Although many women face domestic violence, it is something that often occurs behind closed doors. Over the course of their lives, one in three women will experience intimate partner violence. And it is estimated that over 350,000 children in Canada witness abuse in their households every year.

We wanted to shine a light on the stark reality faced by many women and families in Canada and encourage a conversation around violence against women. We also wanted to increase awareness of the essential work done by Ontario's shelter system.

Many associate the holiday season with feelings of joy, but the holidays are far from happy for everyone. Research shows that domestic violence surges during the holiday season with calls to Ontario women's shelters increasing by as much as 30%.

To help illuminate the horrifying realities of violence against women, FCB partnered with the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH) and Yellow Brick House (a shelter located in York Region) to launch "The Window Project." The goal was to provide a window into what many women and families experience in Canada and raise awareness about domestic violence.

On Dec. 6 (National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women), we installed an elaborate holiday-themed window display at a downtown Toronto store.

At first glance, the scene looked like a festive display of a family sitting down for a Christmas meal. However, upon closer inspection, it transformed into one of domestic violence. Innovative animatronic technology brought the display models to life in a scene depicting the husband striking the wife and the children recoiling in fear.

Viewers were empowered to stop the violence by making a SMS donation to Ontario's shelter system. By texting a number, passers-by could immediately stop the scene for 60 seconds, prompting a message on the TV screen in the window.

The campaign also drove to a microsite – oaith.ca/thewindowproject. There, visitors could learn about the work done by Ontario's shelter system, share pre-written posts, and access resources to learn more about violence against women and support available for survivors of violence.

'The Window Project' created an immediate conversation. In just one week the campaign received over 75 million earned impressions with coverage from The New York Times, City News, and The Globe and Mail. The campaign video was viewed over 67,500 times on YouTube and 200,000 times on Facebook. Throughout the week, the campaign was mentioned over 2,500 times online, reaching over 4.5 million people on Twitter. And on Facebook, OAITH achieved its highest levels of organic reach ever.

The conversation surrounding the project was extremely positive. As a visitor to OAITH's Facebook page described it, the campaign is "necessary to open up the conversation and let victims know they are not alone."