Mass shootings are America’s worst pandemic. Since 2015, over 20,000 people have been shot and wounded or killed in a mass shooting. In 2023 alone, over 700 people were killed, with over 2,400 wounded. Both the number of mass shooting incidents and the number of people shot in them increased since 2015, reaching a high of 695 mass shooting incidents in 2022. In 2023 the country just barely minimized the number, with 604 mass shootings taking place. 

Change the Ref’s goal is to promote better gun safety laws in the U.S., using provocative advertising techniques. As the U.S. is facing a critical election year, the brand wanted to leverage the heightened public awareness around U.S. politics to call out some of the most well-known offenders who oppose proper gun safety measures, possibly contributing to the heartbreaking outcomes we see in the campaign. The campaign targeted traditionally conservatives states will higher gun violence rates. 

We gathered published images of politicians posing with assault rifles, holding them as if they were shooting. We then connected them with other images from the same newspaper, this time of mass shootings that took place in their district during their time in office. To take it a step further we provided a QR code that leads to a microsite where our audience can learn about these wrong candidates and pledge not to vote for them.  

We also placed the campaign on digital OOH display trucks to reach local communities in states that are leading the nation in mass shootings, targeting politicians who are well-known for their stances on reducing gun violence. Since its launch, we’ve received 29,766 pledges to not vote for the wrong candidate, while giving everyone the confidence and information to make an educated decision.