New Ads Tackle Meth With A Touch Of Horror
Wyoming Department of Health's Meth Campaign Strikes Fear In Wyoming Residents: To combat startling statistics Wyoming Department of Health tapped the creative talent of Denver-based Sukle Advertising & Design to visually capture the deadly dangers of meth. Difficult to watch, the ads resemble scenes from horror movies.
Denver, CO (PRWEB) February 26, 2007
New television ads employ horror and gore to fight overwhelming Methamphetamine use:
•5.9% of Wyoming middle school students have used methamphetamine at least once in the last 30 days (YRBS 2005)
•Wyoming law enforcement estimates 80-90 percent of investigated cases have a connection to methamphetamine use
To combat these startling statistics Wyoming Department of Health tapped the creative talent of Denver-based Sukle Advertising & Design to visually capture the deadly dangers of meth. Difficult to watch, the ads resemble scenes from horror movies, including the scenes of a maniacal villain ruthlessly torturing a terrified teen, as well as images of a human brain going through a meat slicer. Ideas for the ads were formed after talking with high school counselors and workers at rehab programs. The staff at Sukle heard and read story after story about the horrible effects of meth and how it takes people apart piece by piece.
"The horror film genre is very popular with the age group that is most at risk, and it seemed like an appropriate way of telling the horrors of meth," said Mike Sukle, President of Sukle Advertising & Design. "And the feedback we are getting is that it's working. The ads seem to be sticking in people's minds and communicating that meth will mess you up in an incredibly terrible, violent manner."
The use of startling images in anti-meth advertising comes as more and more teens turn to the drug. More than six percent (6.2%) of high school students nationwide have used meth at least once, according to Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, a national survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Wyoming, the number increases to nearly ten percent (8.5%).
The goal of the campaign is to increase awareness among teens and young adults about the dangers of meth and to increase awareness about meth prevention and treatment. In addition to the artfully directed television commercials, which hit the air in November 2006 and will continue to run through March 2007, the campaign also includes compelling and equally terrifying print, poster and Internet ads, that allow the viewer to peel back the skin from the ad just as if they were clawing at the intense "skin crawls" that occur with the use of meth or extract a tooth from a mouth to reveal the decay and rot that comes with the use of meth. To view the television ads and other elements of the campaign, visit http://www. methkillswyoming. org/ (http://www. methkillswyoming. org/).
Sukle Advertising & Design
Since 1998, Denver-based Sukle Advertising & Design has been crafting globally-recognized, compelling and memorable ideas that create results for their clients. Sukle takes pride in coming up with unique, big picture solutions that get to the heart of the real challenges facing their clients' brands instead of prescribing the same old media solutions over and over. They believe it's not the size of the budget that matters, but the courage of smart clients who are willing to leverage insightful creative ideas, that create impact. For more information about Sukle, visit www. sukle. com. No, not suckle, SUKLE.
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