

Across French-speaking audiences, it was felt that “trafic de main d’œuvre domestique” would offer clarity to describe the exploitation or control of someone in a private household. The term “servitude” was unknown by many and would cause confusion. A suggestion was made to use the term, “exploitation de main d’oeuvre domestique” as an alternative.

“[Le mot] servitude n’est pas clair; ce n’est pas usuel.” (The word servitude is not clear; it is unusual.) Young Adult Male

“Servitude domestique ça me fait penser à un service domestique donc une situation volontaire. Il n’y a pas le côté exploitation.” (The term domestic servitude makes me think of domestic service, so a voluntary situation. It does not imply the concept of exploitation.) Young Adult Female

“Sex slavery” or “human trafficking”

In general, the concept of sexual exploitation was considered to be best described by the more specific English terms “sex slavery” or alternatively “sex trafficking”, rather than the more general term “human trafficking”. That said, it warrants mention that in multiple groups, a number of participants indicated that the term sex slavery can have different implications, namely referring to submissive sexual behaviours or kinky sex.

“I already associate human trafficking with sex, so it’s a good term already.” Youth Male

“Sex trafficking would be much better. Much more specific.” Indigenous Female

“Esclavage sexuel” or “traite des personnes”

With a few exceptions, French-speaking participants felt that “esclavage sexuel” provides clarity in describing sexual exploitation, more so than the expression “traite des personnes” which was felt to be too vague and encompassing more various types of human trafficking.

“Étant donné qu’on parle de sexe, je trouve que ce terme [esclavage sexuel] est plus cru et plus dérangeant donc c’est le meilleur.” (Since we are talking about sex, I find that the term sex slavery is more raw and disturbing, so it is better.) Young Adult Female

“[Esclavage sexuel] c’est deux termes qui sont utilisés assez souvent. Donc c’est plus familier” (Sex slavery are terms used more frequently so it’s more familiar.) Youth Female

“Organ harvesting” or “human trafficking”

There was general agreement that the English term “human trafficking” was too generic for use as reference for the traffic of organs. However, across multiple English-speaking groups, it was felt that “organ harvesting” did not necessarily have a negative connotation and could describe a more legitimate, medical organ donation process. Alternatively, participants widely preferred the volunteered English term “organ trafficking”.

“’Organ harvesting’ sounds like it’s in a hospital – it doesn’t sound harmful. Why not just say ‘organ trafficking’?” Indigenous Female

“Prélèvement d’organes” or “traite des personnes”

Neither terms were felt to adequately describe organ trafficking and across French-speaking audiences, it was felt that the expression “trafic d’organes” would be more appropriate to describe this concept. More specifically, “prélèvement d’organes” in French was felt to describe a legitimate harvesting of an organ, for a donation as an example. By contrast, the French term “traite des personnes” was felt to be too generic to describe the traffic of organs.

“Prélèvement ça fait comme prélèvement sanguin, c’est nous autre qui va le donner.” (Harvesting is more like blood sample or harvest; that we are providing it ourselves.) Parent

Conclusions and Direction

The following provides conclusions derived from the detailed analysis of findings and the resulting recommendations to address the study objectives.

· There is some knowledge of human trafficking happening in Canada, though it is primarily perceived to be more of an issue internationally.

While participants were familiar with the term ‘human trafficking’, few had a high-level awareness of the issue’s severity or prevalence in Canada. Human trafficking it is mostly associated with the smuggling of people, people being abducted and with situations involving sexual exploitation. These perceptions are mainly resulting from social media or news stories. Human trafficking is not considered as problematic in specific communities nor is it considered prevalent in Canada, although it is identified as a more common issue involving specific audiences (such as youth in general, Indigenous youth and LGBTQ2+).

Apart from a public education campaign, it was believed that initiatives should be undertaken in schools to raise the awareness of youth and young people, who are identified as a vulnerable audience. In addition, given the prevalent use of online resources for information, including social media, it was felt that the public education campaign should include a strong online component.

Based on this conclusion, the following should be considered:

Ø Results support the need for a campaign to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking in Canada.

Ø The campaign should address myths in who is most at risk and how human trafficking manifests itself.

Ø The campaign would benefit from a strong online component, including on social media.

Ø Reach out to youth in schools to increase their knowledge about the issue of human trafficking.

· Participants expressed a desire to see a strong call to action, with facts or statistics to back up why the issue is important.

After evaluating the three concepts, participants expressed a desire to understand the prevalence of human trafficking, as well as immediate actions they could take to help prevent it. Indeed, there is a desire in any campaign to see an arresting statistic, to increase awareness of the issue’s prevalence in Canada. At the same time, a stronger, more personal call to action is required to engage the public. This could be done by inviting the public to visit the website to learn how to identify possible situations of human trafficking; or to learn what are unacceptable behaviours to report; or even to learn how victims are impacted. The importance in the call to action is to provide insight as to what can be found online, and why it is important for people to seek that type of information.

Based on this conclusion, the following should be considered:

Ø Consideration should be given to incorporating a more precise and personal call to action into the final campaign.

Ø The use of facts or statistics describing the situation in Canada would help grab the public’s attention and clearly establish the prevalence and thus the relevance of the issue of human trafficking for Canadian residents. It would also provide an explanation for the choice of specific audiences featured in the advertisements (e.g., a larger proportion of young women being a victim).

· It will be important for the campaign to balance the portrayal of the most common types of human trafficking, while also demonstrating diversity.

Many participants voiced a desire for ads to be inclusive and representative of the variety of populations in Canada and to avoid any stereotypes. In particular, there were strong reactions to ad concepts that appeared overly hetero-normative or cis-gendered, reinforcing gender stereotypes, especially when illustrating a domestic relationship. There is also a desire to ensure that concepts are inclusive of Indigenous populations, as well as the various LGBTQ2+ communities to recognize the risk for abuse these populations face.

Based on this conclusion, the following should be considered:

Ø Be cautious of the choice of audiences featured in the campaign to avoid obvious gender, sexual or cultural stereotypes.

Ø Where possible, explain the choice to feature certain audiences by demonstrating they are most at risk.

· The ‘Uncontained’ concept is the strongest of the three concepts and considered thought-provoking and adept at addressing misconceptions regarding human trafficking.

After evaluating all three concepts, the ‘Uncontained’ concept was by far the best received, across English-speaking audiences, for being thought-provoking and adept at its ability to counteract myths, as well as to provide factual context for the issue of human trafficking. It also performed well among French-speaking participants, though on par with the other two concepts.

Clearly identifying human trafficking as the topic, both in the print ads’ headline and early in the video’s narration, quickly established what the campaign was about. In addition, showing how human smuggling is not the only aspect of human trafficking helped debunk existing myths and conveyed the campaign’s intent to show that human trafficking can happen in more familiar and seemingly normal situations people may encounter in their daily lives. That said, the concept fails to effectively show how human trafficking begins, and the dire consequences it can have. This was in part due to only showing happy situations or happy people in the visuals. The lack of message clarity and comprehensiveness somewhat impacted its credibility. That said, the presence of statistics helps ground the message and makes it more tangible.

From a creative approach standpoint, the video concept and tone created a sense of intrigue and curiosity that sustained attention. For the print ads, the labour image was not clearly associated with a Canadian context and did not show a hierarchal relationship, thus making the situation less relevant to viewers. Across both video and print, the visuals appeared to reinforce gender stereotypes.

The campaign reach is generally broad, despite the primary target audience being perceived as those who associate human trafficking with the smuggling and coercion of people and newcomers. That said, the call to action is weak and there was little interest in seeking additional information online.

Based on these conclusions, the following should be considered:

Ø Consider further developing the Uncontained concept as a public awareness campaign on human trafficking.

Ø Show or explain some of signs that leads to situation to be deemed human trafficking, as well as suggesting its negative impacts.

Ø Enhance the emotional connection to the message, by showing how human trafficking situations impact the victim.

Ø Clearly establish the seriousness of human trafficking, as a negative and consequential situation.

Ø Clearly identify the topic of human trafficking in campaign material headings and narration.

Ø While illustrating one type of human trafficking situation, indicate in the narration or copy that human trafficking takes many forms.

Ø Incorporate more statistics and facts about human trafficking to enhance the message’s credibility and reduce the perceptions of gender stereotypes.

Ø Incorporate a stronger and more personal call to action (e.g., learn the signs of human trafficking; it’s happening around you so learn to spot the signs).

· The ‘Hard to See’ concept was not clear to all, though showing a progression from a positive to a negative situation was felt to be an interesting approach, along with the print concept’s links to social media filtering out what’s really happening.

This concept evoked a strong emotional response for many, in its apparent demonstration of the consequences of human trafficking on an individual. While participants appreciated the serious and informative content in this idea, many were confused by the storylines presented, and were unsure of what was being depicted.

Some felt the video concept could easily be speaking of abuse, rape or more broadly the issue of consent, rather than human trafficking. In a few instances, it was believed that this could be an emotional trigger for people who experienced sexual abuse, which presents a risk for the campaign. At the same time, the apparent consent from the woman in the video (as well as a lack of violence) caused confusion and was more reflective of rape or sexual exploration behaviours (e.g., threesome) rather than human trafficking. The apparent consensual relationship also made the concept less compelling for some female participants, who believed that the victim could have left the situation at any point. There is a risk that the campaign trivializes or normalizes sexual exploitation, in how it presents the concept of consent.

The imagery used in the print ads were felt to not be sufficiently graphic to convey the seriousness of the situations. That said, the cropped design was effective at speaking to a younger audience who regularly crops images on social media to show only what they want others to see.

The target audience was considered more primarily included young women and victims of sexual abuse, and to a lesser extent, their friends and relatives. In general, male participants felt less emotionally compelled by this concept. While the campaign provided contact information, it failed to establish personal relevance and engage the target audience in taking action. It also lacked a clear call to action, and one with greater urgency.

Based on these conclusions, the following should be considered:

Ø Caution must be exercised if moving forward with this concept, especially given the message confusion.

Ø The scenario in the video lacks clarity and could be misconstrued for sexual exploration behaviours or a rape situation, which are not seen as related to human trafficking.

Ø More clearly identify the topic of human trafficking in the ads. Further reinforce that the situations depicted – namely sexual exploitation – is a form of human trafficking.

Ø Clarify the scenario in the video, especially the situation of abuse.

Ø Consider narrating the women’s inner dialogue in the video to depict her hesitation and/or show that she is not fully consenting.

Ø Strengthen the call to action and provide a clear idea of why the public should get involved and how to make a difference.

· While relatable to many and providing an emotional connection, the ‘Changed’ concept elicited confusion and did not succeed overall in achieving the intended call to action.

Overall, this concept received mixed feedback. For some it was considered problematic and the least likely to effectively raise awareness about human trafficking. Its message lacked clarity for some participants, the creative did not sufficiently grab their attention, and the intent appeared vague and confusing. It generally did not properly define human trafficking or properly educate the public about it. That said, it was often perceived by French-speaking participants (notably youth) as being the most effective of the three campaigns at raising the public’s awareness of the issue of human trafficking. This choice resulted from the confusion caused by the other concepts’ message and by the Changed concept’s ability to convey the victim’s emotion. This sentiment was also voiced by some English-speaking participants, particularly young women and Indigenous women, who found the main character’s situation relatable to them. Message confusion led to a weak call to action.

From a creative standpoint, the print ads’ headlines were felt to be too broad and not effective at grabbing attention, as well as offering the potential for misinterpretation. The lack of visual and clear identification of topic in the headline made the ads feel generic. They were also deemed too wordy and the colours too bright for the seriousness of the topic. Despite the scenario in the video eliciting some confusion and not spontaneously identified as human trafficking, the victim looking at and speaking directly to the viewer was engaging and helped create a sense of connection.

Based on these conclusions, the following should be considered:

Ø Caution must be exercised if moving forward with this concept, especially given the message confusion.

Ø There needs to be greater clarity regarding how the situations depicted are considered related to human trafficking.

Ø Incorporate a stronger call to action.

Ø Include visuals in the print ads.

· Messages with statistics and clear direction were felt to be strongest, while more general statements were felt to be less powerful.

Of the ten statements related to human trafficking that were discussed during the focus groups, those providing facts that highlight the importance and severity of human trafficking were deemed to be strong and compelling, along with those that address myths. In addition, statements that provide clear direction on where to turn for assistance were well liked, provided that they include specific instructions and contact information. By contrast, statements that failed to provide information or were felt to be overly vague or generic, and were singled out as ‘missing the mark’.

Based on these conclusions, the following should be considered:

Ø Use statements that provides facts and statistics to establish the importance of human trafficking.

Ø Use statements that clearly outline the role people can play in addressing the issues of human trafficking.

Ø Use statements that provide actionable instructions on how to find information or report events.

· There is a preference for more specific terminology to identify the various types of human trafficking. The term ‘slavery’ in any context is divisive, with some finding it to be strong, while others felt it was exaggerated.

When discussing what terms should be used to identify various types of situations that relate to human trafficking, it became apparent that specific terms were preferred to an expression that encompassed multiple types of situations. That said, the term ‘slavery’ used in the context of human trafficking was divisive, and thought to be either a powerful reminder of the severity of an abusive situation or thought to be more closely aligned with racial discrimination than with human trafficking. As such, mixed opinions were offered regarding the term that is most appropriate to speak of the traffic of people, with “modern slavery” providing a reminder of the seriousness of the issue while “human trafficking” is most commonly associated with the movement of people. In French, the term “traite des personnes” was felt to be more familiar to speak of the traffic of people, although youth male offered a preference for the term “esclavage moderne” which they felt would have greater impact.

In general, sexual exploitation was considered to be best described by the more specific term “sex slavery” (“esclavage sexuel” in French) or alternatively “sex trafficking”, rather than the more general term “human trafficking”, although it can imply submissive sexual behaviours or kinky sex. When speaking of the exploitation or control of someone in a private household, the terms “labour trafficking” or “domestic labour trafficking” (“trafic de main d’œuvre domestique” in French) were considered better suited than the term “domestic servitude”. Many participants were unclear what “domestic servitude” was, and found the word servitude confusing and misleading. Across audiences, the terms “organ harvesting” (“prélèvement d’organes” in French) and “human trafficking” (“traite des personnes” in French) were not felt to adequately describe the traffic of organs. Alternatively, participants widely preferred the volunteered term “organ trafficking” (“trafic d’organes” in French).

Based on these conclusions, the following should be considered:

Ø Describe the various aspects of human trafficking using specific terms – rather than grouping them all under the umbrella of human trafficking.

Ø Be cautious in using the term “slavery” in speaking of human trafficking.

Ø Consider using the term “traite des personnes” in French to describe the traffic of people. In English, consider finding a less divisive alternative to “modern slavery” or “human trafficking” to describe this concept.

Ø Consider referring to “sex slavery” or “sex trafficking” in English and “esclavage sexuel” in French to speak of sexual exploitation.

Ø Consider the term “domestic labour trafficking” in English and “traffic de main d’oeuvre domestique” in French to refer to the exploitation of someone in a private household.

Ø Consider using “organ trafficking” in English and “trafic d’organes” in French to speak of the traffic of organs.

Appendix A: Recruitment Screener

Public Safety Canada: Human Trafficking Public Awareness Campaign Testing Recruitment Screener

Name:______________________________________________________________________________

Home phone: ________________ Work phone:___________________ Cell: ____________________

Email: ______________________________________________________________________________

Community: __________________________________ Province: ______________________________

SECTION 1: Schedule & Specifications

NETFOCUS GROUP SCHEDULE

Date	Group	ADT	EDT	Participant Time	Audience	Language	Moderator
Monday, October 19^th	1	5:00pm	4:00pm	5:30pm NT 5:00pm AT	Youth/Female/Atlantic Canada	EN	MB
	2	6:00pm	5:00pm	5:00pm ET	Youth/Female/Quebec	FR	CP
	3	7:30pm	6:30pm	6:30pm ET	Young Adults/Female/Ontario	EN	MB
	4	8:30pm	7:30pm	7:30pm ET	Young Adults/Female/Quebec	FR	CP
Tuesday, October 20^th	5	6:00pm	5:00pm	5:00pm ET	Youth/Male/Quebec	FR	CP
	6	6:30pm	5:30pm	5:30pm ET	Young Adults/Male/Ontario	EN	MB
	7	8:30pm	7:30pm	7:30pm ET	Young Adults/Male/Quebec	FR	CP
	8	9:00pm	8:00pm	6:00pm MT 5:00pm PT	Youth/Female/Western Canada	EN	MB
Wednesday, October 21^st	9	5:30pm	4:30pm	6:00pm NT 5:30pm AT	Young Adults/Male/Atlantic Canada	EN	MB
Wednesday, October 21^st	10	8:00pm	7:00pm	6:00pm CT 5:00pm MT	Youth/Female/Prairies	EN	MB
Thursday, October 22^nd	11	6:00pm	5:00pm	5:00pm ET	Youth/Female/Ontario	EN	MB
	12	6:30pm	5:30pm	7:00pm NT 6:30pm AT 5:30pm ET	Indigenous/Female/Ontario & Atlantic Canada	EN	MC
	13	8:30pm	7:30pm	6:30pm CT 5:30pm MT	Young Adults/Male/Prairies	EN	MB
	14	9:00pm	8:00pm	6:00pm MT 5:00pm PT	Youth/Male/Western Canada	EN	MC
Monday, October 26^th	15	6:00pm	5:00pm	5:00pm ET	Youth/Males/Ontario	EN	MB
	16	7:00pm	6:00pm	6:00pm ET	Parents/Quebec	FR	CP
	17	8:30pm	7:30pm	6:30pm CT 5:30pm MT	Young Adults/Female/Prairies	EN	MB
	18	9:30pm	8:30pm	6:30pm MT 5:30pm PT	Young Adults/Female/Western Canada	EN	CP
Tuesday, October 27^th	19	5:00pm	4:00pm	5:30pm NT 5:00pm AT	Youth/Male/Atlantic Canada	EN	CP
	20	7:00pm	6:00pm	7:30pm NT 7:00pm AT 6:00pm ET	Parents/Ontario & Atlantic Canada	EN	MC
	21	7:30pm	6:30pm	5:30pm CT 4:30pm MT	Youth/Male/Prairies	EN	MB
	22	9:30pm	8:30pm	6:30pm MT 5:30pm PT	Young Adults/Male/Western Canada	EN	MC
	23	10:00pm	9:00pm	8:00pm CT 7:00pm MT 6:00pm PT	Parents/Prairies & Western Canada	EN	MB
Wednesday, October 28^th	24	6:00pm	5:00pm	6:30pm NT 6:00pm AT	Young Adults/Female/Atlantic Canada	EN	MC
Wednesday, October 28^th	25	9:00pm	8:00pm	7:00pm CT 6:00pm MT 5:00pm PT	Indigenous/Female/Prairies & Western Canada	EN	MC

Audience Summary		Language Summary
Youth (16-19) Female	Groups 1, 2, 8, 10, 11	English	Groups 1, 3, 6, 8, 9-15, 17-25
Youth (16-19) Male	Groups 5, 14, 15, 19, 21	French	Groups 2, 4, 5, 7, 16
Young Adults (20-25) Female	Groups 3, 4, 17, 18, 24
Young Adults (20-25) Male	Groups 6, 7, 9, 13, 22
Parents	Groups 16, 20, 23
Indigenous (19-24) Female	Groups 12, 25

Specification Summary

· Twenty-five (25) focus groups in total:

o Youth (aged 16-19) – 5 groups Female / 5 groups Male. Ten groups in total: 2 English groups from Atlantic Canada (NL, NS, PE, NB); 2 English groups from Ontario; 2 English groups from Prairies (SK, MB); 2 English groups from Western Canada (BC, AB); 2 French groups from Quebec

o Young Adults (aged 20-25) – 5 groups Female/5 groups Male. Ten groups in total: 2 English groups from Atlantic Canada (NL, NS, PE, NB); 2 English groups from Ontario; 2 English groups from Prairies (SK, MB); 2 English groups from Western Canada (BC, AB); 2 French groups from Quebec

o Parents of Youth (aged 13-19) – 3 groups in total of mixed gender. Three groups in total: 1 English group from Ontario/Atlantic Canada (NL, NS, PE, NB, ON); 1 English group from Prairies (SK, MB) and Western Canada (BC, AB); 1 French group from Quebec

o Indigenous Female (aged 19-24) – two groups in total; 1 English group from Ontario/Atlantic Canada (NL, NS, PE, NB, ON); 1 English group from Prairies (SK, MB) and Western Canada (BC, AB)

o 20 English groups and 5 French groups

· Mix of:

o Age (within range)

o Education

o Employment status

o Household income (young adult/parent groups)

· Some representation in each group of people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ2+ community, newcomers less than 10 years and cultural background

· Incentive: $100 per participant

· 9 participants recruited per group

· Group discussion lasts up to 2 hours

RECRUITER NOTE - WHEN TERMINATING AN INTERVIEW, SAY: “Thank you very much for your cooperation. We are unable to invite you to participate because we already have enough participants who have a similar profile to yours.”

RECRUITER NOTE: If a respondent wishes to verify the validity of the study, please contact:

Government of Canada: 1-800-926-9105; questions@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

Narrative Research: 888-272-6777; focusgroups@narrativeresearch.ca

SECTION G: General Introduction

Hello, my name is _______________ and I am calling on behalf of Narrative Research, a national market research company. Let me assure you that we are not trying to sell you anything. As part of a research project we are conducting on behalf of the Government of Canada, we are looking for people who are 16 years of age or older to take part in a 2-hour online focus group discussion that will be happening October <INSERT DATE> to <INSERT DATE> . Those who qualify and take part in this focus group will receive a $100 financial incentive. Is this something you or someone else in your household might be interested in?

Yes............................................. 1

No.............................................. 2 THANK & TERMINATE

Would you prefer that I continue in English or French? / Préférez-vous continuer en français ou anglais?

RECRUITER NOTE - FOR ENGLISH GROUPS, IF PARTICIPANT WOULD PREFER TO CONTINUE IN FRENCH, PLEASE RESPOND WITH: "Nous recherchons des gens qui parlent anglais pour participer à ce groupe de discussion. Êtes-vous intéressé à participer à un autre groupe de discussion qui se tiendra en français? Si oui, quelqu’un fera le suivi avec vous dans les prochains jours.

Puis-je avoir votre nom afin que quelqu’un communique avec vous ? [RECORD NAME]

J’aimerais confirmer votre numéro de téléphone : [CONFIRM PHONE NUMBER]"

The purpose of this group discussion is to hear people’s views on communications material being considered by the Government of Canada to raise public awareness about the issue of human trafficking. We are only interested in opinions regarding the materials being considered. You will not be asked to comment on any personal experience.

Participation in this research is voluntary and completely anonymous and confidential. No attempt will be made to sell you anything or change your point of view. The format of the focus group is an informal small online group discussion led by a professional moderator. People 16 to 25 years old will be grouped with others around their age and of the same gender.

Note that you will need access to a computer with high speed Internet to take part in the focus group.

May I ask you a few quick questions to see if you are the type of participant we are looking for? This should take about 5 or 6 minutes.

Yes............................................. 1

No.............................................. 2 THANK & TERMINATE

*IF ASKED:

The personal information you provide is protected in accordance with the Privacy Act. The information you provide will not be linked with your name on any document including the consent form or the discussion form. In addition to protecting your personal information, the Privacy Act gives you the right to request access to and correction of your personal information. You also have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner if you feel your personal information has been handled improperly.

SECTION P: Profiling Questions

P1. To begin, do you or any member of your household work in or has retired from…? [READ LIST – ROTATE ORDER]

Marketing/Market Research......... 1

Public relations............................ 2

Advertising.................................. 3

Media (TV, Radio, Newspaper)..... 4

Graphic Design............................ 5

Provincial government................. 6

Federal government.................... 7

INSTRUCTIONS: If yes to any of the above, thank & terminate

P2. Are you…?

Male........................................... 1

Female........................................ 2

Gender diverse............................ 3

GENDER QUOTAS:

- Male (Code 1): CONSIDER FOR YOUTH MALES (GROUPS 5, 14, 15, 19, 21) AND YOUNG ADULT MALES (GROUPS 6, 7, 9, 13, 22)

- Female (Code 2): CONSIDER FOR YOUTH FEMALES (GROUPS 1, 2, 8, 10, 11), YOUNG ADULT FEMALES (GROUPS 3, 4, 17, 18, 24) AND INDIGENOUS FEMALES (GROUPS 12 & 25)

- Gender diverse (Code 3): CONSIDER FOR ALL GROUPS

- PARENT GROUPS: RECRUIT EQUAL MIX

P3. Are you a member of the LGBTQ2+ community?

Yes............................................. 1

No.............................................. 2

INSTRUCTIONS: RECRUIT MIN. 1 PER GROUP YES (Code 1)

P4. Into which age group are you? [READ RESPONSES IN ORDER]

Less than 16................................ 1

16-25......................................... 2

26-45......................................... 3

46-59......................................... 4

60-65......................................... 5

More than 65 years old................ 6

P5. [ASK IF CODE 2 AT QP4 – 16 TO 25 YEARS OLD] We would like to group people that have more or less the same age. Can you tell me your exact age?

RECORD AGE (16 TO 25 YEARS OLD): _____________

AGE QUOTAS (QP4 & QP5):

- Less than 16 (Code 1 AT QP4): THANK & TERMINATE

- Ages 16–19 (BASED ON QP5): CONSIDER FOR YOUTH GROUPS 1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 19, 21

RECRUIT EQUAL MIX BETWEEN 16-17 AND 18-19

- Ages 20-25 (BASED ON QP5): CONSIDER FOR YOUNG ADULT GROUPS 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 13, 17, 18, 22, 24

RECRUIT EQUAL MIX BETWEEN 20-22 AND 23-25

- Ages 16-24 (BASED ON QP5) and Female (CODE 2 AT QP2) – CONSIDER FOR INDIGENOUS FEMALE GROUPS 12 & 25 – RECRUIT GOOD MIX OF AGES

P6. [ASK IF 26 OR OLDER IN QP4] Are you a parent or guardian of a child 13 to 19 years of age who lives with you at least half of the time?

Yes............................................. 1

No.............................................. 2

INSTRUCTIONS: If YES (Code 1): CONSIDER FOR PARENT GROUPS 16, 20, 23

P7. Were you born in Canada?

Yes............................................. 1

No.............................................. 2

Don't know / No response............ 3

P8. [IF NO TO QP7, ASK] How many years have you been living in Canada? [RECORD # of Years: ____]

Less than 5 years......................... 1

5-9 years..................................... 2

10-19 years................................. 3

20-29 years................................. 4

30 or more years......................... 5

Don't know / No response ........... 6

INSTRUCTIONS: RECRUIT MIN. 1 PER GROUP LESS THAN 10 YEARS (Codes 1 & 2)

P9. To make sure that we speak to a diversity of people, could you tell me what is your ethnic background? DO NOT READ – CODE ALL THAT APPLY

White/European (for example, German, Irish, English, Italian, French, Polish, etc.)............ 1

Hispanic, Latino, Spanish (for example, Mexican, Cuban, Salvadoran, Columbian, etc.)...... 2

Black or African Canadian (for example, African Canadian, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian,

Ethiopian, etc.) ........................................................................................................... 3

East Asian (for example, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, etc.)............................... 4

South Asian (for example, East Indian, Pakistani, etc.) .................................................... 5

Middle Eastern or North African (for example, Lebanese, Iranian, Syrian, Moroccan,

Algerian, etc.)............................................................................................................... 6

Indigenous (e.g. First Nations, Métis, Inuit).................................................................... 7

Other (Specify: ___)..................................................................................................... 8

Don't know / No response ............................................................................................ 9

INSTRUCTIONS: RECRUIT MIN. 2 PER GROUP WHOSE ETHNIC BACKGROUND IS NOT WHITE/EUROPEAN (Code 1)

IF INDIGENOUS (Code 7) AND FEMALE CONSIDER FOR GROUPS 12 & 25

P10. What is the highest level of education that you have completed?

Some high school or less.............. 1

Completed high school................ 2

Some college/university............... 3

Completed college/university....... 4

Post-graduate studies.................. 5

DK/NR........................................ 8

INSTRUCTIONS: RECRUIT MIX FOR PARENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS GROUPS. Thank & Terminate if DK/NR

P11. What is your current employment status?

Working full-time (at least 30 hours per week)................................................... 1

Working part-time (less than 30 hours per week)............................................... 2

Self-employed.................................................................................................. 3

Retired............................................................................................................. 4

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 5

Student........................................................................................................... 6

Other (Specify: _____)...................................................................................... 7

DK/NR............................................................................................................. 8

INSTRUCTIONS: RECRUIT MIX FOR PARENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS GROUPS. Thank & Terminate if DK/NR

P12. IF EMPLOYED, ASK: In what sector do you work and what is your current occupation?

Sector: ____________________________________

Occupation: ________________________________

INSTRUCTIONS: Thank & Terminate if similar occupations as in QP1

P13. IF RETIRED, ASK: In what sector were you last employed before retirement and what was your occupation?

Sector: ____________________________________

Occupation: ________________________________

INSTRUCTIONS: Thank & Terminate if similar occupations as in QP1

P14. What was your household’s total income last year? That is, the total income of all persons in your household combined, before taxes? [READ LIST IN ORDER]

Under $20,000........................... 1

$20,000 to under $40,000........... 2

$40,000 to under $60,000........... 3

$60,000 to under $80,000........... 4

$80,000 to under $100,000......... 5

$100,000 to under $150,000....... 6

$150,000 or more....................... 7

DK/NR........................................ 9

INSTRUCTIONS: RECRUIT MIX. AIM FOR MIN 1 UNDER $20K (CODE 1) IN EACH YOUNG ADULT AND PARENT GROUPS

P15. A disability is a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impacts a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or activities or participate in typical daily activities and interactions. According to this definition, would you consider yourself as having a disability?

Yes ............................................. 1

No.............................................. 2

Prefer not to say.......................... 3

INSTRUCTIONS: RECRUIT MIN. 1 PER GROUP WITH DISABILITY (Codes 1)

P16. In which community and province do you currently live?

Record name of city/village and province: ______________________

INSTRUCTIONS: Note urban and rural breakdown against quotas

SECTION N: Netfocus Questions

The discussion groups for this project will be conducted over the phone and online simultaneously and will require the use of a laptop or desktop computer and a telephone line (landline or cell phone) for the duration of the focus group session. Note that you cannot use a computer tablet or smartphone to access the online platform/screen for this session.

NF1. Do you have access to a laptop or desktop computer with high-speed Internet to take part in this focus group?

Yes............................................. 1

No.............................................. 2 THANK AND TERMINATE

NF2. How comfortable are you with using a computer on your own? Are you…?

Very comfortable........................ 1

Somewhat comfortable............... 2

Somewhat uncomfortable........... 3 THANK AND TERMINATE

Very uncomfortable.................... 4 THANK AND TERMINATE

NF3. Once you are online for the session you will also be required to join a telephone conference call to be connected to the discussion with the rest of the group. You will need to use a telephone line and NOT your computer audio. Will you have access to a dedicated telephone (either landline or cellular) located near your computer for the entire length of the focus group? Note that you will not incur long-distance charges.

Yes ............................................. 1

No.............................................. 2 THANK AND TERMINATE

INSTRUCTIONS FOR NF1-NF3 THANK & TERMINATE: Based on your responses, we are unable to invite you to take part in this online focus group, as you do not meet the technical requirements. We thank you for your interest in this research.

SECTION R: Previous Focus Group Experience Questions

I just have a few more questions…

R1. Have you ever attended a group discussion or interview for which you received a sum of money?

Yes............................................. 1 CONTINUE – Max of 5 recruits per group

No ............................................. 2 Go To SECTION I: Invitation

R2. When was the last time you attended a group discussion or interview? _____________

R3. How many groups or interviews have you attended in the past 5 years? ____________ MAX 4

R4. What was the subject(s) of the focus group(s) or interview? __________________________

THANK AND TERMINATE IF THEY HAVE…

- been to 5 or more groups in the past 5 years (max 4 groups/interviews attended)

- attended a focus group in the past six months.

- ever attended a group discussion on advertising

SECTION I: Invitation

Based on your responses so far, we would like to invite you to participate in a small group discussion that will be conducted simultaneously over the telephone and online at <INSERT TIME> on <INSERT DATE>. The session will bring together 7 to 9 people and it will last about two hours. The discussion will be about communications material being considered and you will receive $100 in appreciation for your time. To take part, you would simply log on to a secure website from your computer and at the same time join in a group discussion on the phone via conference call.

1. Are you available and interested in taking part in this focus group?

Yes............................................. 1

No ............................................. 2 THANK AND TERMINATE

2. The discussion in which you will be participating will be audio recorded for research purposes only. Be assured that your comments and responses are strictly confidential and that your name will not be included in the research report. Are you comfortable with the discussion being audio recorded?

Yes............................................. 1

No ............................................. 2 THANK AND TERMINATE

3. There may also be employees from the Government of Canada, who will be listening in on the discussion. They will not be given the last names of participants. Are you comfortable with having observers?

Yes............................................. 1

No ............................................. 2 THANK AND TERMINATE

4. The group discussion will be held [GROUPS 1, 3, 6, 8, 9-15, 17-25: in English] [GROUPS 2, 4, 5, 7, 16: in French]. Participants may also be asked to read text, write responses and/or review images during the session. Are you able to take part in these activities [GROUPS 1, 3, 6, 8, 9-15, 17-25: in English] [GROUPS 2, 4, 5, 7, 16: in French] on your own, without assistance?

Yes............................................. 1

No.............................................. 2 THANK AND TERMINATE

DK/NR........................................ 8 THANK AND TERMINATE

Could we please confirm the email address where we can send you the detailed conference call instructions for logging in to the group?

Record email address (and verify): ________________________________________________.

We will send you the instructions by email at least 1 day in advance of the group. The group discussion will begin promptly at <TIME> and will end at <TIME>, lasting up to 2 hours. Please log in on time to ensure that the session is not delayed. If you arrive late, we will not be able to include you in the discussion, and will not provide you with the incentive.

As mentioned, we will be pleased to provide everyone who participates with $100, provided by e-Transfer or cheque, as you’d prefer. It takes approximately 3 business days to receive an incentive by e-Transfer or approximately 2-3 weeks following your participation to receive an incentive by cheque.

Would you prefer to receive your incentive by e-Transfer or cheque?

e-Transfer................................... 1

Cheque....................................... 2

IF PREFER TO RECEIVE INCENTIVE BY E-TRANSFER:

Could you please confirm the e-mail address where you would like the e-transfer sent after the focus groups?

Email address:________________________________________________________________

And please confirm the spelling of your name: _______________________________________

The e-transfer password will be provided to you via email following the group.

IF PREFER TO RECEIVE INCENTIVE BY CHEQUE:

Could I have the mailing address where you would like the cheque mailed after the focus groups?

Mailing address:_______________________________________________________________

City: ________________________________________________________________________

Province: ____________________________________Postal Code: _____________________

And please confirm the spelling of your name: _______________________________________

ALL:

As these are very small groups and with even one person missing, the overall success of the group may be affected, I would ask that once you have decided to attend that you make every effort to do so. If you are unable to take part in the study, please call_____ (collect) at ________as soon as possible so a replacement may be found. Please do not arrange for your own replacement.

So that we can call you to remind you about the focus group or contact you should there be any changes, can you please confirm your name and contact information for me? [CONFIRM INFORMATION ALREADY COLLECTED AND CHANGE/COMPLETE AS NECESSARY]

First Name: ____________________________________________

Last Name: ____________________________________________

Email: ________________________________________________

Cell Phone: ____________________________________________

Home Phone: __________________________________________

Work Phone: ___________________________________________

If the respondent refuses to give his/her first or last name or phone number please assure them that this information will be kept strictly confidential in accordance with the privacy law and that it is used strictly to contact them to confirm their attendance and to inform them of any changes to the focus group. If they still refuse THANK & TERMINATE.

Thank you for your interest in our study. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions!

Attention Recruiters

1. Recruit 9 per group

2. CHECK QUOTAS

3. Ensure participant has a good speaking (overall responses) ability-If in doubt, DO NOT INVITE

4. Do not put names on profile sheet unless you have a firm commitment.

5. Repeat the date, time and verify email before hanging up.

Confirming – DAY BEFORE GROUP

1. Confirm in person with the participant the day prior to the group– do not leave a message unless necessary

2. Confirm all key qualifying questions

3. Confirm date and time

4. Confirm they have received the login instructions and completed the diagnostic test

Appendix B: Moderator’s Guide

PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS CANADA

HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TESTING

Study Goals (Confidential – Not read to participants)

· Evaluate three ideas for a public awareness campaign (each including one video animatic and a sample print ad) to determine if the content is:

o clearly understood;

o credible;

o relevant and of value;

o appealing and attention-grabbing;

o memorable; and

o able to motivate to take intended action(s).

· Determine which concept is best at raising the public’s awareness about the issue of human trafficking.

· Assess the perceived impact of ten related messages.

· Determine best terminology to speak of various types of human trafficking.

Introduction 10 minutes

· [SLIDE 1] Welcome: Introduce Narrative Research as an independent marketing research company; introduce self and function of a moderator

· Topic & Sponsor: Today I’d like to explore your thoughts on communication materials that is currently being considered by the Government of Canada to increase public awareness about the issue of human trafficking.

· Length: Discussion will last about an hour and forty-five minutes.

· Explain process: Netfocus group (discussion by phone; ads shown on the computer screen); all opinions are important; no right/wrong answers; need to understand agreement/disagreement; talk one at a time (identify yourself by first name before you speak)

· Logistics: Session recording; government employees as observers

· Confidentiality: Individual comments are confidential/anonymous; no names in report; voluntary participation; ask participants to keep content of discussion in confidence

· [SLIDE 2] Participant Introduction: In which city or community you live; who lives in your home; and your favourite hobby

General Discussion 5 minutes

[SLIDE 3] The materials we will look at today relate to human trafficking. Before we look at it, I would to know…

· Have you heard the term human trafficking before?

· What do you think it means?

· Have you heard or seen anything about it in the news or any advertisements?

o If so, what did you hear/see?

o Where did you see/hear that?

· How serious of an issue is this in your community? IF SERIOUS: How do you feel about it?

Creative Testing 60 minutes (20 minutes per concept)

[SLIDE 4] As I mentioned, today we will look at ideas for an awareness campaign that is being considered by the Government of Canada. A campaign is a family of ads and other communications materials that share the same theme. We will look at three different campaigns, with each one including a mock-up for a video that could be seen on TV or online and a print ad.

As we look at each campaign, keep in mind these are just ideas at this point and the material you will see is not final. You’ll have to use your imagination a little to envision what it would look like in its final form. For example, for the video, I will show you an animated version that uses a series of still images with basic animation and a narrator’s voice providing the storyline and messaging you would hear once the video is finalized and professionally produced. The animation style in the video is simply to show the story, not the style intended to be used for the final production. So, you will have to use your imagination to envision the final video once produced, which would include real people in action and filmed in real settings. The final video would also feature professional actors and narrators.

Given that what I’m showing you are in the draft form only, please focus on what the campaign is saying and the manner in which the message is communicated, rather than the quality of the design (colours, tone of voices, etc.). For now, I’m mostly interested in your views on the ideas underlying each concept.

[SLIDES 5 TO 16] We will look at and discuss each campaign one at a time. Hold your thoughts as I show you the concepts. Once I am done, I will ask for your individual opinion before we discuss the campaign as a group. MODERATOR PRESENTS EACH CONCEPT ONE AT A TIME – PLAY VIDEO TWICE - ROTATE ORDER OF CONCEPTS ACROSS GROUPS

CAMPAIGN A – Hard to See

CAMPAIGN B – Changed

CAMPAIGN C – Uncontained

Rotation Schedule – Campaign Presentation Order
Audience	Youth Male	Youth Female	Young Adults Male	Young Adults Female	Parents
Atlantic (EN)	A-B-C	A-C-B	B-A-C	C-B-A	B-C-A
Ontario (EN)	B-C-A	A-B-C	A-C-B	B-A-C	C-B-A
Prairies (EN)	C-B-A	B-C-A	A-B-C	A-C-B	B-A-C
West (EN)	B-A-C	C-B-A	B-C-A	A-B-C	A-C-B
Quebec (FR)	A-C-B	B-A-C	C-B-A	B-C-A	A-B-C

AFTER THE PRESENTATION OF THE CONCEPT: Before we talk about this idea, I’d like you to complete an individual exercise. Take a moment to answer the questions you see on the screen. Keep in mind, I can see your responses, but other participants will not; and I will not ask you to share your responses with others.

Indicate on a 1-10 scale the extent to which the statement aligns with what you think (where 1 means “not at all” and 10 means “absolutely”):

[POLL 1A-C – ATTENTION] This ad grabs my attention
[POLL 2A-C - CLARITY] It’s clear to me what this ad is trying to communicate
[POLL 3A-C - MEMORABILITY] I would remember this ad
[POLL 4A-C – CREDIBILITY] I believe what this ad is saying
[POLL 5A-C – ACTION] I am interested in looking for more information about human trafficking after seeing this ad

AFTER THE EXERCISE: Now let’s talk about this idea together…

Overall Reactions:

· In a word or two, what are your overall impressions of the campaign?

· What, if anything, grabs your attention? Why?

Intent/Message/Credibility:

· What is this campaign trying to communicate?

o What does it suggest about human trafficking?

· How does the campaign make you feel in general?

o And how does it make you feel about human trafficking after seeing this?

o Are the ads too intense or scary?

· Is anything surprising? Have you learned anything?

o Is this what you already thought about human trafficking?

o How, if at all, does it change your perceptions? PROBE FOR IF NOT MENTIONED: who is at risk; what constitutes human trafficking; signs; help available; reporting of incidents

· Do you believe what it says? Why/why not?

Clarity/Appropriateness:

· Is anything unclear, confusing or problematic?

· What do you think of the imagery, the settings and situations shown?

Relevance/Appeal:

· Who is this speaking to: you, or someone different?

o IF THEM: How so?

o IF NOT THEM: Why not you?

Intended Call-to-Action/Memorability:

· What, if anything, would you do after seeing these? What is it asking people to do?

· Would you remember this campaign? If so, what parts? What makes it memorable?

· Would this encourage you to start conversations about human trafficking with people you know? If no, why not?

o Would it prompt you to seek help if you or someone you know was in that situation?

· What would make this idea stronger?

Now let’s have a look at the next idea. REPEAT THE EXERCISE AND QUESTIONS FOR THE OTHER CONCEPTS

Final Choice 10 minutes

[SLIDES 17-18] Now that we’ve seen all three ideas, I’d like to know which one you think would be the best at raising the public’s awareness about human trafficking. Take a few minutes to answer the question individually:

[POLL 6] Which campaign is best at increasing people’s awareness and knowledge of the issue of human trafficking?

· Which concept did you choose? Why that one?

Additional Messaging 10 minutes

[SLIDES 19-20] I’d like to show you ten statements about human trafficking. Take a couple of minutes to read through them on your own. SHOW STATEMENTS ON THE SCREEN:

Human trafficking is not a foreign crime – it is happening in communities across Canada.
Human trafficking is not the same as human smuggling.
Human trafficking targets the vulnerable and Canadian women and children are most at risk.
96% of victims are female and 70% of victims are under 25 years old.
Almost 30% of perpetrators are a current or former intimate partner.
The warning signs of human trafficking are often disguised. Know what to look for and where to get help.
Together we can stop human trafficking.
You can contribute to stopping human trafficking by becoming informed, watching for signs, sharing information and talking to your kids.
If you or someone you know may be in danger of human trafficking, call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010.
There are resources available to help you manage and report instances of human trafficking.

· Which, if any, are most impactful for you (which ones stand out)? Why?

· Do any of the statements miss the mark completely? If so, which ones and why?

Terminology 5 minutes

[SLIDES 21-25] There are many forms of human trafficking and it could include the trafficking of people, abusive or controlling households, sexual exploitation, or the traffic of organs, for example. I’d like to know if the term human trafficking is best to speak of each type of abuse or if there is term that would better identify each situation.

· Thinking about by the trafficking of people... should it be called “modern slavery” or “human trafficking”? Why?

· Thinking about the exploitation or control of someone in a private household (say a nanny for example) … should it be referred to as “domestic servitude” or “labour trafficking”? Why?

· How about sexual exploitation… is it is best to call it “sex slavery” or “human trafficking”?

· And for the traffic of organ… should it be called “organ harvesting” or “human trafficking”? Why?

· Do you have concerns about any of those terms? Why?

Human Trafficking 5 minutes

[SLIDE 26] A few questions before we finish-up…

· Now that you know a bit more about human trafficking, do you think this is something that could happen to you or people you know? Why/why not?

· If you were interested in learning more about human trafficking, how would you go about doing that?

o IF NOT MENTIONED: Would you look at a government website?

· Apart from an advertisement campaign, what could the government do to make people more aware of the issue of human trafficking?

o Who should be their target audiences?

o What would be the best way to reach those people?

Thanks & Closure: