Live Moment of Silence
Sandy Hook Promise
Issue 47 | June 2018
Agency
BBDO New York
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer David Lubars (BBDO Worldwide) Chief Creative Officer Greg Hahn (BBDO New York) Executive Creative Director Tom Markham Creative Director Peter Alsante Digital Creative Director Damjan Pita Associate Creative Director Bianca Guimaraes
Production Team
Junior Communications Planner Michael Schonfeld Account Team Lindsey Cash, Cailin Gibbons
Date
December 2017
Background
Sandy Hook Promise is an organisation started by some of the parents of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. They believe gun violence is preventable when you know the signs of someone who might become a violent offender. They wanted to use the attention surrounding their fifth-year anniversary to raise money to fund their gun violence prevention programmes. But normal Facebook posts were proving to be ineffective.
Idea
Holding a ‘moment of silence’ is an existing behaviour used to honour victims of gun violence as well as other tragedies. And with the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting getting closer, people would naturally want to share their own ‘moments of silence’ to reflect.
The Live Moment of Silence was a way of re-thinking how Facebook posts could be used by brands, by tapping into the emerging behaviour of ‘going live’ on Facebook. It turned the traditional moment of silence into a powerful tool to help prevent gun violence. The use of the Facebook Live ‘donate’ button allowed people to share their moment of silence while raising money to prevent future shootings.
Results
Celebrities joined and streamed their own Live Moment of Silence, as did classes and schools around the country. The Live Moments of Silence earned over 65 million impressions and helped surpass the fundraising goal of $1 million. All with a budget of $0.
Our Thoughts
I’ve written on pages 50-51 about how similar ideas emerge at the same time. What I like most about this idea is that getting people to give their time raised of money. Work that works, that’s what a lot really excites us at Directory because it’s harder than it looks to get people to donate money.
The insight here, I think, is not just that people like to be seen to be giving but, in the context of the other school shootings of recent times, they want to share their grief.
A quick search online throws up plenty of evidence to show that the money raised is being put to good use through education, guides and suicide watch programmes.
This is money raised and used to positive effect. America is never going to outlaw gun ownership but its citizens can learn to watch out for those who feel pushed to the margins.