• by Les Luchter , December 13, 2024

“Maryland is the number one state for trafficked guns,” reads a graphic leading off hip-hop artist and Maryland native Logic’s music video for his new song “Pipeline.” As Logic raps, viewers follow the story of a trafficker as he travels up I-95 -- aka the Iron Pipeline -- selling guns from North Carolina through Virginia and into Maryland, where the buyer is a teenager. 

“Guns are the #1 cause of death for kids,” reads another graphic as the song ends. “Stop the Iron Pipeline. Sign the petition. StopTheIronPipeline.org. Care Bravely.”

And, under that, in smaller print: “Lifebridge Health.”

In partnership with creative agency StrawberryFrog, Lifebridge -- a major Maryland operator of hospitals and other medical venues -- has launched the video as the opening salvo of “Stop the Iron Pipeline,” an initiative designed to raise awareness of the gun trafficking issue and to inspire action. 

Further localizing the video, 13 Baltimore-area singers ranging in age from five to 13 provide back-up vocals.

“We wanted to find an engaging way to reach people—particularly younger generations—and we saw a way to engage and energize them through the power of music,” says LifeBridge Health CMO Brian Deffaa in a statement.

The initiative also includes a media buy, led by the PlanIt agency, which will be targeting mass audiences in the greater Maryland and Washington D.C. DMAs through April.

Vignettes from the music video, in :30 and :15 versions, will run on broadcast and streaming TV -- including some Baltimore Ravens games and the Super Bowl. The buy also includes digital, social and out-of-home.

All content drives viewers to StopTheIronPipeline.org, also developed by Planit, which provides more info, The site includes a petition from Maryland’s Center for Firearm Violence and Prevention that visitors can sign to share their support, a portal that connects them with their political representatives at the national and state level, and the opportunity to post both personal stories and one- to two-minute videos through social media.

Through partnerships with LifeBridge Health, Stop The Iron Pipeline will also be featured in print outlets The Baltimore Banner and Baltimore Magazine, and on audio outlets WBAL News Radio & 98 Rock Baltimore. 

Logic, meanwhile, is spreading the message through his social platforms, asking fans to listen to the song, learn about the campaign, and sign the petition. 

“The goal of the initiative is to amplify efforts to raise awareness, advocate for policy changes, and support communities affected by gun violence,” Stop the Iron Pipeline tells Marketing Daily.  

“Being exposed to violence can create long-term and adverse health effects,” explains Neil Meltzer, president-CEO of LifeBridge Health, in announcing the initiative. “As a community-focused health system, we believe we are in a unique position to see what we can do together to decrease its [gun violence’s] impact.”

Lifebridge did a community health-needs assessment earlier this year in which respondents named gun violence, neighborhood safety and gun safety among their top health-related social concerns, the healthcare system says.

Campaign metrics will include audience engagement, such as signatures on the petition, government representatives contacted, and overall reach and impressions driven by paid, earned and owned media, Stop the Iron Pipeline tells Marketing Daily.