"Above the Influence" Anti-Drug Campaign

[Lutter]

Is it just me or are these print, television, and theatrical anti-drug ads very very stupid? Take a look:

 

 

Your government dollars at work people.

 

Seriously, if I were to make an ad it would be a kid just graduating from college/high school with a high degree going in, getting a position and being offered a huge salary... but loses the opportunity because he fails his drug test.

 

I don't know who is running these agencies, but I have a LOT of friends that smoke marijuana and they are not idiots that just sit around all day on their ass and see talking dogs. Most people that smoke are hardworking students and employees that smoke exactly the same way most people drink alcohol: at night, after work, or on the weekends.

 

I just hate the stereotype of a pot smoker when most people know it is not true.

[Union Carbine]

Unfortunately, your friends wouldn't make conducive anti-pot spokespeople.

 

Of all the illegal drugs, pot has the most exalted level of acceptance. Most people simply aren't offended by it. In the media, pot-heads are almost always portrayed as dopey, quaint, likable, and socially and/or politically conscious. How do you fight against that?

[PoisonJam]

Unfortunately, your friends wouldn't make conducive anti-pot spokespeople.

 

Of all the illegal drugs, pot has the most exalted level of acceptance. Most people simply aren't offended by it. In the media, pot-heads are almost always portrayed as dopey, quaint, likable, and socially and/or politically conscious. How do you fight against that?

 

Actually, I think Rob came up with a great way in his first post: show a kid not getting a job because he flunked a drug test. Or if you are targetting a younger demo, show a kid getting kicked off the swim/basketball/football team for the same reason.

[Union Carbine]

Actually, I think Rob came up with a great way in his first post: show a kid not getting a job because he flunked a drug test. Or if you are targetting a younger demo, show a kid getting kicked off the swim/basketball/football team for the same reason.

It's a good idea but I don't think, against the avalanche of popular media-reinforced images, it can compete.

[fighting fish]

I agree that a more "real world" portrayal of the consequences of drugs would have more of an impact. Wasn't there some ads a while ago that were along the lines of "We're so high! WOO-HOO! Check out my Dad's gun! *BLAM*" and "In the drive-thru, smokin' weed! WOO-HOO! Got me some fries, let's ROLL! *SMASH* oh crap we ran over a little girl on a bike!" Now I guess I have to worry about my talking dog losing all respect for me.

 

I just wish they wouldn't talk down to their audience, becuase I think kids can sense that. Just be like, "listen, if you do pot, you're probably not going to die, but this could happen and that really sucks.... just keep that in mind."

 

The anti-smoking ads bug the crap out of me too. If you don't know smoking is bad for you and you don't realize that Big Tobacco executives want to sell their product to as many people as possible, then maybe you're too dumb to be on the planet anyways.

[Union Carbine]

Got me some fries, let's ROLL! *SMASH* oh crap we ran over a little girl on a bike!"

The Chappelle Show did an awesome spoof of that commercial. i think the problem was (is?) that nobody really takes these situations seriously. Maybe if they showed a REAL person who reflected back on an incident (Hello, Ricky Williams), it would both feel more real and honest and be more effective.

[GreenMonkey]

What they need to do is legalize marijuana. When you demonize one of the most harmless drugs, it just makes kids not trust what you say about the actual scary addictive drugs (like Heroin, Oxycontin, etc).

 

I think it'll be legalized in the next 20 years or so. Most folks under the age of 30 or so see it as it is: relatively harmless and pretty much less harmful than smoking or drinking.

[fighting fish]

The Chappelle Show did an awesome spoof of that commercial. i think the problem was (is?) that nobody really takes these situations seriously. Maybe if they showed a REAL person who reflected back on an incident (Hello, Ricky Williams), it would both feel more real and honest and be more effective.

 

:lol That's RIGHT! In fact, I think I might be remembering that instead of the real PSA. Time to break out my DVDs.

 

My problem with reflecting on "incidents", with incidents equating to accidents, is that I think most people (espeically young people) think, "that'll never happen to me". But if you were to try to phrase the PSA as "yeah, you probably won't die or kill anybody, but you WILL want a job someday, and this could prevent that," it MIGHT reach somebody.

 

But of course, it's all a crap-shoot. What might reach one person could totally turn away another.

[PoisonJam]

But of course, it's all a crap-shoot. What might reach one person could totally turn away another.

 

That is the truest, and for a parent the scariest, statement one can make on this issue. There really is no way to craft a message that will be effective in all, or even most cases. Bottom line is, kids generally do what their friends are doing. You can tell them anythin gyou want, but if their friends are smoking weed, your kid is probably going to try it. My parents were virulently anti-smoking, both of my grandfathers died of lung cancer, and I never smoked. My two siblings, however, did for years. What was the difference? We were all raised in the same environment with the same "smoking is slow suicide" message. The difference was, my friends didn't start smoking and theirs did.

 

Terrifying stuff for any parent, and I don't envy any ad agency who has to come up with a way to combat it.