Drug-Related Death Rates to Soar in Coming Years!
Unless you just returned from an extended stay in a galaxy far, far away, you know we have a serious problem on our hands. And, sadly it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. We can change the outcome if we have the will to do so. And, unless we do something, teen drug-related death rates will soar in the coming decade.
Do we know how to fix it? Yes.
Do we have the will to fix it? It doesn’t appear that way.
Drug deaths have soared over the past few decades. And over the next decade, the number will rocket to shocking levels. The death rate isn’t the only problem. Substance abuse causes mental illness, crime, suicides, and many other ills.
But the real problem is everyone’s talking about it, but no one’s doin’ much. Sure, the government is trying to keep the open border closed, and laws make it illegal but the huge rate of increase indicates their efforts are having little effect.
What if I told you there is a way to substantially cut the number of these deaths, would that be of interest?
Before I go on, let me introduce myself. My name is Tom Monson and I am doing something about it. It’s called The Saving Our Children Campaign.
I am 100% sure that the Saving Our Children Campaign will cause a significant reduction in drug abuse and deaths. I won’t pretend that it is the only answer, but it is an answer.
Why am I so Sure I can Reduce Teen Drug-Related Death Rates?
I’ve done it before.
Years ago in Oregon, I organized a similar campaign that caused heroin-related deaths to plummet more than fifty percent in just one year.
We promoted the campaign with television ads, radio spots, print ads, posters, civic presentations, and involvement by dozens of folks who believe in the cause. At the time, social media and internet marketing weren’t nearly prolific as they are today.
The New Campaign
The new campaign is in the Los Angeles DMA, the number two Television Market in the United States. An estimated five million youngsters live in this area and the message will reach tens of thousands.
As in the Oregon Campaign, the main component is a 30-minute television show. Its purpose is to let the audience see WHY they need to avoid drugs. It’s based on a peer-to-peer principle where viewers take an interest in the characters and follow them as they learn important lessons. This technique has been proven to be effective.
In addition to the show, we are producing a 32-page comic-type book that will tell the same story. The books will be distributed to schools, teen centers, libraries, and select merchants. And the coolest thing is this comic will tell the story for years to come and each one could be read as many as five or six times. Our current target is to distribute 50,000 copies.
Mass Marketing a Solution to Drug-Related Death Rates
The campaign will take advantage of extensive marketing techniques to raise public awareness. It will consist of television advertising, radio spots, print ads, a massive social media effort, posters, direct mail and email, and civic presentations.
Before we broadcast the show, we will publish an online discussion guide to facilitate meaningful discussions between children and parents.
A special edition of the show and discussion guide will also be available for teachers who want to talk about the subject with their students. Teachers are encouraged to download and have meaningful discussions after the video.
On the day of the broadcast, the program will be available to the entire population. Following the broadcast, the program will be available online for one year.
The effectiveness of this type of programming is well known. Educators have been using film and video to teach for over a century.
The budget for this campaign is $2.5 million. This includes production expenses, purchasing broadcast-air time, buying advertising, paying for printing, publishing, and administration.
Where’s the Money Comin’ From?
Our funding strategy: That’s the best part. In exchange for offering effective and valuable promotional consideration, we invite businesses to join us by channeling some of their advertising budgets into the massive multi-media campaign.
We will also reach out to health departments, other government agencies, and individuals interested in helping us reduce the number of drug-related teen deaths.
The reason that most drug prevention programs are not effective is they put the responsibility of saying “no” on the child. We believe that when parents see what goes on in the world of a young drug addict, they will be more likely to get involved. This is another key element of our approach. We shine a light on drug abuse so parents and children can unite to reduce Drug-Related Death Rates.
This is the most comprehensive and aggressive campaign ever launched to end the needless tragedies of lost loved ones.
Tom Monson is an award-winning writer and producer.