Some Masks Remain - Anais Association | Clapboard Ad Archive

Some Masks Remain, created in 2022 for the Anais Association by Cheil Centrade, confronts the persistent crisis of domestic violence in Romania by contrasting it with the simultaneous lifting of COVID-19 mask mandates following International Women’s Day. This public interest campaign uses a powerful metaphor, central to Clapboard’s FORMAT#3—Symbolize the Problem, where the masks that remain on women’s faces are not viral protection but the silencing and control imposed by abusive partners or the self-imposed concealment born of fear and despair. The campaign’s film draws on real testimonies from women supported by Anais Association, revealing the multifaceted nature of abuse beyond physical violence to include psychological, economic, cyber, social, sexual, and spiritual oppression. By presenting these narratives through a vertical storytelling format, the work humanizes the invisible pandemic of domestic violence that continues to trap hundreds of thousands of Romanian women even as the nation celebrates the easing of pandemic restrictions. The symbolism of the palm covering the nose and mouth—whether the aggressor’s hand or the victim’s own—evokes the emotional and social barriers that prevent victims from speaking out and seeking help. Rather than resorting to explicit depictions or celebrity endorsements, the campaign employs stark, visceral imagery that compels public empathy and awareness, positioning Anais Association as an essential provider of legal and counseling resources critical to breaking the cycle of abuse. This campaign earns 73/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. Some Masks Remain matters to the industry because it demonstrates how public service advertising can harness timely social moments and symbolic storytelling to expose hidden societal crises and mobilize support without resorting to sensationalism or oversimplification.