White Ribbon begins Max Hate campaign
By Rob Bale
Advocacy organization White Ribbon has begun a new advertising campaign called “My Friend, Max Hate.” Developed by Bensimon Byrne, the campaign is intended to raise awareness of online influencers “targeting young boys with anti-feminist and misogynistic messages,” according to the organization. The campaign is aimed primarily at parents and makes use of a fictional influencer character called Max Hate. It includes a video ad, a TikTok account and a website at <http://www.myfriendmaxhate.ca>. Public relations are being handled by Narrative XPR.
“It’s alarming to see the growing impact of the manosphere and how they are conditioning vulnerable populations such as teens, particularly young men,” said Humberto Carolo, CEO of White Ribbon. “These misogynistic online groups have existed for years, but their influence has grown under controversial figures, driving an increase in gender-based violence. With the ‘My Friend, Max Hate’ campaign, our goal is to expose the damaging influence of misogynistic figures and raise awareness, particularly among young men who are often drawn into these toxic online communities.”