Change the Ref - The Unfinished Votes
Change the Ref wanted McCann Health New York to inspire unregistered voters to participate in elections. The challenge was to make the abstract issue of gun violence personal and urgent, linking it directly to the power of voting. They needed a campaign that would motivate this audience to register and vote for gun-sense politicians, leveraging the tragic loss of lives like Joaquin Oliver's to underscore the importance of every vote.
Creative Idea
Change the Ref resurrected a gun violence victim with AI, turning his unfinished vote into a plea for others to register.
Change the Ref created a powerful campaign using AI to digitally resurrect Joaquin Oliver, a victim of gun violence, to encourage unregistered voters to participate in elections. By bringing back Joaquin as a digital persona, the campaign aimed to transform his unfinished life into a message about voting and gun safety.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Founded by the parents of Joaquin Oliver, the organization brings radical authenticity and the moral authority to use extreme creative measures. Their unique position allows them to transform personal tragedy into a provocative, tech-driven call for systemic political change.
Category
Gun control advocacy often relies on grim statistics or political rhetoric that risks being tuned out by a desensitized public. These campaigns typically appeal to logic or general sympathy rather than forcing a visceral, unavoidable encounter with the deceased.
Customer
Young and unregistered voters often feel a sense of political apathy or the belief that their single vote is inconsequential. They require a jarring reminder that their democratic participation is a privilege stolen from thousands of others who can no longer speak for themselves.
Culture
The campaign launched during a high-stakes US election cycle amidst rising debates over the ethics of AI and deepfake technology. This intersection allowed the message to break through the standard political noise by utilizing a controversial, cutting-edge medium for social good.
Company
Founded by the parents of Joaquin Oliver, the organization brings radical authenticity and the moral authority to use extreme creative measures. Their unique position allows them to transform personal tragedy into a provocative, tech-driven call for systemic political change.
Category
Gun control advocacy often relies on grim statistics or political rhetoric that risks being tuned out by a desensitized public. These campaigns typically appeal to logic or general sympathy rather than forcing a visceral, unavoidable encounter with the deceased.
Strategy:
Weaponize the stolen futures of gun victims through AI to force a direct confrontation with the cost of inaction.
Customer
Young and unregistered voters often feel a sense of political apathy or the belief that their single vote is inconsequential. They require a jarring reminder that their democratic participation is a privilege stolen from thousands of others who can no longer speak for themselves.
Culture
The campaign launched during a high-stakes US election cycle amidst rising debates over the ethics of AI and deepfake technology. This intersection allowed the message to break through the standard political noise by utilizing a controversial, cutting-edge medium for social good.
Strategy:
Weaponize the stolen futures of gun victims through AI to force a direct confrontation with the cost of inaction.
Strategy Technique
Reframe the Problem
The campaign reframes gun violence from an abstract tragedy into a problem directly addressable by unregistered voters' participation. It links the tragic loss of life to the power of their vote, making political action the urgent solution.
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Creative Technique
Dramatize the Problem
The campaign uses AI to resurrect a gun violence victim, dramatically illustrating the devastating, personal cost of the problem. This makes the abstract issue of gun violence urgent and deeply personal for unregistered voters.
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