Best of 2019: This unexpected back-to-school ad highlights the gear kids need to survive the new year
Sandy Hook Promise is back with another blunt and harrowing PSA
Editor's Pick
On Creativity through New Year’s, we’ll be revisiting some of the brand ideas and campaigns that made 2019—and the last decade. Check back on AdAge.com on January 1 for the full lists.
Best of 2019
BBDO New York’s 2019 entry to its lineup of ads for gun safety charity Sandy Hook Promise was one of the finest. The sobering tale about the potential dangers kids in the U.S. face today was skillfully disguised as a typical saccharine back-to-school promo—until things unexpectedly take a dark turn. The ad’s success could be attributed to its powerful concept along with the exacting attention that went into every aspect of the craft, from the writing to the directing to the music.
Original Story
Back-to-school season is a stressful time for students and parents alike. There are new clothes to buy, school supplies to prepare and plenty to learn about, like math and spelling and the locations of the nearest exits.
A harrowing new spot for Sandy Hook Promise, the gun violence prevention group formed after the 2012 elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, starts off like a traditional back-to-school ad, with kids showing off their new gear, like a backpack and folders. But the reality quickly turns dark. New sneakers make for a quick escape, and fashionable socks double as a tourniquet.
The PSA lays bare the regularity—and creeping banality—of school shootings. There have been more than 22 this year, according to Sandy Hook Promise, and many kids receive training at school in the form of shooter drills. Teachers and students learn not only how to run away but how to attack with scissors or sharp pencils if cornered. A Michigan high school is being built with curved hallways and hiding places for students in the event of a shooting.
The spot from BBDO New York is directed by Henry Alex Rubin via Smuggler. It is running in print, digital, radio and out-of-home placements, and $2 million in media has been donated by brands including Omnicom Media Group, CNN, IFC, AMC, YouTube, Teads, PopSugar, Conde Nast, SnapChat, Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Fortune, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Intersection and Outdoor Media.
Previous spots in the campaign, also directed by Rubin, have also been blunt about the danger schoolchildren face. “Evan” hid warning signs in otherwise innocuous scenes, and “Tomorrow’s News” broadcast the aftermath of a shooting occurring the next day.
Credits
- Date
- Sep 18, 2019
- Client :
- Sandy Hook Promise
- Agency :
- BBDO-New York
- Production Company :
- Smuggler
- Chief Creative Officer Worldwide :
- David Lubars
- Chief Creative Officer New York :
- Greg Hahn
- SVP Senior Creative Director :
- Peter Alsante
- VP Creative Director :
- Bianca Guimaraes
- Associate Creative Director / Copywriter :
- Jim Connolly
- Associate Creative Director / Copywriter :
- Gary Toit
- Associate Creative Director / Art Director :
- Lance Vining
- Director of Integrated Production :
- David Rolfe
- VP Group Executive Producer :
- Alex Gianni
- Associate Producer :
- Molly Ross
- Music Producer :
- Julia Millison
- Business Manager :
- Grace Kelly
- SVP Senior Director :
- Lindsey Cash
- Account Manager :
- Elizabeth Jacobs
- Account Executive :
- Melissa Blache
- Planning Director :
- Ben Bass
- Brand Strategist :
- Michael Schonfeld
- VP Director of Data :
- Chris Daniele
- Production Company :
- Smuggler
- Executive Producer :
- Drew Santarsiero
- Director :
- Henry Alex Rubin
- Co-Founder :
- Patrick Milling -Smith
- Co-Founder :
- Brian Carmody
- Line Producer :
- Leah Allina
- Director of Photography :
- Autumn Durald Arkapaw
- Editorial Company :
- No6
- Managing Director :
- Corina Dennison
- Senior Producer :
- Laura Molinaro
- Editor :
- Jason Macdonald
- Assistant Editor :
- Renn Cheale
- Telecine Company :
- Company 3
- Telecine Artist :
- Tim Masick
- Producer :
- Alexandra Lubrano
- Conform/VFX/Finish Company :
- No6
- Conform Artist :
- Ed Skupeen
- Flame Assist :
- Mark Reyes
- Graphic Design Company :
- No6
- Producer :
- Laura Molinaro
- GFX :
- David Gerber
- Music Company :
- JSM Music
- CEO/CCO :
- Joel Simon
- Executive Producer :
- Jeff Fiorello
- Composer :
- Jason Krebs
- Composer :
- Joel Simon
- Producer :
- Norm Felker
- Producer :
- Andrew Manning
- Sound Designer :
- Nathan Kil
- Mix & Record Company :
- Heard City
- Engineer :
- Jeremy Siegel
- Engineer :
- Keith Reynaud
- Engineer :
- Evan Mangiamele
- Engineer :
- Elizabeth McClanahan
- Managing Partner :
- Gloria Pitagosky
- Executive Producer :
- Jackie James
- Executive Producer :
- Sasha Awn
- Producer :
- Andi Lewis
- Sound Designer :
- Evan Mangiamele
- Sound Designer :
- Jeremy Siegel
- Sound Designer :
- Keith Reynaud
- Assistant Audio Engineer :
- Tom Morris
- Assistant Audio Engineer :
- Seth Brogdon
- Assistant Audio Engineer :
- Evan Anderson
- Assistant Audio Engineer :
- Ronnie Stapleton
- Casting Company :
- Doreen Frumkin
- VO Talent :
- Lawton Paseka
- Media Agency :
- PHD Media
- Client Business Lead :
- Bob Estrada
- Associate Strategy Director :
- Nichole Verost
- Digital Performance Director :
- Gretchen Smith
- Strategy Supervisor :
- Alison Horowitz
- Associate Director Social Media :
- Caren Axelrod
- President Video Investment :
- Harry Keeshan
- Managing Director Integrated Investment :
- Seth Glosman
- Director Video Investment :
- Paul Salman
- Associate Director Published Media :
- Amy Turner
- Supervisor Published Media :
- Amanda Knoll
- US Director Local Investment :
- Grace Collins
- Group Director Local Investment :
- Jeanne Boland
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