We all know the moments. You’re in a pub, at a barbecue, or sitting around with friends, and someone cracks a sexist joke. It lands awkwardly. You feel the discomfort, but you also feel the weight of the silence.

Do you speak up? Do you let it slide?

This is where Ogilvy’s  campaign, commissioned by the Mayor of London, offers something refreshingly simple: “Maaate.”

Instead of launching into a lecture or sparking confrontation, “Maaate” is a stretched-out version of “mate” — casual, familiar, and disarming. It’s a way to signal: that’s not cool. It doesn’t shame, but it does interrupt. It’s a nudge, a pause, a reminder that words matter.

Research behind the campaign found that many men want to challenge sexist behaviour but don’t know how. “Maaate” lowers the barrier. It’s easy to say, it fits naturally into conversation, and it carries the weight of peer approval rather than moralising.

Sexist jokes may seem harmless, but they plant seeds. They normalise attitudes that, left unchecked, can grow into something far more damaging. By intervening early — even with something as small as “Maaate” — we shift the culture. We show that respect is the baseline, not the exception.

The campaign cleverly uses comedy, influencers, and interactive films to embed “Maaate” into everyday slang. Imagine scrolling TikTok and seeing Romesh Ranganathan drop a “Maaate” in response to a dodgy gag. Or practising in an interactive film where you choose how to respond when a conversation takes a turn. It’s about making intervention feel normal, even expected.

What I love about “Maaate” is that it’s not about being perfect or heroic. It’s about being present. It’s about reminding our friends — gently, firmly — that respect matters.

So next time you hear that joke, that comment, that throwaway line, try it. Stretch the word out. Say it with warmth, but say it with conviction:

It might just change the conversation. And changing conversations is how we change culture. Apparently, Ogilvy has had marvellous success with this...

- Omar