Change the Ref: 30Under30
Change the Ref and Founders Agency sought to move beyond awareness to force legislative action on gun violence. They needed to reach influential decision-makers and the public by breaking through the noise of traditional advocacy. The goal was to create an undeniable, tangible reminder of the young lives lost to gun violence, demanding that lawmakers and society prioritize safety over status.
Creative Idea
The campaign mirrored the Forbes 30 Under 30 list to honor victims of gun violence.
Change the Ref hijacked the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 summit by distributing a magazine honoring 30 young lives lost to gun violence, forcing a conversation about accountability by mirroring the format used to celebrate elite professional success.
Subverting The Prestige Of The Forbes List
From Rejected Pitch To Ambush
The campaign originated two years before launch when Founders Agency Creative Directors Alan Wesley and Pau Corella pitched the concept to *Forbes* as an official partnership. After *Forbes* declined, the agency committed to an independent production. They invested in high-end paper stock and professional editorial design to ensure the 101-page magazine was indistinguishable from elite business publications, allowing it to bypass security and reach high-profile attendees at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in Columbus, Ohio.
Editorial Weight And Congressional Reach
To ensure the publication held genuine authority, the agency recruited Alan Light, the former Editor-in-Chief of *Rolling Stone* and *Vibe*, to oversee the editorial content. The magazine featured an exclusive op-ed by U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost, the youngest member of Congress, titled "Gun Violence is as American as Apple Pie. And It Impacts Every Single One of Us." Beyond the summit, families of the victims marched to the U.S. Capitol, personally delivering copies to members of the House and Senate to force a direct confrontation with the human cost of legislative inaction.
A Coalition Of Voices
The project achieved a rare feat in advocacy by uniting over a dozen competing non-profit organizations, including March for Our Lives, LUSH, and Newtown Action Alliance Foundation, under one creative banner. The impact was immediate and visceral; during the summit, activist Khalil Greene used his stage time to highlight the magazine, leading to his removal by organizers. This act of protest underscored the agency's goal: using the mechanisms of status and success to expose the systemic failure to protect young lives.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Change the Ref leveraged its deep credibility as a victim-led advocacy group to demand national accountability for gun violence.
Category
Advocacy groups typically rely on traditional protests or digital petitions that are easily ignored by policymakers and the public.
Customer
The public and grieving families felt a desperate need to humanize victims beyond statistics and force legislative action.
Culture
The obsession with youth success lists like Forbes 30 Under 30 provided the perfect, ironic stage for this intervention.
Company
Change the Ref leveraged its deep credibility as a victim-led advocacy group to demand national accountability for gun violence.
Category
Advocacy groups typically rely on traditional protests or digital petitions that are easily ignored by policymakers and the public.
Strategy:
Subvert elite cultural rituals to force accountability for systemic failures.
Customer
The public and grieving families felt a desperate need to humanize victims beyond statistics and force legislative action.
Culture
The obsession with youth success lists like Forbes 30 Under 30 provided the perfect, ironic stage for this intervention.
Strategy:
Subvert elite cultural rituals to force accountability for systemic failures.
Results
The hijacked event gained widespread media coverage featured on major outlets like AdAge, news broadcasts, and across social media platforms. One victim's story featured in the magazine reached the Oscars stage during an acceptance speech. Copies of the magazine were delivered directly to members of Congress on Capitol Hill, forcing gun reform back onto the national political agenda with speeches from Representatives Joaquin Castro, Maxwell Frost, and Jesús 'Chuy' García. Already, 600 families have signed up to have their lost loved ones featured in the next edition of the publication.
Oscars
Featured during Academy Awards speech
Capitol Hill
Presented to U.S. Congress
600
Families signed up for next edition
Strategy Technique
Find the Missing Conversation
The campaign identified that while gun violence is a constant topic, the specific loss of young potential is often sanitized. By forcing this conversation into a high-profile business summit, it reclaimed the narrative from corporate celebration.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Borrow a Familiar Format
By replicating the exact aesthetic and editorial prestige of the Forbes list, the campaign forced attendees to confront the reality of lost potential. It turned a celebration of success into a somber, unavoidable reflection on gun violence.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign elevates social advocacy through world-class publication design and bold guerilla experiential hijacking. By subverting a iconic pop-cultural franchise into a physical memorial and stage protest, it forces accountability through high-craft editorial storytelling.
The publication design meticulously mimics Forbes' iconic high-end magazine aesthetic while infusing intimate personal artwork, photography, and grief-laden storytelling into a powerful physical artifact.
Hijacking the actual Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit by embedding an honoree to distribute the magazine live on stage turned a publication into a confrontational, news-making direct action.
“The tangible weight of the physical magazine combined with the guerilla stage takeover created an unignorable narrative that bridged print journalism, live activism, and political lobbying.”
