Connect with us

Technology

New Campaign Encourages Hispanic Parents to Store Their Firearms Safely

Published

on

Brady, Casanova//McCann and the Ad Council partner for the first national Spanish language public education campaign on safe firearm storage, aimed at reaching Hispanic gun owners, which are among the fastest-growing demographic groups purchasing firearms

NEW YORK, June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — This Gun Violence Awareness Month, Brady: United Against Gun Violence, Casanova//McCann and the Ad Council have launched “Da El Siguiente Paso” or “Take the Next Step,” the first-ever national public education campaign on safe firearm storage reaching Hispanic gun owners. The effort, which is the latest campaign by the award-winning End Family Fire program, responds to the fact that the number of Hispanic adults who own firearms has doubled since 2017.

By expanding the audience focus and adding educational materials in Spanish, this work can reach one of the fastest-growing populations of gun owners in the US, especially as Hispanic individuals account for 19 percent of the 7.5M new gun owners between 2019-2021. The latest available data shows that over a quarter of Hispanic people own a firearm, or approximately 14M Hispanic adults. And with such a dramatic rise in ownership comes an increased need for public education on safe firearm storage. As part of the new campaign, a new Spanish-language website, DaElSiguientePaso.org, launched featuring in-language videos and resources.

Developed pro bono by Casanova//McCann, an integrated marketing agency specialized in reaching Hispanic audiences, this new campaign focuses on reaching both Spanish and English-speaking Hispanic parents who own firearms. The work builds on and further extends End Family Fire’s existing efforts to encourage gun owners to take the next step to store all of their firearms more securely. 

WATCH THE PSAS IN SPANISH and ENGLISH

Currently, in the U.S, approximately 4.6 million children live in a home with access to unlocked and loaded guns. According to a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association, despite 70 percent of parents believing their child could not access firearms within the home, over 30 percent of children from those households claimed to have the ability to access a firearm in less than five minutes.

Family fire refers to a shooting caused by someone having access to a gun from the home when they shouldn’t have it; this includes children as well as those who display behavior that indicates they could harm themselves or others when accessing a firearm. Access to unsecured guns in the home can lead to a broad range of gun violence — including unintentional shootings, intentional shootings, and firearm suicide — which can be prevented through safe gun storage.

“We are so proud to bring this campaign to life with Brady and the Ad Council to help our community. While the data shows the need, we were floored by the lack of information available for Hispanic gun owners,” said Ingrid Smart, president/CEO, Casanova//McCann. “As parents ourselves, it was very meaningful to have this opportunity and we are grateful to the End Family Fire team for trusting and supporting us. We hope this work reaches gun owners and will create lasting change.”

“When people make the decision to buy a firearm for the home, they’re often doing it with protection in mind, but protection does not immediately equal safety,” said Kris Brown, president of Brady: United Against Gun Violence. “Safe storage is essential to preventing a means of securing your home from causing an irreversible tragedy. With the number of Hispanic gun owners doubling in recent years, a national Spanish campaign is vital in eliminating barriers faced by Spanish speakers in accessing safe firearm storage education. We are grateful for this critical partnership with Casanova and the Ad Council that will ensure nearly 14 million Hispanic gun owners have the resources they need to take the next step and end family fire.”

“As a parent, you want your home to be the safest place for your children,” said Michelle Hillman, chief campaign development officer, the Ad Council. “We are thankful for our amazing partners at Brady and Casanova//McCann for their collaboration and commitment for reaching Hispanic audiences on such a critical issue. It is our hope that through this lifesaving work, gun owners across America will be inspired to take the next step in protecting their homes and communities by storing their guns securely.”

The new PSAs feature two Hispanic fathers who are real gun owners, not actors, sharing how they currently store their personal firearms. The parents are presented with heartfelt letters written by parents whose children were killed in gun-related tragedies, emphasizing the importance of safe gun storage and prompting the two fathers to reconsider their storage habits in real time. The spot ends by encouraging viewers to visit EndFamilyFire.org and DaElSiguientePaso.org for information about safe gun storage and resources to help prevent shooting injuries and deaths.

Since 2018, End Family Fire has been working to shift the way gun owners think about and store their firearms. Gun violence is an issue that impacts everyone and by including gun owners throughout research, development, and production, the program intentionally brings these voices in as a part of the solution to reduce preventable firearm deaths.  

To date, End Family Fire has garnered over $120 million in donated media and over 5.2 billion impressions and has had proven success at changing attitudes and behaviors around gun usage and safe storage: According to an Ad Council study, 42 percent of respondents with a child in the home who are aware of the End Family Fire campaign have reported seeking information on safe gun storage in the past 12 months, compared to 10 percent of those not aware. (Source: Ad Council online survey of 1,815 U.S. adults who reside in gun-owning households, fielded by Ipsos January 1, 2024March 31, 2024).

This new creative will run across broadcast TV, social, digital, online video, radio and print media nationwide donated by both Spanish and English media. TelevisaUnivision is providing additional support to ensure the new PSAs further reach intended audiences by donating TV, social and digital inventory. Additional forthcoming audio assets will be produced by SiriusXM Media’s Studio Resonate and supported by donated inventory. To learn more about End Family Fire and how to promote responsible gun ownership, visit EndFamilyFire.org or DaElSiguientePaso.org.

About End Family Fire
End Family Fire, a joint effort from Brady and the Ad Council, encourages safe gun storage by putting a name to the preventable tragedies that occur when guns in the home are misused. “Family fire,” a term developed for the campaign, refers to a shooting caused by someone having access to a gun from the home when they shouldn’t have it. This includes children as well as those who display behavior that indicates they could harm themselves or others. The national public education program brings awareness to the issue of family fire, gives gun owners a role in preventing firearm death and injuries, and encourages a national dialogue around safe storage practices—all of which can help prevent tragedies of family fire.

End Family Fire (then known as the ASKing Saves Kids, or ASK, campaign) was rated the only effective national safe storage education effort by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in an analysis that included programs from notable gun organizations across the country.

About Brady
In America, there are more guns than there are people. And that’s matched with a gun homicide rate that is 26 times greater than that of other high-income countries. Brady – the nation’s oldest gun violence prevention organization – works to enact reasonable solutions to free America from gun violence. We tackle three critical areas: change the laws, change the industry, and change the culture. This three-point strategy is unique in the movement and follows the roadmap behind other successful public health campaigns, like those around youth smoking, seatbelt use, and drunk driving. By changing hearts and minds and fostering a culture of responsible gun use and ownership, we can free America from gun violence. Join the movement at bradyunited.org.

About Casanova//McCann 
Casanova//McCann is one of the leading Hispanic integrated communications agencies in the U.S. Founded in 1984, the company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA and handles Hispanic advertising and integrated communications services for Clients like Nestlé, Chevrolet, Pernod Ricard, US Postal Service, U.S. Bank, among others. Casanova became a minority and female owned certified Agency in 2020 and continues to be an affiliate of McCann.

About The Ad Council
The Ad Council convenes creative storytellers to educate, unite and uplift audiences by opening hearts, inspiring action and accelerating change around the most pressing issues in America. Since the non-profit’s founding, the organization and its partners in advertising, media, marketing and tech have been behind some of the country’s most iconic social impact campaigns – Smokey Bear, A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste, Love Has No Labels, Tear the Paper Ceiling and many more. With a current focus on mental health, gun safety, the opioid epidemic, skill-based hiring and other critical issues, the Ad Council’s national campaigns encompass advertising and media content, ground game and community efforts, trusted messenger and influencer engagement, and employer programs, among other innovative strategies to move the needle on the most important issues of the day. To learn more or get involved, visit AdCouncil.org, join the Ad Council’s communities on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X, and view campaign creative on YouTube.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-campaign-encourages-hispanic-parents-to-store-their-firearms-safely-302180825.html

SOURCE The Ad Council

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Vidrio Financial Unveils Alternative Investment (VIP) Ecosystem: A Unified Platform Hub for Data, Decisions, and Deal Flow

Published

on

By

NEW YORK, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In the first quarter of this year, Vidrio Financial (“Vidrio”) saw significant growth and demand for our institutional portfolio management platform, highlighted by new mandates from leading investors. Building on this momentum, Vidrio is excited to introduce VIP, (Vidrio Investor Partner), a new investment ecosystem that connects institutional investors, fund managers, and service providers on a single integrated platform.

This natural extension of Vidrio expands our ecosystem where institutional investors, fund managers, and service providers can collaborate in the delivery of specialized GP and LP services and access investment opportunities across managed funds, secondary auctions, co-investments, high-quality LP advisory services, and more, all without requiring the building of additional infrastructure. VIP preserves Vidrio’s core commitment to efficiency, objectivity and independence across alternative investments while providing tools for scaling investment capabilities that align both LP and GP strategic goals.

Mazen Jabban, Chairman & CEO, Vidrio Financial, stated, “For many years, clients asked us to apply our proven strength in portfolio monitoring and managed data services to critical areas of investment advisory and due diligence, as well as administration. We intentionally waited until we could deliver them in a way that efficiently bridged the gap and leveraged our software infrastructure to form a more connected investment ecosystem. VIP is that ecosystem.”

Gygmy Gonnot, Managing Director, Vidrio Financial, stated, “VIP was built on three foundational principles – expert partner-led curation, complete data ownership by investors, and independence and transparency with continuous monitoring by Vidrio. Together, these principles create an ecosystem where institutional investors, fund managers, and service providers can engage with confidence, knowing that trust and objectivity remain at the center of every interaction.

The VIP Investor Plus tier further enhances the experience with sophisticated portfolio construction, scenario analysis, transaction management, trade workflows, and more capabilities”.

VIP is launching with limited-time incentives through September 2026. To explore these benefits, visit the VIP website at https://www.vidrio.com/vip-ecosystem

About Vidrio Financial

Vidrio Financial (www.vidrio.com) is a leading provider of alternative investment management technology and managed data services for institutional investors. We empower allocators with a unified platform that delivers portfolio management, analytics, and data intelligence across complex investment portfolios. Leveraging automation, machine learning, and agentic AI, Vidrio helps investment teams improve efficiency, strengthen oversight, and make more informed decisions.

Media Inquiries:
David Barry, Head of Marketing
david.barry@vidrio.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/vidrio-financial-unveils-alternative-investment-vip-ecosystem-a-unified-platform-hub-for-data-decisions-and-deal-flow-302801141.html

Continue Reading

Technology

ISRO Scientists Launch Space Technology & Research Program 2026 at Chandigarh University

Published

on

By

CU Space Program to offer training & research by ISRO, IIST Scientists for research scholars and students

CHANDIGARH, India, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In a major step towards strengthening space technology education and research, Chandigarh University, through its Kalpana Chawla Centre (KCC) has launched the KCC Space Technology & Research Program 2026 and the KCC Summer Internship Program 2026 at its campus on Monday.

The month-long national-level programme, running from June 15 to July 11, 2026, has brought together leading space scientists, satellite technologists and semiconductor experts from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) and other premier scientific institutions to mentor the next generation of innovators and researchers. The initiative will provide students with valuable insights into emerging space technologies and hands-on exposure to cutting-edge developments shaping India’s rapidly evolving space sector.

The inaugural ceremony was graced by Dr S Sudhakar, Deputy Director, U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), ISRO as the Chief Guest while Prof. Priyadarshnam, Head and Project Director, SSPACE, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) attended as the Guest of Honour. Distinguished guests included Dr. Kamaljeet Singh, Director General, Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Chandigarh, and Sri Jothy Soman, Group Director, URSC, ISRO.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr S Sudhakar, Deputy Director, U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), ISRO said, “As India works towards becoming a developed nation by 2047, science and technology will play a defining role in shaping the future. Science is going to govern the world and space technology will be one of the most important drivers of that transformation. One of the most important lessons young engineers and researchers can learn from ISRO’s journey is the value of developing indigenous technologies. We have achieved world-class results by building our own capabilities and relying on the talent of our people. Technology does not come free and acquiring it from elsewhere often comes at a significant cost. When we develop technologies ourselves, we not only reduce costs but also gain strategic advantages and self-reliance. This approach has enabled India to perform exceptionally well despite resource constraints.”

Dr S Sudhakar added, “Communication, navigation, scientific exploration and strategic applications will increasingly depend on advancements in the space sector. The coming decades will witness growing demand for space-based services, including surveillance, communication and navigation systems. The defence sector is also expanding its space-based capabilities, both independently and in collaboration with ISRO. At the same time, there will be increasing requirements for scientific research, exploration missions and technology development across multiple domains.”

“ISRO has already charted out an ambitious roadmap extending to 2047, including major programmes ranging from advanced exploration missions to long-term human spaceflight missions. To remain technologically ahead in an increasingly competitive global environment, India must continue to invest in indigenous technologies and strengthen its infrastructure,” added Dr Sudhakar.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Priyadarshnam, Head & Project Director, SSPACE, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) said, “ISRO has always been at the forefront of achieving maximum impact with limited resources. One of the key lessons from its journey is the importance of precision, rigorous testing and human expertise. While automation has its place, mission success ultimately depends on meticulous development, validation and the dedication of scientists and engineers. This culture of frugal innovation and uncompromising testing has been central to ISRO’s achievements over the years.”

On the role emerging technologies can play in strengthening the security systems in the country, Prof. Priyadarshnam said, “Quantum technology will be a major thrust area in the future. If we do not adapt to quantum systems, many of the present security mechanisms could eventually become vulnerable. Research organizations across India, including ISRO, are already working on quantum technologies, particularly quantum cryptography and quantum communications. Artificial intelligence is another technology that will have a profound impact on the space sector. While its adoption in satellite systems is still evolving, the enormous volume of data being generated by modern space missions will make AI indispensable for analysis, decision-making and future space applications. These areas will play a crucial role in securing communications, protecting critical infrastructure and strengthening national security in the years ahead.”

On space technology’s role in driving economic growth, he said, “Space technology is going to play a major role in India’s future development. Unless we are quick enough to adopt and integrate space technologies across the domains, the pace of development will not be sufficient. There is certainly a threat perception arising from the growing role of space-based technologies in security and strategic affairs. However, India has the capability to overcome such challenges through indigenous innovation and technological self-reliance. India’s greatest strength lies in its talent, and we must increase our workforce in this critical sector. Innovation in areas such as small satellite technologies and advanced space systems will be important in enhancing our preparedness and resilience.”

Dr Kamaljeet Singh, Director General, Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) said, “Semiconductors are the foundation of the digital economy and will play a crucial role in India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. Under the India Semiconductor Mission, significant progress is already being made with multiple manufacturing and assembly plants being established across the country. Our objective is to build a robust, full-stack semiconductor ecosystem that reduces import dependence and strengthens India’s technological capabilities. Semiconductors are critical for strategic sectors including space, telecommunications, defence, artificial intelligence and advanced computing.”

“The next step is to strengthen manufacturing, deployment and application ecosystems. As artificial intelligence becomes a key driver of future growth, India must leverage its vast data resources to develop indigenous technologies and sovereign AI models. Building strong capabilities in semiconductors and AI will not only boost economic growth but also enhance national security, technological independence and India’s competitiveness in the global innovation landscape,” added Dr Kamaljeet.

Over the next four weeks, nearly 15 eminent scientists, directors, senior researchers and technical experts from premier national institutions including ISRO, IIST, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) and other leading organizations will engage with Chandigarh University students and faculty through an intensive series of technical training sessions, expert lectures, laboratory demonstrations, mentoring programmes, research discussions and interactive workshops.

About Chandigarh University

Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and QS World Ranked University. This autonomous educational institution is approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC.

Website address: https://www.cuchd.in/ 

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/isro-scientists-launch-space-technology–research-program-2026-at-chandigarh-university-302801168.html

Continue Reading

Technology

InCred Capital Expands Global Footprint with Launch of US Operations; Appoints Arunava Das as CEO, North America

Published

on

By

MUMBAI, India, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — InCred Capital, the institutional, wealth and asset management arm of InCred Group, today announced the launch of its US operations with the opening of its New York office.

Building on its established presence across India, Singapore, Dubai and London, the launch marks another important milestone in InCred Capital’s journey to build a leading global platform connecting international capital with India’s growth opportunities.

The New York office will focus on serving institutional investors, family offices and sophisticated clients through differentiated India-focused research, execution, corporate access and capital markets solutions, alongside curated opportunities across private markets, fixed income, alternatives, structured products and bespoke investment strategies.

To lead its North American business, InCred Capital has appointed financial services veteran Arunava Das as CEO, North America.

Arunava brings more than two decades of experience across institutional equities, capital markets and wealth management. Prior to joining InCred Capital, he served as CEO & Managing Director of JM Financial Securities Inc. and JM Private Wealth (North America). He has also held senior leadership roles at JPMorgan Chase and Edelweiss Capital.

Commenting on the launch, Bhupinder Singh, Founder of InCred Group, said: “The United States is a critical market for InCred Capital and a natural next step in our global expansion. As India’s economy, capital markets and corporate sector continue to scale, global investor interest in India is stronger than ever. Our presence in New York will allow us to engage more closely with leading institutional investors, family offices and corporations, while helping our clients access opportunities across one of the world’s most dynamic growth markets.

Arunava combines deep market expertise with long-standing relationships across the North American investment community. He is the ideal leader to build and scale our business in the region.”

Commenting on his appointment, Arunava Das said: “I am excited to join InCred Capital at a time when India is increasingly becoming a strategic allocation for global investors. InCred has built a highly respected franchise across lending, wealth management, asset management, investment banking and institutional equities, supported by a strong culture of innovation and client focus. I look forward to establishing our North American presence and strengthening the bridge between global investors and the opportunities emerging from India’s growth story.”

With operations across India, Singapore, Dubai, London and now New York, InCred Capital operates an integrated platform spanning wealth management, asset management and institutional equities. The business manages over INR 1 lakh crore (USD 10.5 billion) in wealth assets and approximately INR 10,000 crore (USD 1 billion) in asset management assets.

For more information, visit https://www.incredcapital.com/

 

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/incred-capital-expands-global-footprint-with-launch-of-us-operations-appoints-arunava-das-as-ceo-north-america-302801182.html

Continue Reading

Trending