You call the shots in U.K. knife-crime videos

With stabbings on the rise in England, the Metropolitan Police turned to AMV BBDO for help, and the agency produced this pretty interesting "Choose your own adventure" YouTube campaign. The videos place the viewer within a pack of friends hanging out; at the end of each clip, you're asked to make a decision on how the plot should unfold, which then takes you to the next video. The idea is to show young people what knife violence really looks like—though judging by the crime statistics, they already know full well. The YouTube statistics might be telling as well, with 166,000 people so far choosing the "Take the knife" option at the end of this first video, versus 162,000 people choosing "Don't take the knife."

—Posted by David Kiefaber

See also:
Graphic British ads aim to slash knife crime
D&G's knife-wielding models in bad taste?

August 4, 2009 in BBDO, Europe, Kiefaber, PSAs | Permalink

Comments

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oh cool a first person stabber video game

Posted by: sfphotojournal | Aug 4, 2009 12:06:37 PM

The good: Using YouTube's branching video personalizes the campaign and creates an interesting and somewhat unique pathway through the storyline.

The not so good: If you look at the stats on YouTube, the violent scenes outweigh the non-violent scenes by a factor.

So, a good idea, but one which might not be doing as good a job at teaching as it is at entertaining.

@iboy

Posted by: George Nimeh | Aug 4, 2009 2:05:24 PM

I don't think the stats on the people choosing the knife are indicative of anything. Didn't you ever re-read a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' novel to see all the different ways things could turn out? People are naturally curious.

Posted by: Tim Bennett | Aug 4, 2009 9:33:19 PM

Pretty interesting I assume more people take the knife out of curiosity of what will happen.

Posted by: Alleh Photography | Aug 6, 2009 12:50:37 PM

I clicked a bunch of different choices just to see what would happen so I agree that the "take the knife" stats aren't indicative of anything but curiosity.

I love this campaign though. It really shows how simple choices can lead to disastrous outcomes. It's better than simply telling kids "don't do it."

Posted by: Marita Greenidge | Aug 7, 2009 12:12:00 AM

It look interesting on the surface, but deep down it is the age old police propoganda that one should never arm one's self.

My particular favorite flavor of the propoganda is that if you get stabbed, the police arrive long after the assialent has fled, but if you stab...there is 3 seconds.

Posted by: Doug | Aug 7, 2009 1:12:05 PM


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