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National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
Phase 1 (Report No. 1)
4. CASE STUDIES
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Two site visits have been made to Milwaukee. The first baseline visit occurred during the week of December 15-19. The first followup visit took place during the week of March 23-27, l998.
Nashville, Tennessee, was selected as a comparison site for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, because both sites have similar demographic and community characteristics. The quantitative data collected from in-school surveys completed by students in both Milwaukee and Nashville also showed similar patterns at baseline. These patterns, displayed in Exhibit 4-1 at the end of Section 4 , further demonstrate that Nashville constitutes a reasonable comparison site for Milwaukee. Exhibit 4-8 summarizes youth, parent, and community findings for both sites.
Baseline Picture
Ongoing Anti-Drug Activities in the Community
There have been several anti-drug efforts in the Milwaukee-area media. The Wisconsin Alliance Media Group is responsible for reviewing commercials. Since l990, the Hang Tough program has sponsored media campaigns. In addition, there have been ads sponsored by the Partnership for a Drug-Free Wisconsin. Also, "Teen Forum," a teen TV talk show sponsored by STRIVE, is aired bimonthly.
Twelve organizations sponsor "Don't Smoke, Don't Drink," an outdoor billboard design contest involving children ages l0-l2, l3-l5, and l6-l8. The designs these children create are meant to counterbalance ads for products that promote unhealthy lifestyles.
A wide variety of prevention programs exist in the Milwaukee area. These include interfaith programs, civic organizations (the Elks Drug Awareness Program); drug prevention collaboratives (Community Alliances, Prevention Provider's Collaborative); nonprofit prevention agencies (Fighting Back, Milwaukee Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence); school-based programs (Cooperative Education Service Agencies, Milwaukee Public Schools Drug-Free Schools Program); neighborhood-based programs (YMCA, Boys and Girls' Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Lincoln Park Community Center, Weed and Seed Project, Safe Night) and prosecutor-led programs (Milwaukee Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Group Community Drug Prevention Program).
Trends in the Milwaukee Community
Key trends that have impacted the Milwaukee area in recent years include gains in the number of minority residents and losses in white and other populations; an increase in the number of unemployed individuals and those living below the poverty line; an increase in female-headed households; a decrease in homeowners corresponding to a decrease in area property values in the 1990s; and an increase in violent and nonviolent crimes.
When asked about recent events that might have affected awareness or attitudes regarding drugs, several community respondents reported that an elected official was arrested in a middle-class suburb for purchasing $500 worth of crack-cocaine. He was allowed to enter treatment rather than being charged with a felony crime. This resulted in outrage and a debate within the community because the poor and minorities often receive jail sentences for similar offenses.
Drug Awareness and Behavior Reported by Youth and Parents
Separate focus groups were held with youth and parents. Inner-city youth in grades 4-6 were aware of illegal drugs and they reported learning about them in their own neighborhoods. Children in these grades reported that they talk with their parents or teachers about drugs. Non-urban 4th-6th graders reported learning about drugs from the D.A.R.E. program at school. Both groups of elementary school students spoke more about cigarettes rather than drugs. Both urban and non-urban youth in grades 7-9 were very aware of the availability of illegal drugs, but the non-urban group was more subdued in talking about drugs. When asked whether they talk with their parents about drugs, youth in this age group provided mixed responses. Several characterized their parents' efforts as "speeches." One said "They'll drive me crazy." Another said she talks to her father only when he suspects she has been using drugs and asks her about it. Several youth reported that their parents tell them to "do it in front of me, if you are going to do it."
Both inner-city and non-urban l0th-l2th graders reported learning about drugs in a school setting. They described drug arrests in the school; violent drug-related incidents in the school restroom; students using drugs near school; and hallways smelling of drugs.
Parents of inner-city children pinpointed the streets, family members, and peers as sources of information on drugs for their children. They described typical scenes of youth standing on street corners, shooting dice, and watching for the police and other youngsters selling drugs rather than using them. They commented on mothers who "cook dope" rather than dinner. They were also concerned about movies that glorify the use of drugs.
Non-urban parents focused on discussing school-based programs and thought these were the primary sources of information on drugs for their children. They reported that D.A.R.E. is the only program in their community that works to teach children about the dangers of drugs. Some parents believe that they should be more involved in D.A.R.E. themselves and that D.A.R.E. should teach parents how to talk with their children about drugs. Several of the non-urban parents believe that textbook-type material is not adequate to inform children about drugs. Instead, they recommended reality-based information such as having a young person speak directly with youth about real life stories and the dangers of drugs.
Community Drug Problems as Perceived by Community Key Informants
The majority of key informants interviewed perceived drug use/abuse as a big problem. They thought that younger children primarily used drugs that were available in their homes; however, they perceived older children as having access to a greater variety of street and sophisticated drugs including marijuana. Community informants felt that neighborhoods differed by amount of poverty and that this factor is correlated with drug trafficking and use. They perceived the inner city as having an underground economy including gangs that makes it easier to get involved in a lifestyle of drug use, whereas in more outlying non-urban neighborhoods, parties and binges occur.
All key informants interviewed perceived that access to drugs in high schools was very easy. They also said it was easy to get drugs in the middle schools and that some youth in this age group were obtaining drugs from their parents or relatives. Many key informants reported that parents were not sufficiently involved with their children.
Awareness of Anti-Drug Advertising Prior to the ONDCP Media Campaign
During the baseline site visit, key informants were asked to describe any anti-drug ads they had seen on TV, radio, or in local newspapers and magazines. The majority had seen TV ads (e.g., those provided by PDFA, Hang Tough, and Public Access); however, a few had heard radio commercials pertaining to drug treatment at a hospital. A few of the interviewees mentioned newspaper coverage of drug-related stories rather than ads, and few described anti-drug/smoking billboards or posters. Most of the informants did not feel that the ads they described were shown frequently enough to catch the attention of parents or children; however, they were divided when considering if the ads had been shown often enough to attract teenagers. They commented that culturally relevant ads should be aired when children come home from school, on Saturdays, on stations playing rap and alternative music, and during prime time.
Key informants believed that the ads they described had the potential to change the attitudes of parents, teenagers and children regarding drugs. They often qualified their answers by saying that the ads would have this positive potential only if they were repeated at critical time periods; were culturally relevant and involved peers of the target group; addressed children at an early age; tailored to fit messages with a child's developmental stage; and addressed nonusers. Other suggestions included the use of music videos, of normal people rather than heroes, and of approaches that encourage people to think about the issue.
Intermediate Findings Reported After Initiation of the ONDCP Media CampaignThe purpose of this section is to present information on respondents' views of changes related to drug awareness/attitudes in Milwaukee since baseline, as well as their awareness and views regarding the Media Campaign shortly after it was implemented in their community.
Recent Local Events Affecting Awareness/Attitudes Toward Drugs
Key informants reported several recent events that might influence youths' and parents' attitudes toward drug use: tobacco billboard legislation passed in March l998, prohibiting billboard advertising in publicly visible locations in Milwaukee; in February l998, a broad-based group of 30-40 community representatives brought together through Fighting Back began work on the Keep Milwaukee Youth Substance Free: Community-Wide Substance Abuse Prevention Plan. There have been enhanced law enforcement efforts pertaining to violent crime in north and south Milwaukee; since November l997, there has been a Federal investigation of the Latin King gang for homicide, racketeering and other charges, driving the leadership into hiding; and Hillside Terrace, a subsidized housing project on the north edge of downtown, has undergone a federally financed overhaul, which included a crackdown on troublemakers that is dramatically reducing crime.
Youths' and Parents' Reactions to the ONDCP Media Campaign
Separate focus groups were held with youth and parents. Elementary school children reported very good recall of TV commercials. Most of the TV ads they had seen were broadcast repeatedly during the day and night. Middle school children also reported good recall of TV ads and some ads on billboards. They perceived the ads to be focusing on: the effects of drug use; coping strategies used by students to resist drugs; and how to communicate with parents. High school students were very aware of the TV ads and several radio ads. These older students were more likely than the younger youth to identify ads that pertained to specific drugs; for example, inhalants, marijuana, and heroin. They were most likely to remember messages that focused on the effects of drugs, youth coping strategies, and parental involvement. High school students recommended that future ads show the real negative effects of drugs on youth (e.g., a son watching his addicted mother using drugs) and should relate youths' personal and true stories about drug use. They also suggested using local youth in these ads.
Parents were very aware of the ads aired on TV and radio, and those displayed on billboards. Parents' recall of specific messages was very good; the most common message that they recalled dealt with the physical or social effect of drug use. Parents also reported that while the commercials did not change their views on the use of drugs by young people, they did view them as good opportunities to discuss the drug issue with their children. They also thought the periodic airing of the ads would be effective in reinforcing the message and in "tipping the balance" for youth who are considering using drugs.
Key Informants' Responses to the ONDCP Media Campaign
Representatives of community organizations, interviewed during the baseline visit, were reinterviewed in the followup site visit to learn about their awareness and views regarding the Media Campaign. Television was the most frequently mentioned media mentioned by these key informants. Recall of the following TV ads was reported: Frying Pan; Girl Interview; Burbs; Drowning; and ads described as "mentoring/my reward," "average kid," "kid is offered marijuana at party and realizes it's OK to say `no thanks,' " "multicultural on school steps," and "baby in intensive care unit."
Key informants recalled seeing four billboards. The most commonly mentioned of these was Cannabis Stupida. They were also aware of other billboard ad messages, including those with the messages "It's Easy to Say No to Drugs" and "Have you talked to your Kids about Pot?"; and messages from the winners of the student poster contest. They also recalled seeing full page ads in the Journal Sentinel and two radio ads, one about marijuana and memory, and one about Michael Jordan's mother reminding parents to talk to their children about drugs.
Most of these key informants did not remember who had sponsored the ads they had reported seeing or hearing. However, most of the informants believed these ads had the potential to be effective in changing attitudes regarding drugs. They recommended that the ads be shown more frequently; that new ads include minorities and local people; that some ads be done using the Spanish language; that there be greater input from community-based organizations in developing new ads; that ads be aired on minority-owned stations; and that messages ask "Why do you want to get high?" and then show other ways of feeling good.
Most of the key informants interviewed were able to recall seeing some parts of the Media Campaign and they believed that the Media Campaign could be effective in changing attitudes about drugs. However, they cautioned that this could occur only if changes in the timing, content, dissemination, and community involvement occurred. Many community informants also believed that the use of minority-owned outlets would make ads more credible to minorities.
Media Representatives' Reactions to the ONDCP Media Campaign
Representatives of the media were interviewed to obtain their assessment of the community's response to the Media Campaign. Station managers reported that they were broadcasting the Media Campaign ads and that these ads had no effect on their continuing to broadcast PSAs for other causes. Their comments suggested that the different time periods used for paid ads and PSAs are unrelated and have different purposes.
Radio and TV station representatives said that they had no public response to the Media Campaign ads to date. However, their own responses were mixed. Some thought the Frying Pan ad and the ad with a Black child and father eating breakfast together were well produced and visually arresting. A radio station manager reported that the ads enabled him to present an image of a family station to his target audience of adults between 25 and 44 years of age. A minority station manager was very concerned that his station was not approached in terms of broadcasting the ads, and he thought the ads had to be more relevant to his community members to be effective. He noted that Blacks from the community should be used in the ads and that radio is the primary medium that African Americans pay attention to. A newspaper editor had similar concerns. He recommended that new ads be developed using Black actors and real-life stories. A TV station manager said that it was very important for those wanting to broadcast ads to find the appropriate person to speak with at the station. In his station, it would be necessary to contact three departments -- news, public affairs, and commercial advertising -- to implement a successful campaign. Unless the appropriate person(s) are contacted, the information may be lost, he said.
Media trafficking decisions were found to be influenced by a variety of factors including time available, content of the ad, personal contact with the station, and the prior effectiveness of an ad.
Followup Findings in Comparison Site of Nashville, TennesseeWhile Nashville, Tennessee and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, reported similar drug problems and concerns during the baseline visits, it is worth noting that at followup, key community respondents, youth, and parents reported very different levels of awareness of drug prevention activities and Media Campaign efforts in their community at the 3-month followup visit.
Only one event had occurred in Nashville since the baseline visit that might have increased awareness of the drug problem: a promotional/legislative breakfast for a preview of the Bill Moyers TV special. A handful of drug arrests, a continuation of the city's record murder rate, and an apparent shift in law enforcement toward stronger enforcement were also reported.
Among community representatives interviewed, only one mentioned any media campaign focusing on drug problems. When probed about this, it was determined that this resulted from his attendance at a press conference in a neighboring community where a campaign was announced.
In focus groups with youth, there was very limited awareness of any media campaign about drugs. Most of the information the youth were receiving came from the schools or the street. Likewise, parents reported very little awareness of any anti-drug media campaign. Outside of anti-drug PSAs already being shown, and a few advertisements sponsored by The American Cancer Society and The Alcohol and Drug Council of Tennessee, there was no mention of any new campaign effort.
Summary of Intermediate FindingsIt is clear that in Nashville, which was not targeted by the Media Campaign, there was very little awareness of any change in anti-drug messages or the Media Campaign from the time of baseline data collection to the time of the 3-month followup. In Milwaukee, one of the l2 target markets for the Media Campaign, a very different story is reported. Key community informants were aware of the Media Campaign, reported recall of specific ads and messages, and made recommendations on how to improve it. Media representatives were also aware of the Media Campaign and provided useful suggestions on how it could work better with the local broadcast industry as new ads are planned and launched. Youth of all ages and parents reported a very high level of awareness of the Media Campaign ads, particularly those on TV and radio, and, to a lesser extent, those displayed on billboards. They, too, provided good recall of specific messages, and offered concrete recommendations on how to improve the Media Campaign in the future.
