Suburban moms hit streets in anti-drug ads

These new ads by Allen & Gerristen for the Partnership for a Drug Free America strive to empower parents to get the information they need to discuss drug use with their kids. The vignettes show what moms won't need to do: visit dealers and hang out in crack dens. (Where are the dads, tossing back a few at the local bar?) Actually, it's a reasonable strategy, but the execution is so odd, it muddles the message. Why portray the parents as bubble-headed suburbanites who can't identify crack even when they walk into a crack den? Actually, the teens in that spot look more like vampires than junkies, and the scene plays like a goofy outtake from Twilight. I know absurdity's the whole point here, but the "dealers" in the street-corner spot seem to be channeling Scott Baio's Chachi for their tough-guy/urban accents. I feel like I'm on drugs just watching it!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on April 30, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Allen & Gerritsen, Anti-drug, Gianatasio, Partnership for a Drug Free America, PSAs

Mom gives birth to teen in new anti-drug ad

The target audience for this new spot from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America isn't drug-using teens. It's the mothers of teens who might tumble into that category. It's aimed at persuading moms that they're strongly influential on their kids (appearances to the contrary notwithstanding) and should make good use of that power. Still, if a kid happens to see this oddball commercial while under the influence of some illicit substance, he may imagine he's having a "bad trip" (if that's what it's still called) and decide to clean up his act forthwith. The sight of a woman giving birth to a full-fledged teenager is, after all, a bit unsettling. Almost as unsettling as the sight of a cow giving birth to a hipster. Martin/Williams of Minneapolis created the spot.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver

Published on April 2, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Anti-drug, Dolliver, Freaky, Martin/Williams, Partnership for a Drug Free America

Your filthy, furry drug habit will not go away

Pugsley of Rabbit directed this entertaining and memorable "Above the Influence" spot from McKinney for the Partnership for a Drug Free America. A stoner dude's "problem" takes the form of a shaggy humanoid creature who's with the kid all the time, causing mischief, though only his friends are aware of his existence. Teens are so sensitive to peer pressure, the idea of losing face with classmates may well prove effective. And yet, as I watch that beast drag its claws down the halls, causing no real damage to anyone or anything and generating plenty of attention for its host, my gut reaction, and this may be true for many 12- to 17-year-olds, is: Cooool. I want one. UPDATE: Above the Influence has disowned this spot, saying it "was not approved, is not being distributed anywhere and not slated for distribution in the future." Too bad.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on February 18, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (7)
Filed under Anti-drug, Freaky, Gianatasio, McKinney, Partnership for a Drug Free America, PSAs

New McKinney anti-pot ads get it half right

McKinney and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America have released the latest ad strike in the "Above the Influence" campaign. The campaign consists of a series of fake ads recruiting teens for jobs as burrito tasters, couch security guards and TV remote-control operators. The teens are sent to microsites (like this one for burrito tasting) that redirect to AboveTheInfluence.com. The kicker? Copy at the bottom reads, "Hey, not trying to be your mom, but there aren't many jobs out there for potheads." At first, I was majorly excited that they were focusing on the monetary downside of smoking pot and not on the OMG-you're-so-gonna-die-if-you-smoke-pot part. But the awesome fake recruitment ads are only part of the campaign. A separate but equal series of ads appearing in the same mags will focus on the you're-so-gonna-die aspect of drug awareness, featuring animals dressed like teens involved in life-threatening situations. In one execution, two slugs do some salt, and through the power of metaphor we are educated about the deadly nature of weed. Teens, who are of course immortal, still don't respond as well to the abstract threat of death as they do to the everyday threat of social stigma.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Published on October 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (15)
Filed under Anti-drug, Cullers, McKinney, Partnership for a Drug Free America