One pill can be your friend’s last.

Fentanyl was quietly becoming Kansas City’s deadliest killer, especially among young adults, with fentanyl-related deaths up 1,190% over five years. The City of Kansas City and United Way needed to break through apathy and misinformation fast. Most young people didn’t see themselves as at risk. They trusted pills from friends, unaware that even one could be fatal. Traditional PSAs were easy to ignore, either too clinical, too preachy, or too out of touch to spark real change.

BarkleyOKRP flipped the script, using AI and deepfake technology, with full family approval, to resurrect the real voices and likenesses of three young overdose victims. Their final messages were delivered peer-to-peer through Snapchat takeovers, Spotify ads, billboards, and even their own dormant social media accounts, turning tragedy into testimony and giving a city the will to act.