It’s a simple thing, yet relatively few parents actually do it—ask other parents about access to unlocked guns in their home when they send their kids over to play.

Northwell Health, which has been working to reframe gun violence deaths as a public health crisis, did some research on the topic. It found that fewer than one-third of parents have asked the question; 90% would want to know if there were an unlocked gun where their kid was about to visit; and 97% would be fine answering the question if another parent asked them.

This led to a campaign, themed “It Doesn’t Kill to Ask,” as a way of educating caregivers about how they can help prevent this particular threat of gun violence. The campaign won silver for Purpose-Led Campaign of the Year among providers and insurers in the Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards 2023.

The work included the 30-second spot below, which reframes the question of gun access in a lighthearted way—rather than focusing on shock or sadness.

Other assets included colorful print ads with snappy headlines.

Northwell also assembled a tool kit of creative assets that 176 partner systems could adapt in a turnkey way for use in their own markets, with their own branding.

Northwell said those exposed to the campaign are 2 1/2 times more likely to ask about an unlocked gun. Northwell said the campaign also helped establish its purpose-driven leadership and achieved double-digit percentage gains for consumer perception of its brand leadership.