Reflective Essay: The Issue Of Gun Violence In Schools

The creative team at Publicis Russia were challenged to promote gun control. To do this, they wanted to see what would happen if they put guns in the hands of the everyday person. They told people to aim and shoot at someone in a courtyard filled with people, and little did they know, it was only an online simulation. The people on the screen were actors, and if someone actually shot at someone, fake blood would come on the screen showing the shooter what it would be like if they actually shot someone. The actors would then pop back up and a message appeared on the screen, “ Not everyone owns a gun responsibly”, “ but they’re still openly sold”. People clearly understood that something was “fake” about what they were doing, but pulled the trigger

It was a very emotional campaign to be on board with, especially because the director actually filmed a fake shooting where I went to high school. This is why I found this campaign so inspiring. They took such an emotional topic in society and executed this concept for people to actually see how easy it is for a tragedy to happen. This campaign not only raised awareness through this clever tactic, but people began to realize actually how prominent of an issue gun violence is within society, while also generating dramatic results. It ties back to our readings this week, to emotionally connect with your audience. Thousands of people have been affected by gun violence and unfortunately, it is on the rise. They took an important, controversial topic and created an interactive campaign that really emphasized the effects of gun violence. AdWeek did point out that maybe this clever, inspiring idea might turn south. This campaign might actually promote violence by encouraging some deranged individuals to actually think this “fantasy” is real life, which might make violence seem “cool”. But, I still think Publicis Russia took an emotional topic, made it real, and increased awareness in a creative