The idea was simple: make as much noise as possible in a quiet part of suburbia to test when the neighbours would start complaining. The results, however, were rather disturbing.
While the neighbourhood was immediately up in arms during a vigorous drumming session, a (pre-recorded) physically violent fight between a couple, supplemented with screams, the live sound of smashing walls, crockery, broken glass and a vicious beating, elicited no reaction whatsoever.
"We had prepared ourselves for a visit from the police or private security company. But after half an hour of excruciating noise, we still had no response," says Robyn Bergman of Ogilvy Johannesburg who was group head on this job.
Violence in South Africa has reached epidemic proportions, and it is not just poor women who are abused. "The client's brief was to create awareness of the fact that violence happens everywhere, and it is rampant because we, as a community, accept it," continues Bergman. "According to POWA, the need to keep up appearances in suburbia makes the denial even more extreme."
The clip, which has generated 270 000 YouTube views in the last week can be viewed here.
