Los Angeles' streets are dangerously designed. In 2023, a record 337 people died from traffic violence. Someone was severely injured in a car crash every five hours, traffic collisions were the leading cause of death for children, and traffic deaths claimed more lives than homicides. In addition, the congestion and lack of strong transportation networks affect the environment, local businesses, and efficient mobility for an ever-growing city.

HLA addresses these issues by improving the transit, neighborhood, pedestrian, and bike networks in LA. When the Measure HLA team brought on director and founder Gabe to lead the campaign ads, he understood that the stakes were immensely high.

To bring empathy, awareness, and action to the campaign, we worked closely with campaign creative director and designer Josh Vredevoogd, who focused our primary message around “safety.” Gabe expanded this by spotlighting the human stories behind the 337 deaths in 2023 – all individuals with dreams, families, and common struggles. Through local advocacy networks, Gabe interviewed dozens of victims' families, as well as environmental, business, and school leaders, offering them a voice in the campaign.

Taking a “fieldwork” approach, Gabe immersed himself in LA’s streets, replacing driving with public transportation, walking the same paths as Angelenos. He attended vigils, visited homes of victims, participated in demonstrations, and spoke with street safety advocates and everyday residents.

This hands-on process helped him understand the ripple effect of traffic violence across the community, shaping an emotion-driven approach that was a departure from typical political ads. The result was a series of ads that told the real stories behind the data in our measure.

Equipped with our work and a seven figure advertising budget, the HLA team launched a multi-platform strategy that included ads on broadcast/cable, OTT/streaming, social media, and billboards across Los Angeles.

Our human-centered video ads proved to be incredibly effective. In fact, Hart Research, one of the largest political firms in the country, polled our Measure HLA ads among some of top-performing political ads they had ever measured. Polling showed 52% increase in "Strong Yes" votes, and a 17% increase of overall "Yes" votes. On Election Day, Measure HLA passed in a 65.5% landslide victory. By 2035, over 2,500 miles of Los Angeles streets will be redesigned to be safer, cleaner, and better connected, improving quality of life for all residents.

This campaign not only showed the power of emotional storytelling in political advertising but also demonstrated the necessity of telling human stories in driving real change. We are deeply grateful for the courage and vulnerability of those who shared their stories, and we are proud of our work in helping the HLA team achieve their mission.