Model Answer to Question of Drug Use Adv
Evaluate the creative strategy used by the Partnership for a Drug Free America in its advertising campaign, particularly with respect to the use of strong fear appeals.
Early spots of creative strategy used by the Partnership for Drug Free America in its advertising campaign are considered “melodramatic” relying too much on scare tactics and stereotypes such as the school bus driver who snorts cocaine; African-American boys selling crack in the school yard; and the “one puff and you are hooked” messages.
Academics as well as others studying the effects of drug abuse programs questioned these approaches, noting that scare tactics often have not been found to be an effective way to change attitudes and behavior Critics argued that there was no evidence to support the claim that the anti-drug ads could alter behavior.
1. Discuss the market segmentation strategies used by the PDFA and ONDCP in the anti-drug campaigns. Which of these segmentation strategies would be most likely to be effective?
An important change instituted by the ONDCP was a greater focus on market segmentation Recognizing that all drugs (and their consequences) are not the same, the ONDCP suggested that ads should be developed with the understanding that adolescents have different beliefs and attitudes toward various drugs, their consequences, the perceived risk associated with them, and social disapproval of their use. New ads were developed taking into consideration the type of drug and its consequences and the specific target audience. Different messages were designed to appeal to specific age groups such as young people, teens, and parents as well as different geographic, socio-economic, and ethnic audiences. The most effective segmentation is that one which relies on age, because the needs and believes about drugs and their consequences is much difference in teenagers than that in adults.
2. Much of the controversy surrounding the anti-drug advertising campaigns has
Early spots of creative strategy used by the Partnership for Drug Free America in its advertising campaign are considered “melodramatic” relying too much on scare tactics and stereotypes such as the school bus driver who snorts cocaine; African-American boys selling crack in the school yard; and the “one puff and you are hooked” messages.
Academics as well as others studying the effects of drug abuse programs questioned these approaches, noting that scare tactics often have not been found to be an effective way to change attitudes and behavior Critics argued that there was no evidence to support the claim that the anti-drug ads could alter behavior.
1. Discuss the market segmentation strategies used by the PDFA and ONDCP in the anti-drug campaigns. Which of these segmentation strategies would be most likely to be effective?
An important change instituted by the ONDCP was a greater focus on market segmentation Recognizing that all drugs (and their consequences) are not the same, the ONDCP suggested that ads should be developed with the understanding that adolescents have different beliefs and attitudes toward various drugs, their consequences, the perceived risk associated with them, and social disapproval of their use. New ads were developed taking into consideration the type of drug and its consequences and the specific target audience. Different messages were designed to appeal to specific age groups such as young people, teens, and parents as well as different geographic, socio-economic, and ethnic audiences. The most effective segmentation is that one which relies on age, because the needs and believes about drugs and their consequences is much difference in teenagers than that in adults.
2. Much of the controversy surrounding the anti-drug advertising campaigns has