The driving idea behind ADT "Safe-ish Safeties" was to confront a dangerous cultural blind spot. Many Americans rely on ineffective security shortcuts, creating a false sense of confidence rather than genuine protection. Our primary goal was to transform this vague feeling of unease into a single, identifiable problem that consumers would be motivated to address. We did this by coining a term for the behavior: "Safe-ish." This gave a tangible identity to the universal habit of using fake rocks, decoy cameras, and other inadequate measures.
The specific objective was to shift consumers from merely feeling safe to being genuinely safe. To achieve this, we needed to make the "Safe-ish" behavior undeniable. Our strategy was to enlist voices with unquestionable authority on defense: Hall of Fame NFL safeties. By partnering with legends like Brian Dawkins, Kam Chancellor, and Troy Polamalu—professional protectors of the end zone—we gave the campaign instant credibility and cultural authority.
The creative twist was revealing that even these elite defenders were guilty of "Safe-ish" habits at home, making the message universally relatable. The idea was to show these legends living with fake security and then choosing ADT, which allowed them, as lifelong protectors, to finally let their guard down. The campaign's central metaphor was clear: a home's perimeter is its endzone, and leaving it "Safe-ish" is like playing defense without a safety. Our goal was not just to advertise a product, but to make a cultural behavior visible, shareable, and ultimately, changeable.
We brought the "Safe-ish" project to life through a social-first creative approach, taking an insight born from online behavior and strategically scaling it to show up in multiple environments. Our plan of action began with coining the term "Safe-ish" to define a universal habit. We then set out to embed it in the cultural conversation by tapping the NFL's greatest safeties—voices with built-in defensive authority—to show America that being "Safe-ish" is a bad play.
The execution centered on a strategic partnership with Brian Dawkins, Kam Chancellor, and Troy Polamalu. Crucially, these weren't just spokespeople; they were the idea. We launched with a hero film that appeared not just on social feeds but also on TV and in press, introducing the "Safe-ish" world by showing these legends caught practicing poor home security. This ironic twist established that if even the best protectors can be "Safe-ish," anyone can. The film culminated with them finding true peace of mind through ADT, illustrating the shift from hyper-vigilance to freedom.
From there, we built an entire ADT ecosystem for discovery. To sustain the content and momentum across TikTok and Instagram, we worked with a team of comedy influencers who acted as "referees," throwing a "flag on the play" of "Safe-ish" behaviors. Our media strategy was surgical, running the campaign through high-impact placements like NFL.com and CTV to intercept our target audience.
We faced two primary challenges. The first was overcoming cultural complacency. Americans were so accustomed to their security shortcuts that they had a false sense of confidence. We couldn't just tell them they were wrong; we had to show them. The second, more significant challenge was that we did not have an official NFL partnership. We overcame this by strategically "hijacking" the cultural conversation around the NFL kickoff. By launching at the precise moment defense was top-of-mind, we affiliated with the idea of the NFL without needing the official branding, making our execution feel both timely and clever.
This work is unique because the talent is the concept. The NFL safeties were the strategic foundation that transformed a product message into a cultural commentary. But its uniqueness is amplified by our social-first strategy that was built to thrive across all channels. We named a behavior, owned it, and provided the solution—all while navigating the lack of an official partnership—to successfully redefine the home security category from being about fear to being about the freedom that comes with real protection.
The results of the “Safe-ish” campaign demonstrate a profound shift in consumer mindset, proving audiences were ready to move beyond hollow security shortcuts and embrace genuine safety with ADT. Our efforts drove a dramatic improvement in the efficiency of our sales leads, indicating we were reaching a more motivated and qualified customer. This was coupled with an exceptional lift in purchase intent, a figure our social media partners noted was among the highest they had ever witnessed. These outcomes directly met our core objective: to not just raise awareness, but to inspire tangible action.
The creative message clearly broke through the noise, generating a substantial lift in ad recall and an engagement rate that vastly outperformed our benchmarks. We consider this effort a resounding success because it created a genuine cultural moment that delivered measurable business impact, all without relying on fear. By coining the term "Safe-ish," we gave a name to a universal behavior, exposing a cultural blind spot in a relatable way.
The idea spread virally, resulting in widespread reach across digital platforms and generating substantial earned media value. The campaign's ultimate success lies in its ability to redefine an entire category, shifting the conversation from one of anxiety to one of empowerment and freedom. We effectively transformed a vague feeling of unease into a tangible problem and positioned ADT as the definitive solution. This proves that when influencer talent perfectly embodies the core concept, the creative can achieve powerful, business-driving results that resonate deeply with consumers.
