In the fight against bullying SapientNitro and Eardrum online + digital radio initiative ‘Earphone Bully’ asks “what are you gonna do about it?”

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Screen shot 2012-05-01 at 7.28.44 PM.jpgCB Exclusive – With the current generation welded to their earphones, SapientNitro and Eardrum have created a new innovation in the fight against bullying.

Launched this week on digital radio and online, Earphone Bully uses 3D sound to put you in the shoes of a silent victim, then prompts people to speak up and do something about it.

It’s not just a question for bully victims, it’s a question for society as a whole. And the one thing people can do to force action, is to speak up and talk about a problem that has long been suffered in silence.

The website, earphonebully.org prepares kids for schoolyard bullies in a safe environment; gives people simple ways to speak up; and builds empathy in parents and bystanders. It’s also freely available for any anti-bully organisation to use.

The first organisation to use the tool is Project Rockit who have worked with over 20,000 students in schools and online.

 

Says founder, Lucy Thomas: “We’re always looking for new resources for students and I honestly think this one will have heaps of credibility. I think it will be a really awesome tool for building empathy, which is obviously at the core of motivating people to actually stand up to bullying.”

 

Earphone Bully was created by a group of Australian parents after consulting with a bullying professional about the use of roleplay workshops in schools and the potential to take this online for anyone to use.

 

It can easily be customised by anti-bully organisations from anywhere in the world to add local support details. It can also be personalised when passing onto friends, with the Earphone Bully knowing over 500 names.

 

Parents are encouraged to use it as an ice-breaker to open the dialogue about bullying with their kids and to understand what they might be going through. The Earphone Bully site explains, “You don’t really know what it’s like until you step into their shoes.”

Agency: SapientNitro Australia

Production: Eardrum

Director: Ralph van Dijk (Eardrum)

Executive Creative Directors: Nancy Hartley, James Burchill

Associate Creative Directors/Art Directors: Cristian Staal, Ralphie Barnett

Senior Copywriter: Marianne Harvey

Senior Digital Producer: Mark McCarthy

Ux/Front End Developer: Dan Treichel

Account Manager: Melissa Sealey

Agency Producer: Melissa Ashman

Back End Developer: Amber Gregory

Designer: Derek Leong

Digital Art Director: Thomas Marcusson

Audio Producer: Lisa Lepore (Eardrum)

Sound Engineer: Michael Bates

Editor: Chad Twentyman