Saatchi & Saatchi and StreetDoctors Expose the Fatal Question at the Heart of Knife Crime

On the set of Saatchi & Saatchi’s latest pro bono campaign for StreetDoctors, the atmosphere was equal parts cinematic production and solemn memorial. In response to the harrowing truth that knife crime in the UK has risen by 81% over the past decade -- and, even more disturbingly, that children are increasingly searching online to find out where it might be “safe” to stab someone -- Saatchi & Saatchi’s latest pro bono project confronts that fatal misconception head-on.

At the centre of the shoot stood a haunting modular sculpture, lit by projections mapping out hundreds of fatal single-stab wounds across a human body, while interactive information about young people dying because of these sorts of injuries was projected behind them.

The project came together thanks to the agency’s creative team, Elliot Lee and Rory Peyton Jones, who had previously worked on a different knife crime campaign called ‘Life Cut Short’ some years ago.

“They kept in touch with Alison Cope, the mother of Joshua Ribera, who sadly died from a single stab wound,” says creative director Pete Ioulianou. “Alison is now a prominent anti-knife violence campaigner, and she told us that kids in her sessions were regularly asking, ‘Where is a safe place to stab?’ That insight was just so heartbreakingly tragic. From there, the idea evolved into this film.”

But it was Saatchi & Saatchi’s decision to take this project on entirely pro bono, recognising the necessity and importance of getting this message out there. For the agency’s CCO, Franki Goodwin, supporting meaningful initiatives beyond the confines of a commercial brief is vital work, and the pull to work on this project was instant.

“Resource is always a challenge in an agency, and being mindful of a team's capacity is key,” she says. “So committing to a select few pro-bono projects is just part of that puzzle. But I do believe in the wisdom ‘if you want something done, ask a busy person’ -- not because they have extra time but because they care deeply and bring focus to what really matters. Making work makes everything better. It dials up motivation, inspiration and buzz.”

“From a creative point of view, it’s an absolute privilege to use our particular set of skills to help with a cause as important as this,” says Pete. “The generosity from so many people – across design, creative, production, post-production, sound and more – has been incredible. It’s a testament to the power of a simple idea for a crucial issue.”

For this project, Saatchi & Saatchi partnered with Jonathan Kneebone, co-founder of the directing collective The Glue Society, getting him on board early, knowing that his documentary-style sensibility and experience would be a natural fit for the project. But it was the open and iterative collaborative aspect that the team most benefited from, with every detail refined collectively to balance cinematic impact with sensitivity.

“It's probably the most collaborative process we've been part of,” says Pete. “It genuinely felt like one team bringing ideas to the table and expanding on thoughts. It was a long, but great process. The foundation of a body and mapping single stab fatalities on it was always there. But what it looked like, whether it was standing up or laid down, the projections, the lights, the experience itself were all elements we worked on along the way. All while working out what could be achieved in production and what would create the biggest impact.”

The research aspect of the process was painstakingly thorough, too. Saatchi & Saatchi brought on a casting and story research company, RAW Research, which gathered over 400 cases of fatalities from single stab wounds in places you’d least expect a fatality.

Their input ensured the body mapping was actually representative and factually reflective.

“We thought Katie [from RAW] and the team had their work cut out, but they found over 400 cases, which was so unbelievably harrowing,” says Pete. “The team then spoke to the families extensively to get their permission and see how comfortable they were with the campaign and having to relive terrible memories. We then selected the final cases to represent a variety of ages, genders, and victims from across the nation to map across the body. What struck us most is how courageous these families are and how much they backed the idea. That gave us a lot of extra motivation.”

The intention for the installation was for it to be more than just a static piece, but to be respectful, impactful and interactive, so that the children could engage with the projections, which were designed and animated paying tributes to the victims and their families. They didn’t know what they were walking into and weren’t given specific details upfront, so their responses -- as captured in the film -- were natural and unfiltered.

“The projection asks the question and the kids get to answer,” says Pete. “In that sense, our job was to get out of the way. We also sent the kids into the room in small groups of two, three and four friends very deliberately. We wanted to see the conversation and debate between them, and so, we had to make them comfortable enough to speak. The kids were my personal highlight of the day. Their curiosity, empathy and intelligence filled me with hope. And seeing them have the revelation that there is no safe place to stab was special."

While the campaign brings to life the distressing reality around knife crime, its thought-provoking and careful delivery means it remains informative and impactful -- and it’s something the agency hopes will contribute to spreading awareness around the dangers of knife crime.

“Knife crime is an extremely complicated issue and no one thing alone will solve it,” concludes Pete. “This campaign proves to me that some of these fatalities could've been avoided. Helping educate young people that there is no safe place to stab is one step we hope to have achieved.”