NCJ Number
176362
Date Published
1999
Length
203 pages
Annotation
This report evaluates the effectiveness of Phase II of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
Abstract
Launched in July 1998, Phase II of the media campaign included 82 different advertisements that were presented through a range of media, including television, radio, newspapers, magazines, school book covers, movie theaters, and the Internet. The overall communication objective was to reach 90 percent of the target audience with 4 to 7 anti-drug messages each week. The evaluation of the media campaign considered the effect of advertisements on awareness of anti-drug messages among youth and parents of school-age children. Evaluation findings revealed significantly increased awareness of anti-drug messages. The percentage of youth who agreed that the advertisements made them stay away from drugs increased by 8 points between baseline and follow-up; the percentage who agreed that the advertisements told them something they did not know about drugs increased by 5 points. Television commercials represented an important source of information about the risks and dangers of drugs. Several lessons were learned from the evaluation of the media campaign: (1) The ONDCP is increasing the supply of new anti-drug advertisements to reach various racial and ethnic groups, and has approved the development of new advertisements in 11 languages other than English; (2) Target audiences have been further refined to focus more on "sensation seekers" and middle school students most at risk; (3) Alliances with media companies will be developed as they have been found to be highly effective in reaching the target audiences due to the wide range of communication vehicles offered and extensive expertise; (4) The third phase of the media campaign will expand the Internet component. References, tables, and figures