Department of Defense Alcohol Abuse Prevention Education Campaign U.S. Army MWR Briefing February 22

1
Department of Defense Alcohol Abuse
PreventionEducation CampaignU.S. Army MWR
BriefingFebruary 22, 2008
2
Problem

• Binge drinking rate is 56 in 18-25 year-old
  active duty personnel (an increase from the 2002
  DoD Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among
  Military Personnel)

3
Objectives

• Help reduce alcohol abuse among active duty
  military
• Raise awareness of the negative effects of
  excessive drinking
• Motivate installations and international partners
  to take action specifically, to get involved in
  the campaign and help get message out to junior
  enlisted through nonconventional ways

4
Secondary Research

• TMA research and surveys
• Audit and analysis of existing alcohol abuse
  prevention programs in the military
• Literature and scientific study review

5
Secondary Research Key Learnings

• Primary audience E1 to E4, white males, age 18
  to 24
• Interactive interventions (Web, games, etc.) are
  effective with this age group
• Drug facts and health messages are less
  meaningful to this target audience

6
Primary Research

• Focus group testing
• Eight small group discussions
• 75 participants
• Average 9 per group
• May 8 May 18, 2006
• Four installations (Air Force, Army, Marine
  Corps, Navy)
• Segregated to ensure candor
• Pay grades E1 to E3 (37 participants)
• Pay grade E4 (38 participants)

7
Primary Research Key Learnings

• Military Environment, Culture
• Culture endorses, reinforces partying/drinking
• Few differences by Services
• Feel stress, frustration, boredom with work/being
  on base
• Partying is not binge drinking
• Disagree with, laugh at definition (5
  drinks/same occasion)

8
Primary Research Key Learnings

• Consequences Associated with Binge Drinking
• Negative consequences short-term physical and
  social effects
• Few link it with or are concerned about
  longer-term effects on
• Job, career, duty
• Health issues
• Turn to alcohol for distraction, fun, escape

9
Primary Research Key Learnings

• Response to Drinking Environment
• Feel uncomfortable being around
• Judging glances when addiction stories were
  told
• Make fun of
• Take pictures to share with others (comic relief)
• Swap stories (drinking escapades)
• Look down upon, disassociate themselves with
• Those who acted out in an extreme way

10
Primary Research Key Learnings

• Themes/Concepts that Resonated
• Those that emphasize having control over ones
  drinking
• Translation having more control over ones
  life, future
• Important because they have little control at
  present
• Preferred theme control

11
Changing Undesirable Behavior

• Short-term
• No abstinence campaign
• Avoid textbook definition
• Build awareness for new campaign
• Talk about excessive drinking and consequences of
  losing control in a way that.
• Grabs their attention, resonates with experiences
• Positively reinforces control theyll have
• Does not look similar to or feel like military
  recruiting materials

12
Research Key Findings

• Alcohol facts and health messages are less
  meaningful
• Not concerned about long-term consequences of
  excessive drinking
• Short-term consequencesloss of control,
  embarrassment among peersmore likely to resonate
• Humor attracts, resonates strongly
• Top down, chain of command message delivery not
  likely to be effective

13
Strategies

• Humor and edginess
• Use to draw in target audience and themes that
  resonate with their desire for control
• Non-traditional, innovative approach
• Surround sound
• Multiple approaches
• Multiple channels of communications
• Multiple locations
• Peer-to-peer, not authority driven
• Increase social disapproval of excessive and
  irresponsible drinking
• Not earned media focused

14
Theme and Message Platforms

• Control
• Personal responsibility
• When you lose control of your drinking, you lose
  control of yourself
• Power/empowerment
• You are in charge of your choices

15
Audience Key Thoughts

• I drink but I dont get wasted.
• I control my behavior. I control my drinking.
• I am in charge of my own choices.
• Im not that guy who has one too many.
• I laugh at that guy.
• I pity that guy.
• I help that guy.
• I never want to be that guy.
• Dont be That Guy!

16
Who is That Guy?

• Weve all seen That Guy
• That Guy starts the night as a normal guy
• After one too many he becomes That Guy
• That Guy is not in control sometimes in a big
  way sometimes in a subtle way
• That Guy is at the mercy of those around him
• Its not hard to become That Guy
• You could be That Guy, too

17
Pre-Launch

• Research
• Program design
• Creative concept/Web site user testing
• Installation briefings to gain support in pilot
  markets
• Fort Bragg
• Pope Air Force Base
• Camp Lejeune

18
National Launch

• Web site launched December 1, 2006
• Top on-line advertising networks launched banner
  ads on December 8, 2006
• ValueClick
• Advertising.com
• 24/7 Real Media
• Specific Media

19
That Guy Web Site
20
Pilot Program Launch

• Focus on four installations
• Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville
• Fort Bragg, Fayetteville
• Pope AFB, Fayetteville
• Pensacola NAS
• Advertising
• Branded promotional materials
• Radio station partnerships
• Video Public Service Announcement (PSA)

21
Advertising

• Installation newspapers
• Local newspaper Pensacola
• Outdoor advertising and non-traditional
  marketing
• Billboards
• Shuttle bus ads
• Bathroom ads
• Convenience store ads

22
Military Media Advertising

• Ads ran in entertainment and sports sections of
  installation newspaper
• Full-color, full-page
• Began December 1, ran for three months

23
Promotional Materials

• Posters
• Coasters
• Stickers
• Temporary tattoos
• Graphics to download

24
MySpace Partnership

• Created That Guy profile on www.MySpace.com
• Download banners, icons, skins, wallpaper, and
  videos
• Chat with friends (more than 1,800 to date)
• Link to www.ThatGuy.com
• Ran advertising on specific sections of MySpace
  for three months

25
MySpace Partnership
26
Broadcast Elements

• Radio promotions with 6 radio station partners
• Pre-recorded spots
• Contests
• Promotional live remote events
• Giveaways at events
• Video Public Service Announcement (PSA)
• Ran at movie theaters
• Provided to installations

27
Pilot Market Results

• 1,065 commercial radio spots aired
• 27 million reached through outdoor advertising
• Billboards
• Shuttle wraps
• Convenience store and bathroom ads
• 1,020,000 impressions generated through print
  advertisements in installation newspapers
  (December 2006 through March 2007)
• Video PSA
• Ran in 115 movie theaters for 3 months

28
Pilot Market Launch Key Learnings

• Campaign feedback focus groups (March 2007)
• Word about That Guy getting out 50 aware
  (recognize name, logo)
• Awareness highest where outreach strongest
• Top sources billboards, posters, newspaper ads
• Perceive ads as relevant, realistic get the
  point
• Concepts appeared to resonate best with E1s to
  E3s
• Understand purpose responsible drinking (not
  abstinence)
• Relate to That Guy (real, resonates with them)

E1s to E4s, 18 to 24 years of age who drink
on-base interviewing not projective
29
Pilot Market Launch Key Learnings

• Campaign feedback focus groups (cont.)
• Desire a balance of humor and serious messages
• Direct, clear messaging (not too clever)
• Suggest campaign incorporates some serious
  consequences
• Consider additional stand-alone pieces/activities
  that contain core content, messages
• Base leadership turnkey program made it easy to
  support/endorse campaign
• Explored top deterrents spending too much money,
  waking up with someone they wished they hadnt
  gone home with letting friends down

30
Informing our Approach Program Expansion

• Program is tested and turnkey
• Lessons learned result in best practices
• Installation level partner is key
• Off-base promotion adds to credibility
• Top-down approach less effective than
  peer-to-peer
• Creative platform and messages fine tuned
• Posters
• Coasters
• Playing cards
• Campaign toolkit

31
Stakeholder Outreach and Partnerships

• Create quarterly e-newsletter to send to contacts
  
• Pursue and sustain partnerships
• U.S. Army MWR
• Navy Installation Command (CNIC)
• Marine Corps Semper Fit Program Office
• Army Substance Abuse Program (ASCAP)
• Air Force Substance Abuse Prevention
• Air Mobility Command (AMC)
• Air Force Material Command
• United Service Organizations (USO)

32
Conferences and Briefings

• Briefings/conferences
• Exhibited at AMSUS Conference, November 2007
• Exhibited at MHS Conference, January 2008
• U.S. Army MWR briefing, February 2008
• Single Marines Program briefing, April 2008
• CNIC briefing, May 2008
• Force Health Protection conference exhibit,
  August 2008
• Association of Military Surgeons of the US
  (AMSUS) exhibit, November 2008

33
International Outreach

• Extending overseas
• Radio PSAs on Armed Services Radio and Television
  Services (AFRTS)
• Advertise in Stars Stripes
• The GAMER supplement in February
• Three half-page ads through September 2008
• Partnership with United Service Organizations
  (USO)
• Provide USO Centers around the world with
  materials
• Tie-in with USO events abroad and in the U.S.

34
New Tools for Global Deployment

• Campaign toolkit
• Background on campaign and best case studies
• How to order free materials
• Downloadable graphic files for reproducing That
  Guy promotional materials with Service or
  local/partner funds
• New promotional materials
• Expanded coaster series
• Created playing cards
• Developed Evolution of That Guy poster and
  archetype mini-posters
• Produce That Guy comic strip
• A series of 6-8 one panel strips
• Make available for downloading to place in
  newspapers by POCs
• Audio and video PSAs

35
Online Activities

• Identified Web site features to encourage
  peer-to-peer communication
• Buzz Kill section (legal consequences)
• User generated content
• Viral emails
• Search engine marketing efforts through Google
• Exploring additional online partnerships

36
Where is That Guy? Outreach Activities to Date

• Since That Guy launched
• 167,750 promotional items distributed
• No Ones Laughing, Evolution of That Guy and
  archetype posters
• Coasters
• Playing cards
• Stickers
• Temporary tattoos
• Toolkits
• DVDs
• Banners
• Partner database created with more than 900
  contacts in 42 states and 10 countries
• 472 log-ins to resource page
• More than 145 installations exposed/engaged
• Video PSA running on AFN News, AFN Sports and AFN
  XTRA 39 times a week for a total of 117 airings
  per week.

37
Where is That Guy? Web Site Results to Date

• Web site traffic (December 2006 January 2008)
• Total visits 250,779
• Total page views 1,014,000
• Average time on site 548

38
Where Is That Guy? Web Site Survey Results

• Web site survey (December 2006 January 2008)
• Word-of-mouth (friends, Internet) and top-down
  communications (supervisors, safety briefs) are
  ways service members are learning about That Guy
• Primarily visit for entertainment value,
  recommendation from a friend
• About two-fifths agree site will likely get
  service members to think twice about their
  actions so they dont become That Guy
• Suggesting site is conveying key messages

39
Evaluation and Measurement

• DMDC quarterly survey
• Web site survey
• Web site traffic and page views
• Advertising metrics
• PSA distribution
• Giveaway distribution
• Anecdotal feedback
• Number of installations and partners involved
• Triennial DoD Health Related Behaviors Survey

40
U.S. Army MWR Collaboration

• Wii Warrior Challenge tournaments
• POCs encouraged to distribute giveaway items at
  February/March event
• Upcoming events and activities
• Texas Hold Em (March April)
• Xbox video game promotion (May)
• Fantasy Sports (year round)
• Other marketing opportunities
• Run PSA
• Air radio commercials
• Download graphics and print advertising
• Order and distribute additional giveaways
• Help place posters and coasters around the
  installation

41
A Word of Caution

• Target audience is attracted to the humor and
  peer-to-peer aspects of the campaign
• Consider messengers and campaign placements
  carefully to preserve these components
• Encourage activities that promote communication
  among target audience
• Avoid preachy tone and top-down communications

42
Department of Defense Alcohol Abuse
PreventionEducation Campaign U.S. Army MWR
BriefingFebruary 22, 2008