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Meet the Effects

Amelie partnered with the Colorado Department of Transportation to bring awareness to the issue of driving under the influence of marijuana. Rather than preaching abstinence or using fear tactics, we developed a playful, informative, and nonjudgmental approach to educate drivers and suggest alternatives that appealed to the independent Western mindset. 
Challenge:

Colorado saw an increase in people driving under the influence of cannabis, becoming the number intoxicant among US drivers. Despite the risks – including increased reaction times and decreased awareness – many drivers didn’t see the risk. In addition, past campaigns telling drivers what to do or preaching abstinence were met with public resistance.

Solution:

Meet the Effects used reach-based media to increase awareness and educate Colorado drivers about the dangers of drugged driving. We ran surveys before and after the campaign to measure how well the campaign resonated with our target audience and to see if it changed how they viewed driving high.

Our campaign’s overall goal was to:
Attack cultural norms
Encourage realistic actions
Dispel myths
Change related behaviors
Increase awareness, education, and actions
Results (Before/After):
  • 27.8 million impressions
  • 80% video completion rate: increased from 65% in 2022 to 80% in 2023, garnering further attention in online video with an average 6x frequency in English & Spanish versions

Pre/ Post survey findings found that The campaign was well received by young male drivers. After seeing the campaign, most said the messaging was easy to understand, made sense, and made them consider the dangers of driving high.

The campaign effectively communicated exactly how THC affects a driver. Most respondents internalized how THC slowed reaction time, divided attention, and doubled the risk of a crash. Ensuring young male drivers continue to believe in these effects of using marijuana is a valuable goal.