City Of Los Angeles
Gun violence has been on the rise in America for years. To help combat the issue locally in Los Angeles, we partnered with the mayor’s office and the youth council to raise awareness. Despite an extremely limited budget, we partnered with students to develop a head turning campaign touting shooting insurance complete with a live 1-800 order number.
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An Uncomfortable Reality
We kicked off the process by having a student-led summit to lay the foundation and understand what LA youth were experiencing. Over the next few months we worked closely with the Youth Council to develop an OOH and digitally focused campaign. We kicked off with bold & striking bus shelters promoting shooting insurance. Some people were shocked, confused, and even offended. The ads promoted a service that seemed too bleak to be real, yet somehow real enough to believe.
The Turn
The body copy told a different story. The ads encouraged Angelenos to take action. We drove viewers to our website and social channels. Those who called the number for more information were met with statistics around gun violence and an opportunity to leave a voicemail detailing their own personal experiences.
Going Beyond Print
True to the usual insurance ad format, the posters drove to a dedicated number where callers were greeted by audio to choose the insurance type they’re looking for. Similar to other campaign assets, the audio took a turn at the end to remind callers that this is the reality we’re trying to avoid. Callers were then invited to share their own experience with gun violence. With their permission, some of the stories were also shared on social.
A Student Perspective
Although the campaign focused on the broader issues, it was important to remember some of the voices behind the youth council . We featured a handful of students through stills and short-form videos for social and the website.
LouderThanGuns.org
As viewers made their way to the website, they were taken on an abbreviated journey that ultimately drove to action. Louder Than Guns become a rallying cry and resource hub for Angelenos. The website made it easy to get involved, stay informed, and take action.
Partnership Across All Levels
On National Gun Violence Awareness Day, the insurance ads were replaced with a youth-led call to action. Overall, with the help of our national partners and the LA mayor’s office, we were able to take a small initiative and develop it across multiple touch points. In the process, we helped get national attention to a critical issue.
