VCU news

By Cassie Williams Jones

Four graduates and two faculty members of the VCU Brandcenter were recognized today for their contributions to an innovative crime prevention advertising campaign.

Former Brandcenter students Adam Wiese, Jarrod Higgins, Christopher Trumbull and Vijay Patil, along with faculty members Kelly O’Keefe and Wayne Gibson, were honored during the Richmond Police Department’s Salute to Excellence Awards ceremony for their work toward Richmond Crime Sweep, a collaborative marketing campaign aimed at preventing violent crimes in the Richmond area.

“The idea that our students can use their talents, not only to promote a brand, but to also stop a bullet, is something we try to get across in our teaching at the Brandcenter," said Kelly O’Keefe, professor of brand strategy in the VCU Brandcenter, and faculty supervisor of the Richmond Crime Sweep project.

Some view marketing as a tool that is as effective as a gun in crime prevention, so various law enforcement agencies looked to the Brandcenter for brand development and violent crime reduction promotions. O’Keefe was approached by members of several agencies for help with the project, and a team of four student volunteers was formed.

The goal of the campaign was to influence criminals and would-be-criminals to participate in less crime because of fear of law enforcement, which proved to be challenging for many reasons, including a limited budget, and an unusual target audience - criminals. In order to gain more insight into their audience, the team spent a great deal of time researching crime and reading reports provided from various police departments. They interviewed a criminal psychologist to assess the mindset of a criminal, and even went on ride-alongs with local police.

O’Keefe provided oversight as the team developed a logo and motto for the campaign. With Gibson directing and producing, they also created and starred in a broadcast commercial spot, which is currently running on all local television stations, mostly at late hours. Several supplemental advertising elements are also running consecutively with the commercial, including posters, signs and billboards along Richmond highways.

“By going on ride-alongs and doing interviews, my team and I worked to understand the intent of a group of people in order to inform and change their behavior,” Wiese said. “It is one thing to get someone to buy a product; it's even more challenging - and rewarding - to get them to stop doing one thing and/or start doing another. You have to truly understand who they are, why they do the things that they do and what type of messaging they listen to, or in this case, will not listen to.”

The project has been approximately a year in the making. Audience research and ad creation took about three months, and several months were needed for approvals and funding. Production took about an additional three months. The final campaign was revealed in early June, and will run off-and-on for at least a year in Richmond.

“The students really drove this project,” said O’Keefe. “The tools they use to be great marketers are the same tools they can use to change the world.”

“For me, this was a dream project to work on. It was the chance to take what I've learned in advertising and not sell a product, but to impact a city and its people,” said Wiese. “This has made me realize the positive change marketing can bring to cities and their community. It has been very exciting to see the work being produced, but more importantly, I look forward to seeing how it will make Richmond a better place to live.”

Richmond Crime Sweep is a new name for the group formerly named the Cooperative Violence Reduction Partnership, or CVRP, consisting of representatives from 13 state and federal law enforcement agencies that meet throughout the year and work together to focus on apprehending the worst and most violent offenders. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the following agencies make up the task force: the Richmond Police Department, the city Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the City Sheriff's Office, the state Attorney General's Office, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the VCU police, the Virginia Department of Corrections probation and parole, the Virginia State Police, the FBI, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.