Ben Bass

By 2019, gun violence was the leading cause of death for Americans aged 1-19. And yet – apart from the heartbreaking aftermath of individual shootings – the nation largely went on as if this tragedy was just the way things are.

Sandy Hook Promise exists to change that – to teach people how they can prevent violence in their school and community. Our job was to break through the culture war clutter and learned helplessness and focus the country on their pragmatic, lifesaving message.

So we did what any brand that provides school essentials would do: we launched our own back-to-school campaign. Striking on the profound emotional gap between the way adults – and culture at large – imagine school life and the “new normal” of lockdowns and active shooter drills, we reimagined both the back-to-school ad and the PSA for a new era and a new purpose.

The results were culture-shaking: nearly 4B impressions, 76MM views, and 4,400 media reports, shares from 11 presidential candidates, and media and cash donations equivalent to 56x of our investment. But more importantly, we drove a major increase in sign-ups from Sandy Hook Promise’s lifesaving education programs – and increase that measurably prevented youth suicides, acts of violence, and school shootings.

• 2022 Silver IPA Effectiveness Award

• 2022 Special IPA Effectiveness Award for a Small Budget Campaign

• 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Commercial

• 2020/2021 Gold Effies x5

• 2021 One Show Best in Discipline for Creative Effectiveness

• 2021 Cannes Silver Lions for Cultural Insight x2