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Drug Awareness Week 2004
 
A Marketing / Communications Campaign for Drug Awareness in Ontario
Positioning Statement
- with the support of ODAP, Drug Awareness Committees and Associates across Ontario are working together, to promote and facilitate communication and information sharing about alcohol and other drugs.
Rationale for Positioning Statement
- the more comfortable we feel communicating with each other and discussing drug-related issues as a society, the better we will become at recognizing and addressing drug-related problems. Year 1 of the campaign will deal with building skills in communication, Years 2 and 3 will deal with the discussion of alcohol and other drug issues.
- talking about drug-related issues and listening to the needs and concerns of audiences at risk is one of the keys to drug awareness and prevention.
- since DACs across Ontario are structured differently and often address different issues and objectives to suit their local community, a positioning statement that focuses on communication/ information sharing reflects a common activity/ objective of all DACs.
- the importance of communication/ information sharing is a relevant message to all sectors of the target audience.
Audience: a broad range of audiences: youth, parents, seniors, health professionals, pharmacists, and community leaders including people of many ethnicities and aboriginal communities.
Marketing Communications Objectives:
Over the three year plan, the objectives of the 'talk' campaign are to:
- increase awareness, understanding and positive community action for a range of issues from learning how to talk to each other more effectively to being able to talk about drug and alcohol issues.
- develop a recognized strategy that can be used simply and effectively with little or no money required from Drug Awareness Committees.
- generate discussion, interest and media coverage of 'talk initiatives.
A cautionary note: The 'talk' campaign is not a replacement for the ODAP logo. The ODAP logo has been changed from purple to bright blue and fits in with the ‘talk’ campaign but the logo is still the identifier of ODAP. The ODAP logo is available on the web site and may be used on materials produced by DACs and associates in the field to tie them to the provincial action.
The 'talk' campaign is a branding/slogan. As an example, think of NIKE where NIKE is the logo/organization and "Just do it" is the branded campaign or strategy. Why campaign branding?
Marketing research show that branding campaigns by developing a 'signature' look to graphic design and multimedia messages significantly improves the recognition and retention of key messages by the target audience. Over time, such an overall slogan, logo or theme becomes easily identifiable, leading the target audience to feel familiar with the branded company or association. Consumers assign higher value to items that are strongly branded.
If we brand drug and alcohol messages consistently across the province by using the 'talk' slogan and the speech bubble symbol and provide comprehensive information to communities and individuals, the credibility and reliability of ODAP and DACs will be enhanced. In addition, a unified plan with goals for a three year program will enable DACs to plan ahead and to build one year upon the other.
Advantages of the 'talk' campaign to DACs:
- piggybacks on last year's campaign; the "call-me card" says talk to me at any time.
- the simple 'talk' message works well with local initiatives and yet still has the same message province-wide.
- it is easier to translate into other languages.
- it is easier to do low budget local promotions such as street theatre and chalk drawings.
- guerilla marketing techniques get people talking (a buzz) and gets the media interested.
- it is very easy to get the community involved as part of the 'talk' campaign
- the strategy is flexible enough for DACs to implement only as much as they can handle.
Translation: The talk campaign uses an easily translatable word and universally recognized symbol to promote open discussion and information sharing across a broad range of audiences including among peers. There are great cultural differences in how people speak to each other and what issues are addressed. The talk identity sets the tone for a campaign that focuses on communication skill building in the first year with opportunities to focus on specific drug related issues in subsequent years. The materials have been translated into french and a community in Toronto is translating into other languages.
DRUG AWARENESS WEEK 2004 - THE 'talk' CAMPAIGN
The Year One Strategy includes:
- update of the web site to include the ‘talk’ theme. The web site will serve a referral function letting people know where they can go for further information (such as their local DAC).
- creation and distribution of materials to support the campaign. These include:
Available on the web site are the designs for the post-it note, sticker and one-pager. You may use these to print more copies and may wish to add your local DAC name and contact. But in order to have a consistent image across the province please check with Joanne Brown at 1-877-265-9279 regarding any changes you plan to make to these materials.
SPEECH BUBBLE POST-IT NOTES
Because they are widely used, post-it notes represent a relatively durable medium for raising awareness of the ‘talk’ identity and campaign, particularly given the speech bubble shape. The outer border of the note identifies ODAP and the web site where there is a searchable list of DACs and associates.
Post-it notes can be distributed as a premium at community events, at schools and in conjunction with other marketing activities such as chalk drawing and street theatre.
People can be encouraged to use post-it notes as a communication tool - especially for those who are not comfortable verbalizing their feelings such as "I love you", "I miss you", "I’m sorry".
If everyone in a group writes their ideas on post-it notes you can put them up on the wall and make a quilt of all the offerings. In a school or mall you might do a whole wall of Post-its with each person who passes by contributing.
Can also be used as an evaluation after an event (such as street theatre)
Download post-it (PDF)
Order form (Rich Text Format)
If these files do not open in your browser, right-click on a link and choose 'Save Target As...' to download a copy to your computer.
SPEECH BUBBLE LARGE STICKERS / COMMUNITY SIGNAGE
The large 'talk' sticker included in this kit can be used as an identifier at numerous events. Templates for the talk design and speech bubble can be found on the web site for use in creating larger signs and banners to be used at community events, information booths, street theatre, chalk drawing festivals and so on. Signs could even be posted on main routes into the community identifying the community’s participation in the 'talk' campaign.
Guerrilla-style marketing initiatives may not be immediately recognized as being part of the 'talk' campaign without appropriate signage. Signage will also help to increase awareness of the 'talk' identity and provide an appropriate context for interpreting various marketing initiatives.
Download sticker / signage (PDF)
Order form (Rich Text Format)
If these files do not open in your browser, right-click on a link and choose 'Save Target As...' to download a copy to your computer.
ONE PAGER - CONVERSATION STARTERS
A communication piece that focuses on communication skill building as a strategy has been developed and is included in this kit. It is consistent with the campaign identity and can be used for a wide range of audiences and issues. Rather than just providing information, the one-pager supplies the target audience with practical steps that can be taken to increase communication awareness.
Download one pager (PDF)
Order form (Rich Text Format)
If these files do not open in your browser, right-click on a link and choose 'Save Target As...' to download a copy to your computer.
WEB SITE
The ODAP web site in the past has been designed to cater, primarily, to those DACs and associates in the filed of alcohol and other drugs who already have a relationship with ODAP as opposed to serving the general public.
Many of the marketing strategies in this campaign will encourage the public to seek out further information; a link to a centralized resource has been achieved with the imprinting of the ODAP logo and web site address on each handout piece. This will connect individuals to a broader source of information and to their DACs. The web site has been redesigned to provide a stronger link to the campaign by:
- design modifications that build a stronger identity to the 'talk' campaign with speech bubbles as navigation buttons.
- a clearer statement of ODAP's mission and its role in supporting DACs, specifically as these roles relate to the 'talk' campaign.
- a more direct and user-friendly link to DACs and associates for communities through a searchable list with key contacts.
- a resources and links section to view updates and download templates to produce marketing materials.
CHALK DRAWINGS
In high traffic areas within communities DACs can work with local youth/artists to write messages within the speech bubble visual. In addition, chalk drawings can be used to build interest through teaser messages or provocative quotes with drawings of the talk symbol and the ODAP web site.
There are several good reasons for using chalk drawings:
- Chalk drawings provide a low-cost, highly visible way to generate interest and discussion within the community while establishing recognition of the 'talk' identity.
- Involving youth and artists helps to ensure community participation.
- A teaser component will help to generate a street level buzz around the campaign thus increasing awareness, interest and opportunities for media coverage.
For further information on chalk drawings and links to web sites, see the Guidesheet in this kit.
STREET THEATRE
Another effective way to market the 'talk' campaign is through street theatre. DACs are encouraged to work with local theatre groups/ high school drama classes to develop street theatre performances. The DAC would develop the scene outline but the local group would develop the scripts and staging themselves to ensure a sense of ownership and authenticity.
These short scenes would be performed in public in high traffic areas or at community events. Following each performance actors and/or DAC facilitators can discuss topics identified and provide information and resources to interested bystanders and passers-by. Staging for street theatre should include signage (possibly a banner) identifying the 'talk' campaign and the ODAP logo and web site as well as information from the local DAC.
The benefits of street theatre are that:
- street theatre helps to deliver messages in an unusual and compelling way and is consistent with the campaign theme of communication and information sharing.
- by literally taking campaign messages to the street and by involving community members, street theatre is an ideal medium for engaging the community in discussion of the importance of effective communication.
- the quality of the performance is less important than the act of expression in public itself. By recreating scenarios from everyday life, street theatre can help to bring subjects out into the open.
For further information on Street Theatre see the Guidesheet in this kit.
BLOGS
In a high school it may be effective to do personal blogs on the subject of talking. See blogger.com for instruction on how to set-up a blog.
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