Change the Ref Organisation Campaign Puts Children at the Heart of Warzones

Energy BBDO launches its latest activation on behalf of Change The Ref, a leading gun-control organisation which was formed to empower our Future Leaders. 

The activation, ‘New Recruits’ is Change the Refs latest effort to ignite a movement to ban ‘weapons of war’. The event took place last Saturday in Montclair NJ and was hosted by Manuel and Patricia Oliver.

(Manuel and Patricia Oliver have dedicated themselves to the fight to save lives from gun violence after their son Joaquin ‘Guac’ Oliver and 16 others were murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida).

The catalyst for this idea started with a tweet. When President Biden shared the statistic that over the last two decades, more school-aged children have died from guns than on-duty police officers and active-duty military combined, it shook us to our core.

That is why Energy BBDO partnered with Change the Ref to bring the ‘New Recruits’ idea to life. The idea places children in the heart of a warzone, showcasing the shocking fact that if they were active-duty military, they might face a safer reality than the one America’s gun-centric culture has wrought at home.

‘New Recruits’ places children in the heart of a warzone, showcasing the shocking fact that if they were active-duty military, they might face a safer reality than the one America’s gun-centric culture has wrought at home. The event will take place at a ‘faux-recruitment’ centre.

The key message is: “Send your children to war. It’s safer than sending them to school.”

The idea is designed to come to life across a variety of channels, from OOH, to social, digital placements, radio and even in a physical location; a ‘faux-recruitment’ centre that we created in Montclair, NJ.

The goal now is to raise awareness about the crushing reality our children face every day, amplify awareness for the Change the Ref organisation, and push for a ban on weapons of war.