Of course, this also ignores the crack cocaine epidemic, which happened on Reagan’s watch. But never mind.
See
HOW THE NARCS CREATED CRACK by Richard C. Cowan

This article from the Wall Street Journal’s advertising news section shows no particular insight into the true nature of the campaign. The real measure of the "success" of the campaign will be whether or not the American people continue to identify marijuana with "drugs" and to support the continued arrest of marijuana users. That is what this is really all about.)

April 26,1999
From The Wall Street Journal
letter.editor@edit.wsj.com
http://www.wsj.com/
By GORDON FAIRCLOUGH
Section: ADVERTISING page B10

U.S. ANTI-DRUG CAMPAIGN TO BE CLOSELY MONITORED

The $2 billion federally sponsored campaign to keep kids from using drugs is putting the government into the unfamiliar business of measuring advertising effectiveness.

U.S. drug czar Barry R. McCaffrey, a retired four star general, knows a lot about accountability in the military. Friday, he said he would hold Madison Avenue to the same high standard.

"There are no points for style," Gen. McCaffrey said in an address to the American Association of Advertising Agencies, many of whom provide free creative work for the campaign, which was launched’ in 1998. "We’ve got to achieve an outcome. We have to change the way Americans act," the general said at the group’s annual meeting in Amelia Island, Fla.

Gen. McCaffrey believes the five year campaign the most expensive ever launched by the government will pay off. But he wants hard numbers to prove it. That means the campaign also is likely to become the most closely monitored in U.S. advertising history. The oft quoted $2 billion price tag includes in kind donations as well as federal money.

First, ads must pass a rigorous six-step evaluation. Then their real world performance is put under a microscope. The government has hired scientific survey firm Westat to question about 20,000 children and parents every six months to measure the campaign’s progress. Market researchers also will do telephone sampling every month or two, for more immediate feedback.

"There’s a lot of pressure for us to use the money in the most efficient way possible," says Shelly Lazarus, chairman and chief executive officer of WPP Group’s Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, which in December won a contract to coordinate the campaign and place ads nationwide.
See
Drug Czar To Kick Off National Tour Of Lying To Business Leaders In Chicago;
Ogilvy & Mather To Replace Bates USA As Agency For Prohibitionist Propaganda -- 2 Articles

If the campaign succeeds, the government will be more likely to boost funding for other so called social marketing n g programs, such as AIDS prevention and efforts to combat teen pregnancy and underage drinking, ad industry experts say. If it fails, federal money could dry up. Insights into teen behavior gleaned from Gen. McCaffrey’s detailed studies also may help shape youth antismoking strategies. Last year’s tobacco industry settlement earmarked $1.45 billion to pay for a national ad campaign.

The early results are encouraging, officials of the Office of National Drug Control Policy say. Surveys in 12 test cities last year found that awareness of the anti-drug messages increased markedly during a six month pilot program, which started in the beginning of 1998. The number of children who said the ads made them realize drugs are dangerous rose in the test cities, while declining in 12 cities used as a control group. Calls to anti-drug hotlines rose in the test cities.

and
An Excellent Critique of DARE and "Drug Education" Misses One Key Point:
Lying About Marijuana Is Both Their Purpose and Their Undoing

Paying for prime air time and ad space has helped the government get out the anti-drug word, as have intend contributions from broadcasters and other media outlets. The value of the donations has more than matched the amount spent by the agency, officials say. Officials say their target audience of middle-school students and their parents now see an average of one anti-drug ad a day.

Many of the initial spots were pulled from the inventory of the nonprofit Partnership for a Drug Free America.

One of Gen. McCaffrey’s favorites is an updated version of the "This is your brain on drugs" ads of the ‘80s, which showed an egg sizzling in a frying pan. In the newer spot, a young woman says: "This is your brain. This is your brain on heroin," as she crushes an egg with a frying pan, then demolishes the kitchen.

(Marijuananews note: It convinced me that frying pans and Drug Czars are dangerous.)

Campaign planners also have commissioned ads designed to reach specific target groups, including Hispanics and African Americans and Asian Americans. Eleven languages are used in the ads. More will be added soon, including Aleut dialects, so the government can speak to Native Americans in Alaska. "This is, without a question, the most formidable multicultural advertising campaign ever mounted by the federal government," says Daniel R. Merrick, a senior partner at Ogilvy & Mather.

Ogilvy & Mather has brought in a handful of smaller firms specializing in advertising for different ethnic groups. All spots also are reviewed by a panel of academic experts on human behavior. These two groups have provided advice ranging from the best way to reach Native American audiences (tribal newspapers and radio) to what kind of images work with Chinese parents (most of whom have never seen a "joint" and have no idea what the word means).

Most of the advertising aimed at kids is segmented by age and risk factors.

Younger children (ages 9 to 11), respond to stark right and wrong messages. Older children are more likely to see shades of gray. All the ads are rated to see if they are attention grabbing, have credibility with the target audience and are able to change attitudes and, ultimately, behavior.