Brady, Casanova//McCann and the Ad Council
partner for the first national Spanish language public education
campaign on safe firearm storage, aimed at reaching Hispanic gun
owners, which are among the fastest-growing demographic groups
purchasing firearms
NEW
YORK, June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This Gun
Violence Awareness Month, Brady: United Against Gun Violence,
Casanova//McCann and the Ad Council have launched "Da El Siguiente
Paso'' or "Take the Next Step," the first-ever national public
education campaign on safe firearm storage reaching Hispanic gun
owners. The effort, which is the latest campaign by the
award-winning End Family Fire program, responds to the fact
that the number of Hispanic adults who own firearms has doubled
since 2017.
By expanding the audience focus and adding educational materials
in Spanish, this work can reach one of the fastest-growing
populations of gun owners in the US, especially as Hispanic
individuals account for 19 percent of the 7.5M new gun owners between 2019-2021. The latest
available data shows that over a quarter of Hispanic people own a
firearm, or approximately 14M
Hispanic adults. And with such a dramatic rise in ownership comes
an increased need for public education on safe firearm storage. As
part of the new campaign, a new Spanish-language website,
DaElSiguientePaso.org, launched featuring in-language videos and
resources.
Developed pro bono by Casanova//McCann, an integrated marketing
agency specialized in reaching Hispanic audiences, this new
campaign focuses on reaching both Spanish and English-speaking
Hispanic parents who own firearms. The work builds on and further
extends End Family Fire's existing efforts to encourage gun owners
to take the next step to store all of their firearms more
securely.
WATCH THE PSAS IN SPANISH and ENGLISH
Currently, in the U.S, approximately 4.6 million
children live in a home with access to unlocked and loaded guns.
According to a study from the Journal of the American Medical
Association, despite 70 percent of parents believing their child
could not access firearms within the home, over 30 percent of
children from those households claimed to have the ability to
access a firearm in less than five minutes.
Family fire refers to a shooting caused by someone having access
to a gun from the home when they shouldn't have it; this includes
children as well as those who display behavior that indicates they
could harm themselves or others when accessing a firearm. Access to
unsecured guns in the home can lead to a broad range of gun
violence — including unintentional shootings, intentional
shootings, and firearm suicide — which can be prevented through
safe gun storage.
"We are so proud to bring this campaign to life with Brady and
the Ad Council to help our community. While the data shows the
need, we were floored by the lack of information available for
Hispanic gun owners," said Ingrid
Smart, president/CEO, Casanova//McCann. "As parents
ourselves, it was very meaningful to have this opportunity and we
are grateful to the End Family Fire team for trusting and
supporting us. We hope this work reaches gun owners and will create
lasting change."
"When people make the decision to buy a firearm for the home,
they're often doing it with protection in mind, but protection does
not immediately equal safety," said Kris
Brown, president of Brady: United Against Gun Violence.
"Safe storage is essential to preventing a means of securing your
home from causing an irreversible tragedy. With the number of
Hispanic gun owners doubling in recent years, a national Spanish
campaign is vital in eliminating barriers faced by Spanish speakers
in accessing safe firearm storage education. We are grateful for
this critical partnership with Casanova and the Ad Council that
will ensure nearly 14 million Hispanic gun owners have the
resources they need to take the next step and end family fire."
"As a parent, you want your home to be the safest place for your
children," said Michelle Hillman,
chief campaign development officer, the Ad Council. "We are
thankful for our amazing partners at Brady and Casanova//McCann for
their collaboration and commitment for reaching Hispanic audiences
on such a critical issue. It is our hope that through this
lifesaving work, gun owners across America will be inspired to take
the next step in protecting their homes and communities by storing
their guns securely."
The new PSAs feature two Hispanic fathers who are real gun
owners, not actors, sharing how they currently store their personal
firearms. The parents are presented with heartfelt letters written
by parents whose children were killed in gun-related tragedies,
emphasizing the importance of safe gun storage and prompting the
two fathers to reconsider their storage habits in real time. The
spot ends by encouraging viewers to visit EndFamilyFire.org and
DaElSiguientePaso.org for information about safe gun storage and
resources to help prevent shooting injuries and deaths.
Since 2018, End Family Fire has been working to shift the way
gun owners think about and store their firearms. Gun violence is an
issue that impacts everyone and by including gun owners throughout
research, development, and production, the program intentionally
brings these voices in as a part of the solution to reduce
preventable firearm deaths.
To date, End Family Fire has garnered over $120 million in donated media and over 5.2
billion impressions and has had proven success at changing
attitudes and behaviors around gun usage and safe storage:
According to an Ad Council study, 42 percent of respondents with a
child in the home who are aware of the End Family Fire campaign
have reported seeking information on safe gun storage in the past
12 months, compared to 10 percent of those not aware. (Source: Ad
Council online survey of 1,815 U.S. adults who reside in gun-owning
households, fielded by Ipsos January 1,
2024 – March 31, 2024).
This new creative will run across broadcast TV, social, digital,
online video, radio and print media nationwide donated by both
Spanish and English media. TelevisaUnivision is providing
additional support to ensure the new PSAs further reach intended
audiences by donating TV, social and digital inventory. Additional
forthcoming audio assets will be produced by SiriusXM Media's
Studio Resonate and supported by donated inventory. To learn more
about End Family Fire and how to promote responsible gun ownership,
visit EndFamilyFire.org or DaElSiguientePaso.org.
About End Family Fire
End Family Fire, a joint effort from Brady and the Ad
Council, encourages safe gun storage by putting a name to the
preventable tragedies that occur when guns in the home are misused.
"Family fire," a term developed for the campaign, refers to a
shooting caused by someone having access to a gun from the home
when they shouldn't have it. This includes children as well as
those who display behavior that indicates they could harm
themselves or others. The national public education program brings
awareness to the issue of family fire, gives gun owners a role in
preventing firearm death and injuries, and encourages a national
dialogue around safe storage practices—all of which can help
prevent tragedies of family fire.
End Family Fire (then known as the ASKing Saves Kids, or ASK,
campaign) was rated the only effective national safe storage
education effort by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
in an analysis that included programs from notable gun
organizations across the country.
About Brady
In America, there are more guns than there are people. And that's
matched with a gun homicide rate that is 26 times greater than that
of other high-income countries. Brady – the nation's oldest gun
violence prevention organization – works to enact reasonable
solutions to free America from gun violence. We tackle three
critical areas: change the laws, change the industry, and change
the culture. This three-point strategy is unique in the movement
and follows the roadmap behind other successful public health
campaigns, like those around youth smoking, seatbelt use, and drunk
driving. By changing hearts and minds and fostering a culture of
responsible gun use and ownership, we can free America from gun
violence. Join the movement at bradyunited.org.
About Casanova//McCann
Casanova//McCann is one of the leading Hispanic integrated
communications agencies in the U.S. Founded in 1984, the company is
headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA
and handles Hispanic advertising and integrated communications
services for Clients like Nestlé, Chevrolet, Pernod Ricard, US
Postal Service, U.S. Bank, among others. Casanova became a minority
and female owned certified Agency in 2020 and continues to be an
affiliate of McCann.
About The Ad Council
The Ad Council convenes creative storytellers to educate, unite and
uplift audiences by opening hearts, inspiring action and
accelerating change around the most pressing issues in America.
Since the non-profit's founding, the organization and its partners
in advertising, media, marketing and tech have been behind some of
the country's most iconic social impact campaigns – Smokey Bear, A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to
Waste, Love Has No Labels, Tear the Paper Ceiling and many more.
With a current focus on mental health, gun safety, the opioid
epidemic, skill-based hiring and other critical issues, the Ad
Council's national campaigns encompass advertising and media
content, ground game and community efforts, trusted messenger and
influencer engagement, and employer programs, among other
innovative strategies to move the needle on the most important
issues of the day. To learn more or get involved,
visit AdCouncil.org, join the Ad Council's communities
on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X, and view campaign creative
on YouTube.
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SOURCE The Ad Council