for other uses see pdfa . partnership for drug free kids founded 1985 founder aaaa focus drug prevention location new york city area served united states method donations and grants employees 30 in 1993 1 website www.drugfree.org formerly called partnership for a drug free america 1985 2010 the partnership for drug free kids first known as the partnership for a drug free america pdfa 2 then later as the partnership at drugfree.org 3 is a new york city based non profit organization which runs campaigns to prevent teenage drug and alcohol abuse in the united states . 4 5 it is notable for mobilizing volunteer talent against a single social problem 6 to help young people live their lives free of drug and alcohol abuse 4 and to assist parents in prevention efforts . the organization gets input from scientists specialists in communication researchers and others and offers resources for parents and teenagers on its website . 7 it focused efforts to unsell illegal drugs such as cocaine 8 heroin 8 prescription drugs marijuana mdma and others as well as discouraging abuse of alcohol and nitrous oxide by breaking away from a standard public service approach and doing a coordinated media campaign . while the organization has focused drug prevention advertising on broadcast media such as television there are signs in recent years that it is shifting media support to emerging channels such as video on demand digital technology and particularly the internet . 9 the organization s marketing experience was written up as a 58 page 1 marketing case study for study by students at the harvard business school . 10 11 the organization is perhaps best known for its iconic tv ad this is your brain on drugs but it had made over 3 000 ads by 2011 while pursuing a flexible strategy . the partnership coordinates efforts with government officials including andre hollis the deputy assistant defense secretary for counternarcotics in 2002 . contents 1 history 1.1 a departure from standard psa advertising 1.2 strategic vision 1.3 funding 1.4 this is your brain on drugs 1.5 coordination with federal anti drug efforts 1.6 the 1990s 1.7 the 2000s 1.8 current approaches 2 research findings and tracking 3 awards 4 criticism and controversy 5 satire 6 see also 7 notes 8 sources 9 external links history edit a departure from standard psa advertising edit smoking was prevalent during the 1950s and 1960s ; however anti smoking advertising was having an impact on discouraging the practice . the 1960s and 1970s had been turbulent years marked by wider acceptance of drugs than in previous decades as well as a consumer culture encouraged by advertising in mass media . there had been sporadic efforts by anti smoking groups to discourage cigarette smoking and tobacco company executives learned that sales would decline overall if pro smoking ads were shown in the same proportions as anti smoking ads . in the 1980s the nation faced a serious problem with drug abuse . at the time the partnership was created the nation was in the throes of the crack cocaine epidemic . citation needed strategic vision edit in the mid 1980s a small group of advertising professionals with wide ranging experience on diverse campaigns and working in conjunction with a nonprofit trade association called the american association of advertising agencies proposed a marketing campaign not to sell one more product or service but rather to un sell teenaged drug abuse . the group was formed officially in 1985 . 8 12 among the initial group was los angeles ad guru phillip joanou 8 thomas hedrick 8 doria steedman 6 and ginna marston from the ted bates advertising agency . the group saw the merits of using a focused approach similar to that for a commercial product or service . in earlier decades public service ads or psas had been shown by networks whenever it had been convenient for their schedules regardless of the intended audience of the ad . many psas aired late at night when most people had gone to sleep . in other situations networks used psas as filler when slots opened up in their commercial lineup regardless of any consideration for reaching specific audiences . marston urged instead a targeted focused anti drug campaign similar to one for selling a specific brand of cereal or an automobile but instead the campaign would unsell drugs 13 or rather sell the benefits of not using drugs . like a commercial campaign the effort would conduct marketing research by studying teenagers and parents in depth using focus groups to understand their motivations as well as conduct quantitative research using nationwide random sample surveys as part of a recurring longitudinal investigation . marston explained the approach we needed to know our consumer as well as our competition ... if we are going to compete with possibly the most alluring most effective come on in the history of social interaction we d best know everything there is to know about current attitudes toward drugs and drug users . ginna marston 8 an anti cocaine advertisement the pdfa released in 1987 . hedrick agreed that the group knew next to nothing about illegal drugs and the youthful target audience for their ads according to a report in the los angeles times . 8 these realizations led to the creation of a full time and highly aggressive research staff according to one report . 8 the team reached out to knowledgeable activists such as carole fields arnold who marston later described as one of those rare people who is street smart and can be tough when needed but also gets everyone to look up and see the light dream a bigger dream than they thought they could and lock arms to reach for it together . 14 the organization was loosely modeled along the lines of a standard advertising agency with a creative director post 15 and account executives to spearhead specific efforts . while the campaign approach was a radical departure from standard psa approaches the group was following a tried and true advertising strategy research choosing a marketing objective writing advertisements to meet that objective plus focused efforts to persuade that audience in chosen media at specific times . the intent was to change behavior by changing attitudes . 13 further the agency did continual reassessments were attitudes changing was drug abuse becoming less prominent this feedback helped the group decide if goals were being met and allowed their small but growing nonprofit agency the freedom to change tactics as well as change goals . an account of the overall idea on madison avenue it is still revered as one of the hottest marketing ideas of all time . take the decision to buy and use heroin or pot or coke or any illegal drug and treat it like any other purchasing choice . liken potential addicts to a group of consumers whose buying habits can be manipulated by celebrity endorsements catchy slogans and powerful images . then use those tricks not to sell the product but to un sell it . if the approach works drugs will finally lose their cool . reporter pamela warrick in the los angeles times 6 the partnership was able to recruit top creative talent such as actor and comedian bill cosby left and filmmaker bobby sheehan taking this picture to appear in psas against drug abuse . partnership executive ginna marston right goes over script details while a production assistant looks on before shooting an anti drug commercial in astoria queens . photo by bobby sheehan the agency found itself able to solicit help from many sources for free . copywriters often competed for assignments 8 on a pro bono basis . 8 the agency finagled free media exposure from print media and broadcast networks 8 including spots during prime time . 8 later when advertising was directed at inner city youth media was selected to target 37 large cities . 16 the organization has turned to media planning and placement experts who work as well on a pro bono basis . 9 one report suggested that there was a wealth of creative talent vying for a chance for assignments . 8 the group was prepared to feature rather risqu push the envelope ads ; for example one advertisement showed a girl with the barrel of a revolver pushed up one nostril and a father singing a lullaby to his little daughter from his coffin . 8 doria steedman described the ads as neither pretty nor polite nor nice but designed deliberately to disturb and upset . 6 a bandwagon effect happened soon thereafter big advertising agencies including saatchi & saatchi j. walter thompson bbdo worldwide joined the consortium . key executives from the new york times company procter & gamble usa network and others such as daniel burke of capital cities 17 18 sat on the partnership s board of directors . 8 funding edit robert wood johnson i robert wood johnson ii the partnership found office space on the 16th floor of the chrysler building in new york city . 8 by 1993 it had 30 employees according to one estimate . 1 an early grant of 300 000 from the american association of advertising agencies helped considerably to pay for rent salaries and other expenses 6 and subsequent funds were provided by generous grants from the robert wood johnson foundation a princeton based philanthropic organization focusing exclusively on health care and particularly substance abuse . the foundation s founder robert wood johnson ii had built the family firm of johnson & johnson into an international health care products manufacturer and he left the foundation a generous bequest of stock upon his death in 1968 . 19 in addition to these revenue sources the organization also holds fundraisers including an annual awards dinner ; in 2007 one awards dinner at the waldorf astoria hotel raised 2.2 million . 20 this is your brain on drugs edit analysis of research suggested that consumers decided about possibly doing drugs based on two basic considerations the risk involved and the perception of social disapproval . 8 and campaigns were targeted towards both mindsets that using drugs was risky and that it was uncool among peer groups . the partnership used a simple advertisement showing an egg in a frying pan similar to this photo suggesting that the effect of drugs on a brain was like a hot pan on an egg . the organization first entered the wider public consciousness in 1987 13 with its this is your brain on drugs broadcast and print public service advertisements psas . 21 the advertisement used the analogy that if a person s brain is an egg then using illegal drugs would be like frying it . 21 this advertisement was shown repeatedly on broadcast media to the extent that it became a hallmark for the organization . time magazine described the advertisement as iconic . 21 it has been recognized by marketing professionals as one of the most influential ad campaigns in the history of marketing according to numerous sources 13 21 and has been applauded as one of the most unforgettable images in modern american advertising . 6 tv guide named it as one of the top 100 ads of all time . 13 the ad became the organization s calling card according to one account . 6 student taia lubitz felt the brain on drugs commercial was not accurate since she saw fellow students smoking marijuana whose brains were clearly not frying . she claimed that the ad stirred her curiosity and that the scare tactic was really more of a dare tactic . 13 student sepideh modrek said that the fried egg commercial really scared me when i was in high school . i remember picturing that egg in the frying pan and thinking that it wasn t worth it . 13 the agency was able to solicit