ONDCP seeks to foster healthy individuals and safe communities by effectively

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

May 2011

Above the Influence

Effective and Relevant to Youth, ONDCP’s

Above the Influence

Effective and Relevant to Youth, ONDCP’s

Revitalized ‘Above the Influence’ Campaign Supports

Prevention Efforts of Communities Across the Country

The Redesigned Media Campaign

Following extensive consultation with experts in the fields of health communications and drug

prevention, ONDCP has implemented a new multi‐tiered vision and broader “Above the

Influence” (ATI) messaging.  The enhancement sought to better align the National Youth Anti‐

Drug Media Campaign (Campaign) with the prevention principles of the National Drug Control

Strategy to provide sound information to young people about the dangers

of drug use and strengthen efforts to prevent drug use in communities.  

The Campaign re‐launched the ATI youth brand with broad prevention

messaging at the national level – including television, print and Internet

advertising – as well as more targeted efforts at the local level. Since the

re‐design, results from the Campaign's year‐round tracking study of teens

showed a significant increase in teens’ awareness of ATI messages.

More important, teens who were aware of or interacted with ATI had significantly stronger

anti‐drug beliefs than teens who were not aware of or did not interact with ATI.

Redesigned Campaign Engages Communities Directly

To foster participation at the community level, the Campaign has partnered with more than 40

youth‐serving organizations in over 20 communities across the country and provided technical

assistance and training to over 500 community organizations through conference workshops

and webinars, with the objectives of:  

(1) Actively engaging youth at the local level to allow them to inform and inspire the

Campaign;  

(2) Providing local youth‐serving organizations with a recognized, national platform to

further their specific goals and initiatives; and

(3) Providing localized advertising – including posters and bus shelter ads featuring artwork

created by teens and customized banners in 1,150 high schools – across all of the 20+

partner communities to generate additional awareness.
ONDCP seeks to foster healthy individuals and safe communities by effectively

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

May 2011

Campaign partners include local chapters and affiliates representing Drug‐Free Community

grantees, the Boys and Girls Club of America, the YMCA (or Y), Girl’s Inc., ASPIRA (a national

Hispanic organization dedicated to developing the educational and leadership capacity of

Hispanic youth), Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Community Anti‐Drug

Coalitions of America (CADCA), the National Organization for Youth Safety (NOYS), and the

Partnership at Drugfree.org.  

Campaign Effectiveness

National‐level ATI Campaign Shown to be Effective

Evidence for the effectiveness of the “Above the Influence” Campaign has appeared in several

recently published independent research studies, including an analysis published online by the

peer‐reviewed journal Prevention Science that concluded, “exposure to the ONDCP (ATI)

campaign predicted reduced marijuana use.”1

The analysis, funded through a grant by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), showed

that youth who reported exposure to the ATI Campaign were less likely to begin use of

marijuana than those not exposed to the Campaign – a finding consistent with the Campaign’s

own year‐round Youth Ad Tracking Survey results.

Another study, published in the American Journal of Public Health in March 2011,

2 provides

“evidence that greater exposure to the Above the Influence Campaign is significantly

associated with reduced marijuana usage.” Specifically, this research found lower rates of

past‐month and lifetime marijuana use among 8th grade girls who had greater exposure to the

ATI Campaign’s anti‐drug advertisements. Positive findings for early adolescent teens in this

study are consistent with other data showing stronger effects for this age group, including

research by “truth,” the national tobacco prevention campaign conducted by the American

Legacy Foundation.3

Implementation of the Campaign’s ATI Tier Two initiative (a community‐level effort centered on

youth‐serving organizations conducting “Above the Influence” activities with youth) has been

underway since the fall of 2010 and is designed to amplify the effects of the national ATI

Campaign.  The Tier Two initiative also has been evaluated recently and has shown positive

results (see below).

ATI is Valuable to Communities   Community partners have embraced the ATI Campaign and have used the ATI activities as a

new way to engage youth in a dialogue about the negative effects of substance use.  ATI

community partners have used the ATI Campaign as a valuable asset to which they can anchor

their individual youth substance abuse prevention programs, thereby furthering their

respective youth‐serving missions.

 

1

 Slater, et al (2011), “Assessing Media Campaigns Linking Marijuana Non-Use with Autonomy and Aspirations: ‘Be Under 

Your Own Influence’ and ONDCP’s ‘Above the Influence’,” Prevention Science, Volume 12, Number 1, 12-22. 2

 Carpenter and Pechmann (2011), “Exposure to the Above the Influence Antidrug Advertisements and Adolescent Marijuana 

Use in the United States, 2006-2008,” American Journal of Public Health, published online. 3

 Farrelly, et al (2005), “Evidence of a dose-response relationship between “truth” antismoking ads and youth smoking 

prevalence,” American Journal of Public Health, 95(3), 425-431. 
ONDCP seeks to foster healthy individuals and safe communities by effectively

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

May 2011

Coalition of Behavioral Health Services

(a Drug Free Communities grantee in

Houston, Texas)

Teens from the Coalition of Behavior

Health Services conducted a week of

“Above the Influence” activities during a

local art festival, including the “Tag It”

activity, creation of an ATI art mural

that traveled to various Houston‐area

locations, teen panel discussions, and a

free concert by a local hip‐hop dance

group.

“We want our teens to develop what we call ‘influence literacy,’ which means having a clear

understanding of those people, places, and things in their lives that influence them in a

positive way toward their goals and dreams, and those people, places, and things — such as

alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs — that are negative influences which can derail their

personal dreams.”

—Sandy Olson, executive director of the Coalition of Behavioral Health Services and the

Partnership for a Drug‐Free Spring Branch

Kent County Prevention Coalition

(a Drug Free Communities grantee in

Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Teens from the Kent County

Prevention Coalition took on the

challenge of making a movie discussing

the negative pressures and influences

in their lives, and how they rise above

them.  The 30‐minute movie

premiered at a local Kent County

movie theater.  Teens used the ATI

Toolkit as a guide for the activities and

discussions captured in the movie.

“To have the national support through

ATI, and to be part of something larger

than just your community, has been great. It’s allowed us to open doors and develop strong

partnerships that have blossomed.”

—Shannon Cohen, Program Director, Kent County Prevention Coalition

Michigan teens pose for a picture prior to doing the “Tag It” 

activity that would later be used in their 30-minute “Above 

the Influence” film.

Houston-area teen girls participating in the "Tag It" activity 

creatively demonstrate how they are "above peer pressure."
ONDCP seeks to foster healthy individuals and safe communities by effectively

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

May 2011

Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club (Bronx, NY)

After completing the ATI art project,

Yolanda Brisbane‐Baird, unit director at the

Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, challenged her

youth to form their own ATI team to design

ATI‐themed events throughout the year.  

ATI‐related activities included: (1) a

Valentine’s Teen Party, where teens

featured an alcohol‐free teen bar; teens

who submitted their ATI artwork were

admitted for $1 versus $5; (2) a "Stop

Bullying – Speak Up" town hall meeting

sponsored by Cartoon Network and

Cablevision.  Youth conducted the ATI “Tag

It” activity before the event and showcased

their “tags” during the town hall meeting; and (3) a large wall display in the lobby of the club

dedicated to ATI, with a new ATI theme each month.

In an evaluation of the Campaign’s community‐level efforts, community partners reported that

local ATI activities were useful to their organizations in meeting their missions to serve youth.  

Further, the ATI Campaign activities continue to be replicated in local communities around the

country, with roughly three‐quarters of community partners saying they would highly

recommend ATI activities to other youth‐serving organizations.

ATI community‐level activities are having a measured impact on youth as well.  Not only did 91

percent of teen participants favorably rate the ATI activities, but teens’ perceptions of the risks

associated with drug and alcohol use also increased after participating in ATI activities.

Darylis (standing at center, right) of the Kips Bay Boys & 

Girls Club stands proudly next to her ATI artwork, which 

was made into posters for her club.
ONDCP seeks to foster healthy individuals and safe communities by effectively

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

May 2011