Guns in the home offer no second chances in Ad Council's gamer-themed 'family fire' spots

The blunt campaign addresses the rise in gun suicides during the pandemic

Published On
Sep 16, 2020

Editor's Pick

Modern video games are an exercise in patience and muscle memory. Make a mistake and characters die, but all it takes is a simple reload to keep the story moving. Even old school games offered up three lives to players (sans the Konami code).

But in real life, there are no second chances, a point driven home with terrifying veracity in a new spot from gun safety group Brady and the Ad Council. A “player” runs through a game location that looks a lot like an ordinary suburban home. The map display tracks his locations as he searches for something, urged on by a teammate on voice chat.

Like many first-person shooters, his goal is a weapon, but the gun he’s looking for isn’t in the bedroom drawer where he left it. Realization dawning on him, he rushes to his son’s locked door.

Brady bullets

The spot by McKinney continues the “End Family Fire” campaign, known for its blunt portrayal of the dangers of having firearms in the home. During the pandemic, suicides are rising, as is the number of first-time gun owners—a combination that is having deadly consequences.

The campaign also includes print and out-of-home placements and radio spots (including the one below) that feature interviews with people who have lost loved ones to gun suicide.

 

Credits

Date
Sep 16, 2020
Client :
Ad Council
Agency :
McKinney
Chief Creative Officer :
Jonathan Cude
Group Creative Director :
Alex Shulhafer
Group Creative Director :
Jenny Nicholson
ACD/Art Director :
Tyler Wriston
ACD/Copywriter :
Robert George
Art Director :
Jade Song
Copywriter :
Chase Condrone
Account Supervisor :
Melanie Wallace
Account Manager :
Jaclyn Campbell
Project Manager :
Elide Marks
Group Strategy Director :
CJ Franzitta
Director Data Strategy :
Brian LoPiccolo
Data Strategist :
Brianna Calderon-Roman
Executive Broadcast Producer :
Naomi Newman
Associate Broadcast Producer :
Taylor Osborne
Print Producer :
Carolyn Petty
Integrated Producer :
Kara O’Halloran
Digital Producer :
Maggie Baker
Developer :
Will Knowles
Digital Generalist :
Alec Kunkel
Production :
Zoic Studios
Director :
Chris Jones
Creative Director :
Julien Brami
Executive Producer :
Jason Cohon
Senior Producer :
Sabrina Harrison
Associate Producer :
Ivan Barahona
CG Supervisor :
Christina Murguia
Compositing Supervisor :
Andrew Bardusk
Lead Animator :
Dave Funston
Previs :
Delano Athias
Layout Artist :
Laura Cosner
Model/Texture :
Shamus McGlynn
Model/Texture :
Renato Eiras
Senior Lighter :
Bill Spradlin
Lighter :
Pascal Polic
Lighter :
Peter Scott
Production :
Trailblazer Studios
Senior Engineer Sound Designer-Director of Audio Post :
Willie Elias
Production :
Antonio De Lucci Studio
Photography :
Antonio De Lucci

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