Text: U.S. Official Testifies on Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign

(ONDCP deputy director stresses media influence on youth attitudes)
(1450)

Citing "the undisputed influence of popular culture on attitude
formation," particularly among adolescents, the White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has initiated an aggressive
anti-drug media campaign to educate American youth about the dangers
of illicit drugs, says ONDCP Deputy Director Donald Vereen.

In his February 9 testimony before Congress, Vereen described the
various media outlets -- primarily television, but also encompassing
film, radio, print media and the Internet -- that play a large role in
shaping teenagers' attitudes toward drug use. These same media can be
utilized to discourage substance abuse, he noted, through an outreach
campaign of advertisements and public-service announcements in
partnership with the ONDCP.

Additionally, Vereen praised Congress for "wisely allowing" the ONDCP
to include anti-drug messages in television programming, with the
consent of programming executives, as part of its outreach strategy.
All of these media tools are valuable components in the ONDCP's
ongoing efforts to deter youngsters from experimenting with drugs, he
indicated.

"Since illegal drugs cost this country more than one hundred billion
dollars and 52,000 deaths a year, this media campaign addresses a
vital issue of public health," he declared.

Following is the text of Vereen's summary of his 36-page prepared
remarks before the congressional subcommittee on telecommunications,
trade and consumer protection:

[Note: In the text, billion = thousand million.]

(begin text)

TESTIMONY OF DR. DONALD R. VEREEN, Jr., M.D., M.P.H.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY

The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign

HOUSE COMMERCE COMMITTEE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS,
TRADE AND CONSUMER PROTECTION

FEBRUARY 9, 2000   

Summary

Congress approved the Administration-proposed National Youth Anti-Drug
Media Campaign in response to surging youth drug-use rates. According
to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, past-month drug use
rates among 12- to 17-year-olds rose from 5.3 percent in 1992 (the
historical low in the trend since 1979) to 10.9 percent in 1995.

The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is designed as a
full-fledged, integrated public-health communications campaign using
all communications vehicles required to inform our nation's children
about the dangers and consequences of drug use, as well as to change
adolescent attitudes and behaviors. Popular culture (including media
programming and advertising content) too often portrays drug use as
common, something to be expected, or even humorous. The undisputed
influence of popular culture on attitude formation and the manner in
which it depicts illegal drugs and substance abuse are recognized by
the Communication Strategy that orients all media campaign activities.

In recent weeks, there have been unfounded assertions that ONDCP is
not complying with legislation. This is not the case. 21 U.S C. ?1801
et seq. outlines the requirement to conduct a national media campaign
and provides specific instructions to ONDCP. Congress requires media
outlets to match federal anti-drug advertising dollars on a
one-for-one basis. Networks, magazines, and newspapers may elect to
make this match with content, public-service activities, or free
advertising. Congress has wisely allowed ONDCP to "fashion anti-drug
messages in ... television programming." We fulfill this mandate by
making available expert scientific advice and technical assistance
through a Behavior Change Expert Panel and the National Institute on
Drug Abuse. All ONDCP contracts related to the media campaign are
consistent with this law.

The media campaign is being developed and implemented by the best
organizations in the fields of prevention and communication. The
Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a key partner. It is best known
for its national anti-drug advertising campaign. Ogilvy & Mather is
one of the largest and most respected advertising companies in the
world. Its major task is media planning and buying. The Advertising
Council, the nation's leading producer of Public Service
communications programs, oversees the National Media Match
Clearinghouse on a pro-bono basis. Fleishman-Hillard, one of the
largest and best-respected communications firms in the world, conducts
media outreach, and oversees the use of the Internet and other "new
media" outlets. The National Institute on Drug Abuse plays a critical
role in the evaluation of the campaign, helping to ensure that we are
producing the results we need.

Advertising (both purchased and pro-bono or public service
contribution) on TV, radio, print and on the Internet is the
cornerstone of the media campaign. We programmed 178,584 million
dollars in FY 1999 for advertising. National advertising follows
specific anti-drug themes each month, across 102 local markets with
more than 2,250 media outlets. We currently reach 95 percent of 12- to
17-year-olds, an average of 8.3 messages per week. The non-advertising
component of the campaign delivers our messages through radio and
television, print media, the Internet, faith communities, health
professionals, community coalitions, schools, parents, coaches, and
organized sports.

The role of television, music and film in carrying accurate depictions
of youth drug use issues, and enlisting their support in making
substance abuse prevention strategies better understood, has been an
important aspect of the campaign since its inception. The experts who
helped shape this initiative underscored the need for messages to
youth and parents to come from a variety of sources and venues. Youth
receive information about illicit drugs, not only from advertisement,
but from television programming, Internet, film, music and other media
outlets, as well as from parents, teachers, coaches, the faith
community and other influences. No media vehicle is as impactful and
delivers as broad a range of these audiences as does television --
particularly broadcast television, which produces the majority of
original programming.

Indeed, consistency of anti-drug messages reaching youth had been
lacking in the media for years prior to this campaign. These areas --
use of the Internet, television, film, music, etc., were noted in the
contractual documents with the advertising and communication companies
carrying out the campaign.

Everything about this campaign -- including the pro-bono match -- has
been conducted openly with congressional oversight, news coverage,
publicity, and outreach to the media so that reporters could learn
more about the process. There were three congressional hearings in
1999 on the subject of the media campaign, so the notion that this
project is being conducted "in secret" is inaccurate. We have also
written opinion editorials explaining all aspects of the campaign;
these pieces have been published in newspapers, magazines, and
journals throughout the country. Countless press releases, news
conferences, and events with the president and congressional
leadership were devoted to this topic, as was much TV and radio
coverage and a website (www.mediacampaign.org) that was accessed
446,596 times in 1999.

We take seriously concerns about the campaign's pro-bono match
procedures. There can be no suggestion of federal interference in the
creative process. In the future, we will review programs for pro-bono
match consideration only after they have aired. We will continue to
make available information and experts on drug prevention issues to
any media that request such assistance.

In the initial FY 98 appropriation for the media campaign, Congress
stipulated that the campaign not supplant existing public service, a
concern voice by the Ad Council and other non-profit organizations.
These organizations believed that this campaign could have a negative
impact on the declining amount of public service time and space
contributed to a range of social and public health issues. During this
first year of the campaign, there was no mandate for a match of any
kind. ONDCP met with the Ad Council, its ad-buying contractors and
other groups to discuss these concerns. Ultimately, ONDCP and its
ad-buying contractor agreed upon a negotiating concept for media
outlets: one that included a dollar-for-dollar match in some form of
public service time that was useful to the campaign (at least 50
percent or more of which had to be in time or space) had to accompany
each "buy." This approach was a negotiating concept, not a mandate.
While less than 10 percent of 2,200 media outlets did not meet the
match and some outlets were slightly under, others delivered more than
the required match. Altogether, the overall match exceeded 100
percent, surpassing our best expectations. Given the success of this
concept, in FY 1999 Congress mandated the pro-bono match in the
appropriation.

We are enormously proud of our hundreds of media partnerships. Drug
use by America's youth declined 13 percent between 1997 and 1998. We
are convinced that if we continue to emphasize drug prevention,
juvenile drug-use rates will drop further. Since illegal drugs cost
this country more than one hundred billion dollars and 52,000 deaths a
year, this media campaign addresses a vital issue of public health.

(end text)

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