This AI-Powered Campaign Combats Growing Fentanyl Epidemic

BarkleyOKRP launched a new AI–powered creative campaign today, Unfinished Legacies, to combat the growing fentanyl epidemic and raise awareness of lives cut short from accidental overdoses. The campaign uses AI technology and deepfake techniques to recreate the imagine and likeness of three young individuals who mistakenly took pills laced with fentanyl – and died as a result. 

Powered by AI and approved by their families, the campaign includes three ads featuring the young individuals as spokespeople, each detailing the regrets of their decision in candid and highly emotional monologues. The families worked closely with BarkleyOKRP to share their stories and humanise the scourge of fentanyl overdoses while demonstrating how the epidemic is taking the lives of people with hopes and dreams. BarkleyOKRP created authentic representations of the deceased by superimposing their image and voice over actors with similar appearances. 

The campaign was created for the City of Kansas City and the United Way of Greater Kansas City to bring awareness to the increase in fentanyl-related deaths in the city, which have increased 1,190% in the past five years. 

“As a mom with two young children growing up in Kansas City, I could not be more invested in this work and hopeful for the impact it will have on our community,” said Katy Hornaday, chief creative officer at BarkleyOKRP. “In addition to the impact of this campaign on our city and the families involved, this was an important initiative for BarkleyOKRP, allowing us to showcase how AI can elevate creativity and impactful storytelling.” 

The campaign was introduced at a community event today by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and representatives from the Kansas City Overdose Review Board, the United Way of Greater Kansas City, families of those who died from fentanyl overdoses and other local organizations. At the event, 1,000 units of the drug overdose preventive drug, Naloxone, were handed out to provide community members with life-saving resources.  

“Each loss to fentanyl is a tragedy that shakes our entire community,” said Mayor Lucas. “By harnessing the power of the latest in modern technology, we’re giving these young people a chance to leave a legacy and one with the power to save lives. Unfinished Legacies is not about using scare tactics – it’s about honesty, education and storytelling.”  

Research conducted by BarkleyOKRP found the target audience for this campaign was 18- to 35-year-olds who regularly listen to and take advice from their peers. They do not want government agencies telling them what to do or not do. That insight led the agency to create an AI-powered campaign featuring Individuals who can share their stories peer-to-peer.  

The three Unfished Legacies stories will be released on social media and Spotify, and static versions will be launched across Kansas City’s out of home billboards. BarkleyOKRP will also be using Snapchat and other social media handles of the deceased individuals to bring a peer-to-peer message where the target audience is most likely to see them.     

“Snapchat is a particularly dangerous platform for buying drugs,” said Katy. “We hope by using this channel to tell these powerful stories, it will deter others, specifically Kansas City’s youth, from buying drugs that could be laced with fentanyl.”  

The project was titled Unfinished Legacies to recognise the many individuals who have died because of fentanyl and leave behind families, friends and lives unfinished. It includes the launch of a dedicated website to provide resources for those in need.