‘Meth. We’re on it’: Oddly-worded South Dakota drug awareness campaign ‘breaks bad’ on social media
South Dakota has rolled out a new anti-drug campaign warning about the dangers of substance abuse and costing taxpayers almost half a million. But its wording, “Meth. We’re On It,” has drawn ridicule online.
Taking a bizarre twist on “I am Spartacus,” the ads portray average South Dakotans – a kindly old farmer, a churchgoing grandma, high school football players – sternly telling the camera “I’m on meth,” with a narrator cutting in with the standard anti-drug PSA: “meth is not someone else’s problem.”
//www.youtube.com/embed/7LVcI-DQdYA
While the ads attempt to take a serious tone to address a crisis “growing at an alarming rate,” countless social media users couldn’t help but laugh at the odd wording of the message, one asking “Are we sure this isn’t a pro-meth campaign?”
This is probably the best thing to happen to meth since Breaking Bad https://t.co/ESGhNExjBa
— Jennifer Mascia (@JenniferMascia) November 18, 2019
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South Dakota: “Meth. We’re on it.”
The rest of the country: “Hey, um, are you guys OK over there?” https://t.co/wX5aNWYoX3
— ArgusLeader911 (@Argus911) November 18, 2019
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Developed by marketing and ad firm Broadhead Co., the campaign cost the state just shy of $450,000, including for the video series, billboards, posters and a website, but some were not impressed with the hefty price tag and offered their own services.
$450K? I am in the wrong line of work. I can easily make your state, company or family an absolute laughingstock for no more than $100K. HMU. https://t.co/HpB8lJP4aZ
— Visionary Director Scott Wampler™ (@ScottWamplerBMD) November 18, 2019
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There was some dispute over whether the double-entendre implied in “Meth. We’re On It” was deliberate, some criticizing the ads’ “phrasing,” others hailing it as a brilliant marketing move.
Phrasing.https://t.co/VIgjjJxVA5
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) November 18, 2019
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Anyone tweeting anything to the effect of “get a load of these yokels, bet they wished they’d hired a copy-editor” regarding the South Dakota anti-drug initiative slogan (“Meth. We’re On It”) is proving what an ingenious marketing campaign it is by giving them free advertising.
— Paul Masson (@paulmassonbrand) November 18, 2019
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Running with the idea, netizens helped South Dakota brainstorm additional not-so-anti-drug slogans.
For half the cost of this campaign I will develop an even better slogan:
“Drugs. Hell yeah.” https://t.co/f4JfuU5veC
— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) November 18, 2019
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Crack: Let’s Smoke Ithttps://t.co/lZYZbe1Ikr
— Sam Baker (@sam_baker) November 18, 2019
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The meth campaign is not the first time South Dakota has raised eyebrows with a quirky public service announcement, running a series of ads in 2014 warning drivers not to “jerk and drive” in snowy conditions – referring to the steering wheel, of course.
While we focus on South Dakota’s “Meth. We’re on it.” ad campaign, we should not forget the state’s failed “Don’t Jerk and Drive” campaign from 2014.https://t.co/hFciHO5Qc7 pic.twitter.com/KQLpngeTbO
— Cooper Lund (@cooperlund) November 18, 2019
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South Dakota’s “Meth: We’re On It” campaign. Better or worse than its northern sister’s infamous and just as clueless “Leave a Legend” tourism campaign? pic.twitter.com/IElkq9UlTY
— Dominic Papatola (@Papatola) November 18, 2019
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‘Meth. We’re on it’: Oddly-worded South Dakota drug awareness campaign ‘breaks bad’ on social media
Source: RT