We challenged how Sweden taxes women in the sex trade, treating their exploitation as a normal job. We used Swedish laws and ways of talking to get people's attention, and even imitated the governments own, well known expression and style throughout the campaign. We sparked discussions nation wide. This strategy not only drew attention but also aimed to alter public opinion and policy through the power of communication. The campaign called the government out on their bullshit. We aimed to both protect the victims and push for tax legislation changes, demonstrating Talita's commitment to societal progress.

In Sweden, prostitution and sex trafficking are viewed as the same thing. There’s laws in place that are designed to protect women caught in sex trafficking, recognizing them as victims of a crime and not as criminals. This is to help the women escape this exploited situation and to firmly establish the belief that the sex trade is a nightmare for women, far from being considered just another job. This approach is widely supported and a source of national pride, emphasizing Sweden's commitment to equality and women's rights.

The government secretly taxing the victims of sex trafficking raises questions about the true nature of protection and support provided to these women - and shakes the Swedish people's view of their government.

Talita is an NGO that helps women in escaping the sex trade. In Sweden, the law protects those exploited in sex trafficking by making it illegal to buy but legal to sell sex, treating them as victims, not criminals. However, a paradox has emerged as the Swedish government started to tax women suffering in the sex trade, treating their exploitation as if they were selling lemonade, phones or consultant services. This not only trivializes their suffering but makes their trauma worse by treating their forced situation as a normal job. It ignores the truth of their exploitation, making them more stuck in a system that doesn't care how bad they are hurting.

The brief was to come up with a creative idea based on Talitas work to help women in prostitution. We wanted to show how ridiculous it is to think of sex trafficking as a profession, and to

We wanted to show how ridiculous it is to think of sex trafficking as a profession. So, we flipped the script and used the governments own style and rhetoric against them - creating Trafficking Incorporated. By mixing the language of running a business with the real life situations of the exploited women, we created a contrast that was impossible to ignore. We showed the rough and uncensored truth, just as it feels like by those who suffer in the sex trade. This message hit hard and turned the public activists.

All units in the campaign led to a campaign website (talita.se/skatt) where visitors were encouraged to file for change with a message to the government to influence the current tax legislation.

Cultural insight

Sweden prides itself on being a leader in human and women's rights. Our strong stance against sex trafficking and exploitation of women is a strong part of our national identity. We decided to make use of this slightly complacent self-perception as a tool to provoke and challenge people’s view of their own government.

Distribution strategy

The campaign kicked off with select creative assets on organic social media, complemented by strategic placements in Out of Home (OOH) and print. This initial push garnered attention, laying the groundwork for our sustained PR efforts concentrating on debate articles and news media outlets.

Transforming public attention into political activists

To drive political change turning public awareness and engagement into concrete political pressure was crucial. Therefore, we made sure to direct all attention towards a simple call-to-action, directly targeting the key decision-makers for this legislation: the Ministry of Finance.

The first phase of the campaign consisted of traditional media placements, leading to a website (talita.se/skatt) where visitors were encouraged to file for change with a message to the government to influence the current tax legislation. The goal was to educate the public in the current problem, and to put pressure on the government to revise the tax laws. The second phase consisted of a large push towards news media. This lead to the campaign being picked up by all of the major news paper and spurred a series of debate articles regarding the current taxation laws. Most importantly, it reached Swedish politics, leading to a multitude of debates in the Swedish Parliament. Politician from all sides came together and thanked Talita for highlighting the apparent discrepancies in the current tax laws. As for now, the parliament is revising the legislation and will notify their decision in the near future.

The campaign immediately fired a national debate, echoing through every major national media outlet. Politicians, tax experts, and the public alike rallied around our initiative, uniting in a wave of support and voicing strong criticism against the taxation of sex trafficking victims. Within the first 24 hours following the campaign's launch, thousands of Swedes, mobilized through our campaign site, had already emailed the Ministry of Finance, pressing the minister to revisit the legislation.

Relying only donated and earned media, the campaign was observed by an impressive 43% of all Swedes, of which 75% joined our side in the fight to change how the government treats sex trafficking victims.

With voices being raised around the country, directly challenging the politicians in charge, it eventually became completely impossible for the Swedish government to ignore the issue. On December 1st, the finance minister publicly addressed our campaign during a parliamentary debate. This finally led to a decision to review the legislation that permits the taxation of sex trafficking victims, a significant victory for our cause.

We adopted the official tone of the Swedish government's business discourse for our campaign, distinctly contrasting it with the harsh realities faced by women in Sweden's sex trade. This grabbed people's attention. We told the awful stories of what these women go through, showing the ugly truth of sex trafficking in Sweden. This way, we made it clear just how terrible their situation is, and pointing out the government as the only ones that can make it right.