Ad Council and Leading Tech Companies Team Up to Educate Youth and Parents on the Dangers of Fentanyl

The Ad Council as part of a coordinated public awareness effort announced earlier this year has launched part one of a holistic approach to tackle the overdose crisis Educating young Americans about the dangers and prevalence of fentanyl the first phase of the campaign is funded by leading technology companies Snap and YouTube with a separate campaign in partnership with Meta that focuses on informing parents of the drug39s dangers launching this FallDrug overdoserelated deaths have skyrocketed in recent years with 2021 seeing a 52 percent increase over the previous two years The rise in deaths is largely due to the growing presence of synthetic opioids like fentanyl which were involved in an estimated 66 of overdose deaths during this time period1amp160Over 190 people die each day from overdoses involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl While 79 of teens say stress and anxiety are common reasons to misuse prescription medicine 73 report they hadn39t heard of the risk of fentanyl being added to counterfeit pills2quotYoung Americans are dying of fentanyl overdoses at a staggering rate and the time to act is nowquot saidamp160Lisa Sherman President and CEO of the Ad Council quotWe39re so grateful to all our partners who are joining us in the fight against the overdose crisis and delivering critical information during a time of need This powerful coalition is uniquely qualified to reach and influence young people and will allow us to make an extraordinary difference and save livesquotIllegally manufactured fentanyl has become increasingly prevalent appearing as a contaminant in illicit powdered drugs and being used to create counterfeit prescription pills Many young people are unaware of this shift meaning that there is an increased risk of unexpectedly coming into contact with fentanylamp160 The campaignamp160Real Deal on Fentanyl is funded by Snap and YouTube and looks to educate young Americans on the dangers of fentanyl and the likelihood of it being in counterfeit prescription pills and illicit drugsDeveloped pro bono by creative agency JOAN and produced by JOAN Studios the youthoriented work aims to help young Americans understand the deadly reality of fentanyllaced drugs working with unexpected yet highly qualified sources to educate them on these fake drugs former drug dealersamp160Shatterproof a national nonprofit dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the US served as an issue advisor to the campaign production amp8211 inamp160conjunction withamp160Second Chance Studiosamp160and JOAN who worked handinhand with these former drug dealers to develop classroomstyle lessons that offer handson learning opportunities to educate young people on the dangers of fentanyl The content was captured at Holyoke High School inamp160Holyoke Massachusetts an area especially affected by the crisis Taking over the school for the day former drug dealers stepped in as teachers amp8211 or quotsubstitute dealersquot amp8211 to educate students about the fentanyl crisis through the lens of their everyday class subjects The pilot effort was captured by a documentary team and the lessons will be edited into snackable content customtailored for social digital and linear media The lessons and resources for youth to learn about the dangers of fentanyl how to reduce their risks ways to help a friend and other lifesaving tools will also be available atamp160RealDealOnFentanylcom the campaign website developed by Viget and Good Works Inc Additionally as part of this national youth fentanyl awareness campaign Snap will launch a series of new Augmented Reality lenses filters stickers and content that amplify the campaign39s messaging across its platform and SXM Media39s Studio Resonate has developed a series of audio PSAs to run in targeted donated media across their platforms and additional publishers This multichannel effort is designed to reach young adults across the country getting them the facts on fentanyl through an interactive yet unconventional program in hopes that intercepting them during this impressionable time will potentially save their livesWatch the PSA Hereamp160httpsyoutubeJcAT6x8tY1IThe former dealers featured in theamp160Real Deal on Fentanylamp160campaign creative amp8211 Didi James and Kyle amp8211 come from diverse backgrounds each with different experiences with drugs fentanyl and recovery education an addiction recovery coach a substance abuse counsellor and a member of Second Chance Studios which helps formerly incarcerated people find new careers as digital educators All of them are people who have dedicated their lives to helping educate and help people avoid substance use or recover from it They were instrumental in developing this work candidly sharing their personal stories and connections to fentanyl with the production team and youth as well as their personal work as sober coaches and helping others through the recovery process Audiences are encouraged to learn more about them and their individual journeys on the campaign websitequotWe39re proud to be partnering with the Ad Council on this unprecedented effort to raise awareness and educate young people and parents around the dangers of counterfeit pills laced with fentanylquot saidamp160Jennifer Stout Vice President of Global Public Policy at Snap Inc quotAs we continue to do our part to combat this national epidemic support law enforcement investigations and educate our community through inapp tools we recognize an industrywide approach is needed That39s why we39re grateful for this collaboration and remain committed to bringing every resource to bear to keep fighting this crisis both on our app and across the tech landscapequotamp160quotFentanyl has permanently altered the course of so many people39s lives leaving devastated families and communities in its wake It39s critical that we educate young people on the dangers and prevalence of fentanyl and help them understand the threat We39re proud to be a part of this initiative and hope that it helps turn the tide on a deadly epidemic that has ended far too many lives far too soonquot YouTubequotIt may seem strange at first to think these students might trust a former drug dealer more than a traditional authority figure But Gen Z is notoriously independent amp8211 they use information to make their own decisions That39s why we took this pioneering new approach It39s handson fentanyl education from former dealers frankly discussing the things that grownups normally wouldn39t dare Yes it39s unorthodox but we must keep kids alive We are so proud to partner with the Ad Council on this urgently important campaignquot saidamp160Jaime Robinson cofounder and Chief Creative Officeramp160JOAN CreativeThis unique set of partners in addition to trusted messengers will play a significant role in the campaign39s success reaching young adults These digital content creators and influencers will be sharing experiences they have had with fentanyl in their families and communities providing real world examples in addition to relevant lifestyle creators sharing information on the drug39s dangers Understanding that teens and young adults ages 1624 spend an average of over three hours on social each day ensuring that messaging resonates with our audience and reaches them where they spend much of their time is incredibly importantMedia partners and social platforms including CSMGEsportsU Reddit Reddit39s KarmaLab Snap SXM Media TikTok Twitter and VICE Media Group will also provide resources to extend the youthtargeted campaign messaging and creatives These partners will play a critical role in donating media space as well as the development and distribution of content to educate young people about fentanyl and its dangers Nonprofitamp160Song for Charlieamp160is serving the campaign in an advisory capacity alongside a panel of public health organizations and issue experts to provide key insights data and ensure all aspects of these initiatives are accurately and medically informedAs a follow up to the youthtargeted campaign funded by Snap and YouTube Meta39s Creative Shop is launching a creative campaign this Fall focused on informing parents and caregivers about the dangers of fentanyl The new work centers on education and honest conversations ensuring families are prepared to create open candid and meaningful dialogue In addition to video content Meta has developed supplementary tools designed to engage audiences like polls stickers and more They will also be donating advertising space across Facebook and Instagram to increase the reach of this campaignamp160Additional efforts from the Ad Council39s holistic approach to the overdose crisis to help individuals with substance use disorders navigate resources and start their recovery journey are currently in the research and development phase The subsequent efforts will feature a suite of PSAs in addition to platformspecific activations and robust ground game components such as faithbased programs trusted messenger strategies employer engagement and opensource toolkits These components are designed to also equip other organizations and nonprofits enabling them to leverage the Ad Council39s research and content to bring important messaging to their communitiesTo learn more about the Real Deal on Fentanyl campaign or to access information about the dangers of fentanyl please visitamp160RealDealOnFentanylcomThe Ad CouncilThe Ad Council has a long history of creating lifesaving public service communications in times of national crisis starting in the organization39s earliest days during World War II toamp160September 11thamp160and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy and most recently leading the industry39s response to the COVID19 pandemic Its deep relationships with media outlets the creative community issue experts and government leaders make the organization uniquely poised to quickly distribute lifesaving impactful information to millions of AmericansThe Ad Council is where creativity and causes converge The nonprofit organization brings together the most creative minds in advertising media technology and marketing to address many of the nation39s most important causes The Ad Council has created many of the most iconic campaigns in advertising history Friends Don39t Let Friends Drive Drunkamp160Smokey Bear Love Has No LabelsThe Ad Council39s innovative social good campaigns raise awareness inspire action and save lives To learn more visitamp160AdCouncilorg follow the Ad Council39s communities onamp160Facebookamp160andamp160Twitter and view the creative onamp160YouTube1amp160Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts amp8211amp160United States Available atamp160httpswwwcdcgovnchsnvssvsrrdrugoverdosedatahtm2amp160According to research by Morning Consult commissioned by Snap Inc inamp160July 2021 Available atamp160httpsassetsctfassetsnetgqgsr8avay9x5EolnMWMUxEQdvGoMVFFJW92e882a47bc8119aead9589ca95631ddDangersofCounterfeitDrugsandFentanylKeyFindingspdfClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160amp160amp160

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Ad Council and Leading Tech Companies Team Up to Educate Youth and Parents on the Dangers of Fentanyl

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