BBDO West and Partnership for a Drug-Free America launch bold new campaign; inner city Los Angeles youth play integral part in pro bono campaign development.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 1996--BBDO West and Partnership for a Drug-Free America today announced the release of a new public service advertising campaign that for the first time boldly addresses the West Coast drug experience and its strong link to gang involvement.

The ads contain powerful images that resonate with African-American and Latino youth in Los Angeles, whereas the organization's previous campaigns had an East Coast focus.

The first three spots of the campaign, titled "Control," juxtapose positive images of manhood with images of an empty, drug-addicted life. The ads dispel peer-supported myths equating manhood with drugs, money and power, instead illustrating manhood as the achievement of meaningful goals such as graduating, having a family and securing a stable job. The campaign broadcasts a powerful message: to be a man is to be successful by exercising positive control over your life.

"This campaign is extremely effective because it places choice and recognition into the hands of young black and Latino males," said L. Ross Love, chairman of the Partnership's African-American task force and vice president for advertising at the Procter & Gamble Co. "These teens already know the realities of drug use and death. What they hunger for is something else to aspire to and to know that they can make it in life without drugs and gangs."

The driving force behind the strategy and creative development of the ads were several groups of 12- to 15-year-olds from Compton, a depressed area south of Los Angeles. The kids shared their personal experiences of growing up around rampant drug use and gang activity, explaining the difficult situations they face every day. The BBDO West team listened to them and used their stories as the basis for the campaign's concept development. After the first round of production, BBDO took the work back to the kids in Compton to ensure the spots truly conveyed their reality and spoke in their language.

BBDO's listening techniques worked -- the ads struck a nerve and the kids' encouragement drove the campaign through its final stages. Their responses provided powerful impetus for the Drug-Free America creative review committee to approve development of the entire four-ad series -- typically only one ad, at most, is approved.

The initial black and white scenes of the broadcast spots feature a man working, a father playing with his children and a student graduating high school. Each image is backed by upbeat and swinging background jazz music with the word, "Man," superimposed on the screen. Immediately following the scenes of success are haunting images of a junkie collapsing in the gutter or in a dilapidated home, as his crack pipe falls to his side. Manic music sets up the ominous mood and "Slave" appears in bold on the screen.

The forthcoming spot, to be released in July and entitled "Game Show," broadcasts equally powerful and controversial messages. The mock game show, "What Do You Want From Life?" features teen contestants who are asked to join a gang that sells drugs. The kids must make a hard choice -- they may join the gang and make quick drug money or be man enough to make their own decision, thereby ensuring their success. One contestant answers "yes," succumbing to peer pressure from the audience, and wins an early grave; the second youth ignores the crowd and emerges the winner.

"The campaign avoids preaching and finger-wagging by contrasting bold concepts -- Man vs. Slave -- and empowering kids to make their own decisions and take control of their lives," said David Lubars, president and executive creative director of BBDO West.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America campaign creative and account teams include executive creative director David Lubars; senior vice president and group account director Vada Hill; account executive Hap Deneen; assistant account planner Cindy Owyoung; copywriter and associate creative director Dante Lombardi; art director Rohitash Rao and producer Carolyn Casey.

BBDO West is one of the nation's pre-eminent creative advertising shops and part of BBDO Worldwide, the third largest advertising agency network in the world. The agency has developed award winning and brand building creative for clients including Pioneer Electronics, Apple Computer, Glendale Federal Bank, and Ortho Lawn and Garden Products. In addition to its work for Partnership for a Drug-Free America, BBDO West has created a pro bono campaign for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) to be launched in June.

Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a coalition of volunteers from the communications industry whose objective is to combine the creativity of advertising agencies with the power of the media to address illegal drug use. The Partnership has become the largest public service campaign in history, with over 200 advertising agencies contributing work, at no charge, and the nation's media donating over $2.1 billion in time and space to the campaign.

CONTACT: MWW/Savitt Inc.

Anne Walker/Shannon Lawrence, 206/689-8505