The PR launch delivered a 50% increase in calls to the helpline before the ads were even aired
The challenge
In the absence of any new news, our 'Braincrashers' campaign was part of ongoing activity for the Department of Health’s FRANK drugs misuse campaign to alert 11-18 year olds and their parents to the unknown mental-health harms associated with cannabis. This followed the recent reclassification of cannabis as a more dangerous drug.
Our response
The aim was to maximise the impact of the key mental health messages among mainstream, teen and parent-specific media.
Thorough preparation and strong media engagement were key, from lining up the core collaterals, case studies and images, to prioritising and preparing the key media with a combination of news releases, broadcast notes and background briefings. The right packaging created a compelling news story.
Results
Our story led on BBC, Sky News and GMTV bulletins throughout launch day and filled 15 minutes on ITV’s This Morning, among 75 national broadcast segments that we secured, amounting to more than two hours of coverage. In addition, we generated 220 pieces of print coverage, including a full page in The Guardian, and more than 100 regional broadcast pieces.
Coverage reached 27% of UK adults, 29% of boys aged 16-18, 26% of girls aged 16-18 and 25% of parents. 25% of coverage communicated the key message that cannabis is associated with mental illness.
Following the launch, the number of young people who agreed that cannabis is very likely to damage the mind of someone rose from 58% in 2007/08 to 63% in 2008/09. 88% of the audience were aware of the campaign.
