ALERT - Gangs Are Real campaign

The Opportunity

Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) was established by the Government of Alberta in 2006 to combat organized and serious crime. We were asked to develop an anti-gang campaign for Alberta that could help dispel the false impression that gangs are not active in our province, as well as increase awareness of consequences of gang involvement while discouraging gang associates from interacting with gang members.

Our team of strategists and creatives developed a campaign that included a robust digital strategy, with display ads, Spotify radio, out of home (Pattison), Global TV, as well as physical activations in community policing, parole/probation and social services locations. We also developed a campaign landing page - www.gangsarereal.ca. The website showcased the campaign videos, stats about gangs and gang members, as well as an audio interview with an ex-gangster named Marcus. We also created a series of physical posters and handouts with an unassuming scene, implying it was gang-related. Each poster included a QR code and when scanned, it launched the gangsarereal.ca website and a 30-second video that related to that scene.

The Results

The awareness campaign included a new website, social media posts, digital ads and videos. The campaign brought in 4.2 million impressions, 18k web visitors and saw a 1.36% CTR on social.