Prime Access debuts anti-drug ads targeting teens for White House's campaign

Prime Access debuts White House's
anti-drug campaign targeting teens

(September 24, 2007) Using a mix of urban poetry, vivid animation, and even the perils of cell phone gossip, bold new TV, radio and print advertising created by New York agency Prime Access encourages urban teens to rethink their perception of smoking marijuana.

The advertisements mark the first time that messaging specifically directed to multicultural urban teens has been created for the White House's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.

Founded in 1990, Prime Access is a pioneering New York agency specializing in Urban Majority(TM) advertising services that help Fortune 500 companies reach African American, Hispanic, gay, and urban youth audiences. Strong expertise in reaching today's ethnic fusion of urban teens is why Prime Access was chosen for the groundbreaking assignment.

Debuting nationwide on October 1st, the new executions include three television spots, two radio commercials, five print ads, and out-of-home media. According to Lorraine McNeill-Popper, V.P.-Executive Creative Director at Prime Access, the campaign also reaches a broad teen audience beyond the urban teen target through use of eclectic advertising styles, including live action and animation.

"Our goal is to subtly but effectively discourage teens from smoking marijuana," said McNeill-Popper. She added that extensive market research validated the ads' approach.

"We wanted these ads to capture the essence of the urban teen experience - the style, language, culture, and ideas that influence and motivate them," said McNeill-Popper. "This advertising speaks in the voice of urban teens and portrays real situations that challenge viewers to rethink the use of marijuana."

In the TV spot titled "Huggin' the Block", a young African American girl recites urban poetry about someone she cares for who is always high and always on his stoop. Staring into the camera, she observes, "Just sit some more and smoke that weed. I wonder if he'll ever leave?"

The second TV spot, titled "Anne Marie", uses high-tech animation blended with live elements to portray a middle schooler who questions the pressure to try marijuana. "Well, there's this girl on my block. And every time I see her she asks me to get high. She says all the kids are doing it. If that's true, then why doesn't she find someone else to do it with?" she asks.

In the third spot, titled "Sent", a young Latina high school student learns a hard lesson about the consequences of marijuana use when an alarming photo of her is sent to classmates via their cell phones.

Prime Access worked with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America to produce the cutting-edge messages, which are part of an ongoing campaign titled "Above the Influence." "These new ads broaden the target of the White House's anti-drug media effort," said Prime Access founder and CEO Howard Buford. "The messages wield tremendous power through their authenticity and by allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions."

McNeill-Popper served as Executive Creative Director for the campaign. Taso Mouhteros served as Creative Director. (See full credits below.)

For video of the full TV spots and a high-res visual for each spot, click here . For the print advertising, click here.

Go to Target Market News homepage


HOME \| STATS \| PUBLICATIONS \| REGISTER \| CONTACT US \| SEARCH \| ARCHIVE
Departments Advertising & PR News Marketing News TV & Cable News Radio News Magazine News Newspaper News Internet News Retailing News Consumer Research Expenditure Data People in the News Industry News Company Bios and Background Register Here STAY IN-THE-KNOW! Are you getting the latest industry news when it happens via e-mail? Click here for free delivery of the Target Market News Bulletin You'll receive news of breaking stories, exclusives, updates and headlines on the latest developments in African American marketing and media Black Stats Frequently requested data on African American consumers Black Buying Power: $719 Billion (2005) Black U.S. Population: 38.3 million Top Five Black Cities - New York - Chicago - Detroit - Philadelphia - Houston Top Five Black Metros: - New York-New Jersey - Washington-Baltimore - Chicago-Gary - Los Angeles - Philadelphia Top Five Expenditures: - Housing $110.2 bil. - Food $53.8 bil. - Cars/Trucks $28.7 bil. - Clothing $22.0 bil. - Health Care $17.9 bil. Click here for more stats from "The Buying Power of Black America." ______________________ Get quick access to key U.S. Census Bureau Data Click here to go to African-American Census Bureau data _____________________ Copyright `© 2007 by Target Market News Inc.` All rights reserved Business address: 228 S. Wabash Ave. Suite 210 Chicago, IL 60604 t. 312-408-1881 f. 312-408-1867 info@targetmarketnews.com	Prime Access debuts White House's anti-drug campaign targeting teens (September 24, 2007) Using a mix of urban poetry, vivid animation, and even the perils of cell phone gossip, bold new TV, radio and print advertising created by New York agency Prime Access encourages urban teens to rethink their perception of smoking marijuana. The advertisements mark the first time that messaging specifically directed to multicultural urban teens has been created for the White House's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. Founded in 1990, Prime Access is a pioneering New York agency specializing in Urban Majority(TM) advertising services that help Fortune 500 companies reach African American, Hispanic, gay, and urban youth audiences. Strong expertise in reaching today's ethnic fusion of urban teens is why Prime Access was chosen for the groundbreaking assignment. Debuting nationwide on October 1st, the new executions include three television spots, two radio commercials, five print ads, and out-of-home media. According to Lorraine McNeill-Popper, V.P.-Executive Creative Director at Prime Access, the campaign also reaches a broad teen audience beyond the urban teen target through use of eclectic advertising styles, including live action and animation. "Our goal is to subtly but effectively discourage teens from smoking marijuana," said McNeill-Popper. She added that extensive market research validated the ads' approach. "We wanted these ads to capture the essence of the urban teen experience - the style, language, culture, and ideas that influence and motivate them," said McNeill-Popper. "This advertising speaks in the voice of urban teens and portrays real situations that challenge viewers to rethink the use of marijuana." In the TV spot titled "Huggin' the Block", a young African American girl recites urban poetry about someone she cares for who is always high and always on his stoop. Staring into the camera, she observes, "Just sit some more and smoke that weed. I wonder if he'll ever leave?" The second TV spot, titled "Anne Marie", uses high-tech animation blended with live elements to portray a middle schooler who questions the pressure to try marijuana. "Well, there's this girl on my block. And every time I see her she asks me to get high. She says all the kids are doing it. If that's true, then why doesn't she find someone else to do it with?" she asks. In the third spot, titled "Sent", a young Latina high school student learns a hard lesson about the consequences of marijuana use when an alarming photo of her is sent to classmates via their cell phones. Prime Access worked with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America to produce the cutting-edge messages, which are part of an ongoing campaign titled "Above the Influence." "These new ads broaden the target of the White House's anti-drug media effort," said Prime Access founder and CEO Howard Buford. "The messages wield tremendous power through their authenticity and by allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions." McNeill-Popper served as Executive Creative Director for the campaign. Taso Mouhteros served as Creative Director. (See full credits below.) For video of the full TV spots and a high-res visual for each spot, click here . For the print advertising, click here. Go to Target Market News homepage	13th Edition Now Available New Buying Power report shows more spending by black consumers on 'necessities' Thanks to economic gains in the past two years, black households across the U.S., especially middle-class families, are increasing their purchases of lifestyle and leisure items. According to the newest edition of “The Buying Power of Black America,” there are indications that black households are feeling more confident about making purchases that... Story continued... _________________________________________________________________________________________ The African-American Book Publishing Authority Now in its ninth year of publication, Black Issues Book Review is the only nationally distributed magazine devoted exclusively to covering the latest news and reviews on black books. BIBR also provides up-to-date news on forthcoming author signings, book fairs and book clubs. Want this issue? Get it with your new subscription. Click Here A TARGET MARKET NEWS PUBLICATION _________________________ SUBSCRIBE TODAY! The trade publication for in-depth coverage of Black Consumer Marketing and Media news