ONDCP seeks to foster healthy individuals and safe communities by effectively 

leading the Nation’s effort to reduce drug use and its consequences.

July 2010 

NATIONAL YOUTH ANTI-DRUG MEDIA CAMPAIGN 

Congress created the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media 

Campaign (Campaign) in 1998, with the goal of preventing and reducing youth drug use across 

the Nation. Today, the Campaign increases teen exposure to anti-drug messages through a 

combination of paid advertising (e.g., television, Internet, and cinema) and public 

communications (e.g., community events, corporate sponsorships with youth brands, and youthcentered activities). 

The Media Campaign has two distinct 

areas of focus: a teen-targeted Above 

the Influence Campaign, and a young 

adult-targeted Anti-Meth Campaign. 

Teens – The Above the Influence

Campaign targets youth ages 12-17, 

with an emphasis on ages 14-16, the 

critical transition years from middle 

school to high school when teens are 

most likely to initiate drug use. The 

Campaign balances broad prevention 

messaging at the national level with 

more targeted efforts at the local 

community level. This approach allows 

the Campaign to continue to reach all 

teens across the country with a highly 

visible national media presence, while fostering the active engagement and participation of youth 

at the community level. 

 Tier 1 – National Prevention Campaign 

National advertising of the Above the Influence brand will continue to build on the fact that 

76% of teens are aware of Above the Influence advertising and 82% recognize the brand 

logo. The Campaign will leverage this high level of recognition with the teen audience to 

more broadly address those substances most abused by teens, including prescription drugs, 

marijuana, and alcohol. The national Campaign will continue to include traditional media, 

such as television, Internet, and cinema, but will place a greater emphasis on digital media 

outlets such as Google and YouTube, as well as with social networking partners such as 

Facebook. 

Findings from the Campaign’s in-market survey of 100 teens per week show that teens who 

were aware of the Campaign held significantly stronger anti-drug beliefs than those who 

were unaware of the Campaign (see chart, above). 
ONDCP seeks to foster healthy individuals and safe communities by effectively 

leading the Nation’s effort to reduce drug use and its consequences.

July 2010 

 Tier 2 – Community-based Campaign Initiatives

While a national campaign remains a valuable asset to which communities can anchor their 

individual programs, the Campaign recognizes that it is at the community level where youth 

substance abuse prevention must ultimately occur. 

> The Campaign’s Tier 2 initiatives will provide a model for delivering Campaign 

assets, including paid media, on-the-ground activities, local partnerships, Public 

Service Announcement (PSA) materials, and news media attention to at-risk 

communities. On-the-ground activities and local partnerships will be key in allowing 

the Campaign to reach teens across multiple domains, including schools, clubs, 

worksites, faith communities, and recreational programs. 

> The Campaign will encourage and allow for greater youth and partner participation 

by developing multiple opportunities and activities to tie in with the Campaign. The 

strength and high levels of brand awareness of Above the Influence allow 

communities to localize and customize the Campaign’s messages to address local 

drug issues. 

Meth - The Anti-Meth Campaign targets young adults ages 18-34, as well as adult influencers of 

meth users. The Campaign conveys the risks of meth use, the effectiveness of treatment, and the 

possibility of recovery from meth addiction. 

 All States receive some national paid advertising (e.g., radio, online); however, the bulk of 

the Anti-Meth Campaign effort is directed to States that have the highest meth use rates. 

 The Anti-Meth Campaign focuses on reaching rural and smaller suburban communities 

through the use of billboards, signs on gas station pumps, and ads in convenience stores. 

 States with high meth use rates and significant Hispanic populations receive Spanishlanguage TV and radio ads in their respective media markets. 

 The Anti-Meth Campaign also has a component that specifically targets youth in American 

Indian and Native Alaskan communities, where meth use rates are higher and the age of 

initiation is lower than the national averages. 

 Print ads, billboards, posters, and other materials are available for download from 

www.MethResources.gov, and TV and radio ads are available for use by local 

organizations as customizable PSAs. 

Media Messages Matter 

The Campaign and its balanced approach – providing prevention messaging at the national level 

with more targeted efforts at the local community level – are vital prevention resources in a time of 

pressing new realities: 

 Data from two leading national surveys – the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and 

the Monitoring the Future Study – show softening of anti-drug attitudes among teenagers 

and increases in teens’ use of specific drugs. 

 Our youth face new and emerging drug threats, notably abuse of prescription and over-thecounter medicine. 

 Our youth also face an ever increasing tide of pro-drug messaging in pop culture and online 

environments that normalize and trivialize drug and alcohol use. 

Web sites: http://www.AboveTheInfluence.com

 http://www.MethResources.gov