The numbers are staggering. The risks are innumerable. The victims are countless. In 2005, Montana had the 5th highest methamphetamine issue in the United States, with 50% of adults in prison in there due to meth-related crime (Montana Meth Project, 2015) (Peter, 2008) . With this dangerous drug on the rise, and new and potential users seeing little to no risk in trying it, it seemed that little could be done to prevent the epidemic that was overtaking the state. It was then that the Montana Meth Project burst onto the scene, “cranking” out advertisements that showed “crystal”-clear depictions of the dangers of methamphetamine, even after trying it “even once”. It was the latter statement that developed into the now-famous slogan for the campaign, “Meth: Not Even Once”. This slogan was not only snappy and to the point, but it also perfectly highlighted the objective of the campaign: prevention. As described by Tom Siebel, the chairman and founder of the project, “The Meth Project is about dramatically reducing methamphetamine use amongst teenagers and young adults. We’re particularly focused on first-time methamphetamine use. The Meth Project is a large-scale exercise in prevention. The Meth Project is about educating the consuming public about the benefits and risks of methamphetamine so they can make a better informed product consumption decision” (Meth Project, 2012). In terms of the product being sold by the advertisements, the project “approached the scourge of meth as if it were any other business” (Beale, 2008) Siebel says that they took an unusual approach. “We viewed it as a consumer product, researched it as a consumer product and marketed it…or un-marketed it as a consumer product” (Beale, 2008). The campaign spread its message across a variety of mediums, including, “88 400 TV ads, 82 600 radio ads, 140 000 print impressions, 2 510 billboards, and 112 125 003 online impression” (Montana Meth Project, 2015), all of which conveying the detrimental effects of the drug in horrifying and shocking manners in attempt to eradicate the potential for future users. However, many parents have complained about the overly-graphic nature of the ads. Others have argued that it is their graphic content that makes them so effective. But have they proven to be effective?
Originally, the target market was going to be 18 to 24-year-olds, but they realized quickly that they were too old. They then held focus groups; two groups of 7th, 8th, and 9th graders, and two groups of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, each with four girls and four boys. What they learned was that most teens were already having opinions by the age of 13. It was this new knowledge that got the company thinking that they should aim for teens “while they’re young, before they think they know everything” (Oudsema, Wedell, 2007). They also learned from the students that “the teens preferred to hear messages from their peers-not just kids their own age, but kids who looked like their friends” (Oudsema, Wedell, 2007) They also “interviewed drug counselors, a recovering addict, and two teens with family members who were addicts”. It was from this that they learned the effects that meth has on families; “the violence, and the stealing, and the tendency for younger siblings to follow older siblings into addiction”. (Oudsema, Wedell, 2007). This further developed into the wave of ads that was introduced shortly thereafter, which focused on “the physical and emotional harm that meth users inflict on their family and friends” (Oudsema, Wedell, 2007). With this new information from their target audience, it became quickly apparent that the ads that they had to make were ones that demonstrated the deterioration of relationships within family units while on methamphetamine. While methamphetamine is hazardous to all areas of one’s life, making nearly all of the needs addressed on Maslow’s Hierarchy difficult to garner, the most-frequently depicted detriments that the drug offers are relating to love and belongingness, given how they show the ways that the drug destroys the relationships that one can have romantically, with their friends, and with their family. Based on this information, it can be easily said that the wants addressed are to not try methamphetamine as to not risk losing those relationships.
Due to the graphic nature of the ads, there were restrictions on the times that they could be shown, as well as not being allowed to be shown during the previews in movie theatres. Many parents also complained about the sexualized nature that some of the billboards possessed. Tim Gardner, a father of 6 young children, says, “I think it brings a message that young people and innocent children shouldn’t have to view driving down the street” (KXLY, 2010) . Despite the complaints raised, however, the ads have been working. When the campaign started in 2005, Montana was ranked the 5th for methamphetamine abuse. Now, it is 39th. Teen meth use has declined by 63%, adult meth use by 72%, and meth-related crime has decreased by 72%. The program in Montana has acted as a model for the other states, and it has expanded into Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, and Wyoming (Montana Meth Project, 2015). Through the recent statistics, it has been definitely been proven that the ad campaign has made a drastic impact and was definitely effective in eliminating methamphetamine use in Montana. Through continued campaigning over recent years, including their Paint The Town campaign that just ended for the year. Before the campaign started, people “saw benefits, like weight loss and increased energy and happiness” (Oudsema, Wedell, 2007) to methamphetamine use. Afterwards, even now, people know better than to try meth - even once.
Bibliography
Beale, J. (2008, August 22). Montana meth ads winning drug battle. Retrieved October 5, 2015, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7576275.stm
Montana Meth Project. (2015). Retrieved October 5, 2015, from http://montanameth.org/
Meth Project Overview. (2012, June 22). Retrieved October 5, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs9BidLob5o&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Oudsema, S., & Wedell, R. (2007). Unselling Meth (SSIR). Retrieved October 5, 2015, from http://ssir.org/articles/entry/unselling_meth
Parents say graphic Anti-Meth campaign too graphic. (2010, June 21). Retrieved October 5, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_RiiGmDl_s&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Peter, T. (2008, March 27). Montana leads the way in U.S. success in curbing meth. Retrieved October 5, 2015, from http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2008/0327/p02s01-usgn.html
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