Sandy Hook Promise, an organisation dedicated to preventing gun violence, has created an incredibly powerful new campaign with BBDO New York and Smuggler.
The campaign video uses pop song ‘Teenage Dream’ by Katy Perry to deeply raw effect, featuring survivors of school shootings reading the lyrics.
The campaign depicts how young people are robbed by gun violence in America, and is part of Sandy Hook Promise’s ‘Know The Signs’ campaign.
‘Know The Signs’ is a guide by the organisation which teaches people about spotting signs that someone may be at risk of hurting either themselves, or others.
Speaking to Muse, Peter Alsante, executive creative director at BBDO New York said, “we thought there was strength in drawing the comparison between the way we all think about the typical high school experience—and the experience shared by school shooting survivors.”
“We wanted everyone who participated to feel 100 percent comfortable with what we were doing and feel no pressure whatsoever. For some we spoke with, the tragedy was still too raw,” he said.
“But others were enthusiastic to do what they could to help stop more tragedies like theirs from happening again. We focused on assembling a diverse collection of survivors to help show our audience that gun violence is a problem that affects everyone, no matter what your school may look like.”
As reported in Little Black Book, Nicole Hockley, the co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise, who lost her son Dylan in the Sandy Hook School shooting said, “this year has been the deadliest for gun violence ever recorded.”
“The combination of extreme mental and emotional challenges and greater access to guns increases the risk for school shootings and other acts of self-harm and violence. I encourage everyone to learn the warning signs and speak up to get help before it’s too late.”
Watch the frankly incredible video below, but please be aware that it may be triggering for some viewers.
The survivors who feature in the video include:
Nolan Brandy, shot in the kidney, San Bernardino, California, 2017;
Isabelle Laymance, two friends were killed next to her as they huddled in a closet, Santa Fe, Texas, 2018;
Carlitos Rodriguez, barricaded himself behind a door as 17 students were killed, Parkland, Florida, 2018;
Aalayah Eastmond, hid under the body of her dead friend, Parkland, Florida, 2018;
Mia Page-Tretta, shot in the stomach, Santa Clarita, California, 2019;
Emma Nees, shot through the abdomen, Rockford, Washington, 2017;
Nick Walczak, shot three times, paralyzed, Chardon, Ohio, 2012;
Samantha Fuentes, bullet fragments remain in her face and abdomen, Parkland; Florisa, 2018;
Chase Yarbrough, shot six times, a bullet remains lodged in his heart, Santa Fe, Texas, 2018;
Hannah Dysinger, the bullet that killed her best friend lodged in her rib cage, Draffenville, Kentucky, 2018;
Mitch, Annika and Alex Dworet: Alex was shot in the neck, his older brother Nick was killed, Parkland, 2018.
