BulletProof Park is an outrageous solution that was designed to shatter complacencyabout South Africa's devastating gun violence epidemic. The campaign sparkedoutrage – and important conversations – by presenting an unthinkable"solution" – a playground where children require military-gradeprotection from the daily reality of stray bullets. It highlighted the power ofcreativity to find solutions – and drive real activism and change – for theworld’s problems, no matter how big they are, says M&C Saatchi AbelExecutive Creative Director Jake Bester. “Many people who reacted, agreed thatthe park should never exist! That’s precisely the point.”
Gun violence in South Africa, especially in areaslike the Western Cape, is a major crisis fueled by gang activity, illegalfirearms and inadequate gun control enforcement. Communities are trapped in acycle of violence, with shootings becoming a daily reality, even in spacesmeant for children. Stray bullets frequently injure or kill, making simple,normal, activities like playing outside life-threatening. Sadly, the problemhas become so entrenched that it barely makes the news in a country with one ofthe highest crime rates in the world. Bullet Proof Park shocked the country outof that status quo.
“When we first met with Gun Free SA, we knew weneeded to bring attention to the deadly issue of gun violence, showing SouthAfricans what the future may hold if gun violence isn't addressed, by proposingan outrageous solution to an even more outrageous problem,” explains Bester.
Gun Free South Africa works to reduce gun violenceby advocating for stricter firearm regulations, removing illegal guns fromcirculation and promoting safer communities. Bullet Proof Park, says Bester,highlights the urgency of this crisis and forces the conversation into thepublic domain, directly confronting how unsafe areas – that should be places oflaughter and recreation – have become.
Bester says: “Gun violence is bringing this countryto its knees, but it is also a global problem. Globally, more than 600 peopledie due to gun violence every day. Our brief was to find a creative solution tothe problem. How could we drive important and complex conversations around thetopic, while landing Gun Free SA’s message in a simple, precise manner?”
The concept
Bullet Proof Parkis the only play area anywhere in the world fully encased in level eightbulletproof glass offering all the fun of a regular play park, but with theadded benefit of protecting children inside from any stray bullets. Designed byexperts, the park also includes state of the art preventative measures such assecure entrances with biometric access control, panic buttons and 24/7 camerasurveillance, giving parents and caregivers extra peace of mind that everyeffort has been made keep the country’s gun problem, and its stray bullets,from entering the play area.
“Bullet Proof Park is a world first. The concept spotlightsthe seriousness of the problem, and what the future might hold if gun violenceis not stopped. The idea is shocking in its stark honesty – how would childrenfeel having to play within the confines of this bullet proof play park? If thatquestion feels uncomfortable, let’s consider how children feel now with noprotection? And so drawing attention to the problem was not enough – we neededto drive an important and emotive conversation that would be distinctive in anews cycle that all too often overlooks the daily reality of gun violence. Whilewe successfully elevated this critical issue prior to and during the 2024 nationalelection period, the work continues a year later as communities still live infear," explains JP. Le Riche, Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Abel."The post-election landscape presents new opportunities to hold ourelected officials accountable for addressing gun violence across SA."
“By proposing anoutrageous park as a symbol highlighting gun violence, it captured mediaattention and public sentiment. The campaign successfully blended experientialstorytelling with compelling visuals, making the issue impossible to ignore. Byevoking strong emotions and sparking conversations, it not only raisedawareness but also drove action, proving that creativity is most effective whenit connects deeply with people’s values and everyday realities,” says Le Riche.
Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Abel DelanoChengan, who was also part of the team that saw the concept come to life,explains: “To maximise impact, strategic shock value wasemployed – provoking outrage, disbelief, and urgency to move the conversationbeyond passive concern to active demand for change. The campaign leveragedearned media, social media, and PR to extend reach, ensuring a nationalpresence.”
The campaign started on April 4, 2024 in the lead up to thenational elections, and is an ongoing effort. The campaign, as audacious as it is, ispowered by a creative solution that brings to life Gun Free SA’s mission ofadvocating for systemic change, ensuring children can grow up without theconstant threat, and fear, of gunfire.
The campaignignited conversations worldwide, across both traditional and social mediaplatforms. “The suggestion of an idea this audacious and expensive stokedseveral conversations, giving room for Gun Free South Africa to re-emphasiseits key messaging on policy reform, community action and practical behaviouralchange,” explains Chengan. “We created a moment of reflection for the nationalconsciousness, not only competing with a flood of other stories, but ensuringthat the most powerful one emerged at the top.”
Results
The campaign provokedresponses from key figures, including the Western Cape Provincial Minister of CommunitySafety, the South African National Police Commissioner, and even influencedPresident Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address, where he addressed gunviolence directly — many of these reactions using language from the campaignitself.
The effort produced105 individual pieces of media coverage, reaching almost 100-million peoplenationally, which equates to roughly reaching every South African twice. Thecampaign achieved R13-million in earned media, with public interest surging700%, while engagement with news articles averaged at around 4,600 for eachstory.
Most importantly,though, the campaign led to real change on the ground, with communities and GunFree South Africa establishing 60 new gun-free zones across the country.
