Shots fired as States United hit home with powerful ad to prevent gun violence
By Laura Kirkpatrick on Friday, January 29, 2021
Prepare to feel unnerved as this nail-biting campaign harrows down on the importance of gun safety.
Agency Grey New York delves into an unfamiliar playground as it replaces our customary thrill towards the opening of a new package, with an overwhelming cloud of dread.
The launch of a PSA called ‘Best Unbox Ever with Cayden’ features a fictional 8-year-old boy discovering an unsecured handgun in his parent’s bedroom – talk about a monster in the closet…
Cayden enthusiastically shows it off to the camera blissfully unaware of its threat. He plays with it, loads it, tugs the slide, and toys with the trigger, just as the video toys with our emotions and anxiety levels sore through the roof.
The effective use of ‘shockvertising’ aims to highlight the statistic that there are currently 4.6 million American kids living in homes with an unlocked gun and every day, 8 kids are shot by a misused or unlocked gun.
As families are spending more time at home, this distressing campaign illustrates how ‘If it’s unlocked, it can be unboxed’, powerfully urging individuals to stop and think.
Alongside the PSA, ‘States United To Prevent Gun Violence’ has released gun storage safety guidelines for parents and vital education for kids.