Want to keep me off drugs? Make me laugh or make me scream! - Part II

(To set the record straight, this blogger only uses one drug, Aspirin, and does not drink or smoke anything. However, she does not mind if others do responsibly. Which is why she's writing this.)

In the previous post, I looked at the not-so-memorable and definitely not so persuasive drug ads. DARE was big in the 90s, and yet the kids donning those t-shirts are the ones harvesting mary jane in their dorm closets. Something didn't work.

There's really no way to judge whether a campaign is effective or not, because its rather impossible to track which would-be user has watched what program/worn which t-shirt. But there are definitely some ads that make you think, or gasp, or say "WOW." Recently, I think we've had some memorable ads. Both of these ads aim to stun, whether making the viewer laugh or gasp in horror. And you don't stun with words. In any film school, you are told that good film making is about showing, not telling. What we have found are two North American ads that quickly show the dangers of drug use in ways that will be remembered by the viewers later on.

This one comes from MTV. Although the network has long abandoned music and opted to be a start-up vehicle for Southern California teens turned celebrities, they have come up with this masterpiece.

When I showed this in my marketing class, I had more fun watching the faces of my classmates. They were calm, then gasped in disgust and proceeded to laugh at the mumbled punch line. The message came very quickly afterwards. Marijuana is regarded as being a "light drug" with numerous researchers arguing that it's less toxic than alcohol and that the main reason it hasn't been legalized is the difficulty of related taxation. The key here was not to get you to stop using it, but to avoid operating heavy machinery, illustrating by the severe lack of judgment displayed by the two gentlemen in the front row seats. They didn't talk about the possibility of car crashes, severe bodily harm or incestuous lip locks. They showed. Wouldn't you remember this one? Wait until you see the next.

The folks who made this have really thought it through. I can really appreciate the horror movie feel, reminiscent of the shower scene in Psycho and The Grudge. The contrast of the light bathroom, the girl-next-door and her future self, battered and crying on the shower floor, pleading for her to alter her future, actually had me saying "Holy crap!" Again, show, don't tell. She doesn't talk about the life of an addict, her images on wounds on her previously flawless face speak volumes of the dangers of meth addiction and how quickly that stage is reached.

When producing these sorts of advertisements aimed at a young audience, I think it's vital to understand the maximum power of your message and adjust accordingly. We are creatures of "do whatever we want" so telling us what to do won't help. We need information! Being condescending with ridiculous preppy afterschool specials never worked. Speaking of which, here's an example...

You can't prevent drug use or drug abuse, as some would argue, or purchases. The key is to make sure you embed these images in young minds and connect them to messages that you want to reappear when your audience is making certain decisions, be they drug use or buying t-shirts.

“Just don’t do it, ok?” – Part I

(To set the record straight, this blogger only uses one drug, Aspirin, and does not drink or smoke anything. However, she does not mind if others do responsibly. Which is why she's writing this.)

I went to Yuk Yuks only one time and, to be honest, only enjoyed one comic. I can't recall his name but the main issue of his act was the US hostility towards Canadian decriminalization of marijuana. He was mainly pissed off that he had to carry his passport to cross the border. His issue was the vilification of marijuana use. The stand-up ganja lover went on to ridicule the US government's notion that by using marijuana, you are "supporting terrorism." He laughed it off. "Terrorism? When I get high the only folks I'm supporting are Rastafarians and single mothers."

Nancy Botwin isn't hurting anyone on Weeds. She's just trying to feed two kids.

The notion of supporting terrorism every time you light up is another in a series of poorly planned and ineffective anti-drug government campaigns, usually issued in releases only picked up by newspapers not read by the crowd they're targeting. Couldn't they come up with anything better? Clearly not.

I remember when we were in grade school, the DARE program was a huge deal. Everyone used those t-shirts they gave out as PJs or smocks for paint class. Regardless of the style choices, DARE seemed useless. For starters, no one knew what it stood for. Most of us still don't. I still think that the goal of the program was to just give you a t-shirt. Maybe I'm just upset that I never got a DARE t-shirt. Who knows, if I went to that school a little longer without a DARE t-shirt, I would feel like an outcast, isolated from my peers, and turn to drugs.

The DARE lion didn't need drugs, because he had this t-shirt and blended in with his friends. Yes to being an individual!

We were well out of the age of the after-school specials and mascots, and the campaign, complete with preppy videos and dancing was just so Zach Morris, the generation couldn't stand it, much less remember its message.

What do you think Zach was doing after school? And wait a minute, how could he afford that phone? Hmm....

Then there was the clip of Rachel Leigh Cook smashing an egg with a frying pan, staring square into the camera and screaming "This is your brain on drugs."

The path to any teenager's heart, as any high school teacher will tell you, is not a lecture. Although the speaker is very attractive, mere talking doesn't seem to be incredibly innovative or effective, regardless of the number of smashed eggs. That quickly became a favourite of sketch shows and the late night talk circuit. There were also campaigns to keep kids off drugs and promoting sports programs instead. But the no-drugs rule expires once you hit the major leagues, where drug use is pretty much the norm... until you get caught. It's hard to chase the dragon.

The issue with all these campaigns was that they were telling the audience what to do. It’s hard to argue that teenagers are the smartest crowd, but it’s unreasonable to assume that they are completely incapable of thinking for themselves. They just need extra persuasion and a clever way to deliver the message. Young people are going to make their own decision – we’re just stubborn like that – and there is a need for information, not a dictator. This does not only apply to drugs, but anti-drug campaigns make for a great study of appealing to teenagers and altering their behaviour patterns. Stay tuned for Part II and the discussion of significantly better anti-drug ads.

Dealing with the pain

Building unique, original content on this blog is extremely important to me so on those few rare days when I don’t post anything you can assume that something is wrong. Something strange is going on inside my abdomen which I can’t quite understand! It’s incredibly painful and my doctor has put me on Tylenol 3 with codeine and Prevacid, a strong antacid.

Neither of these are particularly glamorous medications (although the Tylenol 3 with codeine is a really nice trip!), but tonight I wanted to post about the ‘fashion’ drugs so often advertised on Nightly News or CNN. Here are some of my favourites:

Advair

What is COPD anyway? Doesn’t this seem like a condition invented for the sole purpose of selling this drug? Anyway, this Advair commercial is the perfect template for most ask-your-doctor drug ads. Let’s break it down:

1. Dark and dreary lighting during the setup before the drug is introduced
2. Oh my God, her life looks so much better now! She’s outside!
3. Simplified graphic of bodily insides showing effective relief in action
4. Lots of detail from the voiceover
5. Free offer ensures that patients stay over-medicated and doctors continue a second revenue stream

Overall, very effective.

Requip

Requip is hilarious. What Kramer called ‘jimmy legs’ are now a legitimate condition called RLS, apparently diagnosed first in this commercial! This drug is basically a narcotic to keep you in one place at night.

So many things are wrong with the Requip commercial. The creepy music punctuating shots of this poor woman rolling like a log in bed only pique my curiosity about these “strange sensations” the woman was feeling in her legs. Didn’t my junior high sex ed classes also talk about the “strange sensations” I would soon experience? But the best part of this commercial is the slow, thoughtful panning of the camera over her legs, now lying dead still on a chaise – thanks Requip!

Zoloft

Man, live must be pretty awful when you can easily compare your depressed situation to that of an anthropomorphic blob squishing along its miserable way. Zoloft introduced us to a new family of designer ‘mood’ drugs and the tone of this commercial is quite apparent – it’s ok to feel like you want to kill yourself.

Huh?

Although the initial tone may try a little too hard to sell viewers on a drug they might not have otherwise needed, I do appreciate the descriptive cartoon diagram of neural pathways in the brain as Woody Allen serenades on the oboe.

Rozerem

Now this is actually clever! Rozerem continues the dynastic tradition set by Ambien and Lunesta for sleep aids that we shouldn’t otherwise be taking. Gee, maybe we can’t sleep because of all the Red Bull and Starbucks we’re ingesting. I like the no bullshit tone of the male voiceover too – it makes the drug sound more effective and less mystical. Also pay attention to one of the first statements made in the copy: “Rozerem is the first and only prescription sleep aid that in clinical studies shows no risk for abuse or dependence” – obviously identified as a likely aversion concern for possible users and therefore reinforced in the commercial. Smart.

Dr. Porkenheimer’s Boner Juice

Thicker, sturdier, and meatier? Sign me up!