ABOUT

Sandy Hook Promise is a nonprofit gun violence prevention organization that aims to prevent future school shootings. 2021 saw the most school shootings on record, but when the media headlines fade, the trauma that these tragedies leave behind remains. The aim of this campaign was to put a human face to the lasting damage that gun violence is having on America’s youth. School shootings have changed what it means to be a teenager in America today, and we wanted to highlight the mental and physical toll that gun violence is having on a whole generation of young people. To demonstrate how the carefree innocence of the teenage experience has been destroyed by the reality of gun violence, we partnered with pop megastar Katy Perry and a brave team of real school shooting survivors to reimagine Perry’s euphoric pop anthem, “Teenage Dream.” Juxtaposed against the teenage survivors, the context of the original upbeat lyrics change and begin to eerily describe their traumatic experiences of gun violence. Viewers could learn more about the featured survivors by watching a series of heartbreaking online interviews where the survivors share their stories and talk about their shattered teenage dreams. The work immediately made the cultural breakthrough we had aimed for, racking up 1 million video views in 24 hours and 355 million total impressions. It was shared by prominent figures including Mark Ruffalo, Trevor Noah, Katie Couric, multiple US senators, and Katy Perry herself. The campaign also converted into real action, leading to 92K where people could learn the warning signs to prevent future school shootings. Most impressively, we achieved this mass reach and expanded SHP’s supporter base, all with a $0 paid media budget.