We Are All Fucked / BC Securities Commission
When A.I. scams started outpacing public awareness, the British Columbia Securities Commission needed a message that could actually break through. Rather than leaning on fear-based warnings that nobody was listening to, ONE23WEST tapped into the dark humour already circulating online and turned it into a satirical musical anthem — bold, cathartic, and impossible to ignore. The result was a campaign that didn’t just inform people, it made them feel seen.
Client and Sector
The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) is the provincial regulator responsible for protecting investors and maintaining fair, efficient capital markets in British Columbia, Canada. Operating at the intersection of public safety and financial regulation, the BCSC works to educate everyday investors and build trust in an increasingly complex and threat-prone financial landscape.
Challenge
The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) is responsible for protecting investors from fraudulent investment practices. With the rapid rise of generative A.I., scams have become harder to detect and more dangerous. From deepfakes to voice cloning and social engineering, the new wave of fraud is eroding public trust, and putting everyday people at risk. In fact, 71% of British Columbians say they’re worried about falling victim to A.I. fraud.
But traditional PSAs weren’t cutting through. The message wasn’t reaching younger, digitally savvy investors, or those most active on the platforms where scams are now taking root. British Columbians weren’t just feeling anxious, they were feeling powerless.
Approach
Research showed that 71% of British Columbians were worried about A.I. fraud, while social listening revealed a telling pattern in how people were talking about it: a mix of panic, resignation, and dark humour. The cultural sentiment we uncovered—“we’re all fucked”—became our strategic unlock. By naming people’s fears out loud, we could earn their attention and trust while humour mirrored how society copes with overwhelming issues.
We also looked to music, a format historically used to rally people around big, urgent problems to deliver our message. Music disarms, connects, and energizes. It made the message feel cathartic instead of preachy.
Knowing fear-based education wouldn’t resonate, the BCSC took a completely different approach: humour. It tapped into the growing panic about A.I., and flipped it on its head with a powerful, musical, emotionally cathartic message: We’re Not All Fucked. By giving voice to the exact fears people were feeling (but hadn’t heard said out loud), and offering a clear path to protection, the BCSC became not just a regulator but a reassuring presence in a confusing time. This culturally tuned, darkly funny, locally grounded campaign broke the mold for public safety messaging in British Columbia.
Execution
Faced with growing fear around A.I. scams, the BCSC needed a message that would resonate in a crowded, skeptical digital environment. Our challenge was twofold: reach younger audiences and do it in a way that actually stuck. So, we took a risk, using comedy, music, and blunt honesty. We created a high-production-value music video titled We’re Not All Fucked, a satirical anthem that acknowledged people’s fears while making it clear that help exists.
Everything from the satirical tone to the scroll-stopping visuals were designed to meet people where they already were: online, overwhelmed, and unsure what to do. At the heart of it all was a clear CTA: visit AvoidAIScams.ca to protect yourself, because we’re not all fucked.
Results
The campaign made a bold cultural impact almost immediately. In just the first two weeks, it made 69,764,040 impressions, sparking conversations online and drawing praise for its unique blend of honesty, theatricality, and humour. Viewers actively engaged with the video on social platforms, many sharing it with comments like “this is the best thing AI has ever given me” and “one of the best ads , I watch it again and again.”
The metrics proved it too, with CTV achieving 141% to the benchmark for the medium. The campaign reframed a dry regulatory message into something culturally relevant and emotionally engaging, especially for audiences more vulnerable to A.I. scams. There was also a notable increase in awareness and traffic to AvoidAIScams.ca upwards of 75k clicks. More importantly, the campaign repositioned the BCSC as a modern, credible ally, meeting people with empathy, clarity, and courage in the face of a rapidly evolving threat.
Awareness rose from 41% to 48%—a 7% increase that exceeded our target by 4% and marked a record high.
Familiarity also climbed from 41% to 46%—a 5% gain, surpassing our goal by 2% and reaching the highest level in the past decade.
