NEW YORK, USA — Healthcare network Northwell Healt premiered its latest awareness campaign nationally, focusing on gun violence prevention. The Movement Company, StrawberryFrog, developed a TV spot titled “Ferocious Tiger” for the campaign shown in New York.
The campaign centered upon a simple idea: guns are now the leading cause of death for kids, and asking about unlocked guns in the home could help save lives. Northwell understands that asking may be difficult or awkward, but it emphasized that breaking the taboo of talking about access to unlocked guns is the first step toward gun safety. Northwell believes it’s time to carve out a healthcare lane for this issue because it truly doesn’t kill to ask.
For more than 60 years, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of injury-related death among young people. But firearms have taken their place, as “in 2020, firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death… among children and adolescents.”
Some of the greatest creative efforts have been directed at gun violence, but little has changed. We may all be appalled, shocked, or moved by gun violence prevention campaigns, but we haven’t been motivated to act or know where to begin.
So, Northwell set out to fuel action by speaking to consumers in a new way that doesn’t skew political, preachy, or judgmental. Thousands of hospitals, health systems, and hospital associations have joined this movement encouraging families to do one simple thing: ask about gun access and safety measures. The key goal is to reduce risk, putting the danger of unlocked guns front and center, while stressing the importance of asking friends, family, and neighbors about gun access.
In addition to the 30-second TV spot, Northwell’s gun violence prevention campaign includes integrated content such as OOH, radio, digital display, and social media. The launch film was created by StrawberryFrog and directed by Steve Mapp of FANCY Content.
“You won’t forget this. The challenge is massive. Most people think gun violence involves the typical 18-year-old shooter, when in fact many times its children in the home finding unlocked guns,” said Scott Goodson, CEO of StrawberryFrog. “We needed a creative approach that let millions of American parents ask other parents whether they lock up their guns. That’s not an easy conversation to have. Our partnership with Northwell led to this bold campaign with a completely new POV on gun access and safety.”
“Much like you ask the parent of your child’s friend about food allergies, or if there is a pool, you should also ask if there is a gun in the home,” said Michael Dowling, the president and CEO of Northwell Health. “Health systems, including Northwell Health, understand that gun violence is a public health crisis and one way we can all contribute to curbing the crisis is prevention. It starts by asking the question.”
“We know that a lot of work has been done in the past for gun violence prevention and firearm deaths have only increased. So we wanted to stay away from tear-jerking interviews with families, scare tactics
and horrifying statistics — we want to reframe gun violence as a public health epidemic that affects all of us,” said Ramon Soto, SVP and chief marketing and communications officer at Northwell Health.
CREDITS:
STRAWBERRYFROG
Scott Goodson, Founder, CEO, StrawberryFrog
Tyler Deangelo, Chief Creative Officer, StrawberryFrog
James Rogala, Group Creative Director, StrawberryFrog
Amy Nicholson, Creative Director, StrawberryFrog
Mandy Hoveyda, Creative Director, StrawberryFrog
Brooks Hess, Associate Creative Director, StrawberryFrog
Courtney Harris, Associate Creative Director, StrawberryFrog
Stephen Girasuolo, Associate Creative Director, StrawberryFrog
Linda Rafoss, Producer, StrawberryFrog
Venessa Merrin, BA Director, StrawberryFrog
Ali Demos, Group Strategy Director, StrawberryFrog
Dan Langlitz, Managing Director, StrawberryFrog
Ellen Obletz, Account Director, StrawberryFrog
Isabella Novack, Account Executive, StrawberryFrog
Jillian Abbott, Group Project Director, StrawberryFrog
Madisen Anderson, Project Manager, StrawberryFrog
PRODUCTION
Robert Wherry, Executive Producer, FANCY Content
Serge Juric, Head of Production, FANCY Content
MAPP, Director, FANCY Content
Gina Pagano, Executive Producer, Mackcut
Mike Rizzo, Editor, Mackcut
