Best Government Integrated Ad Campaign

In 2018, You Can launched as a statewide marijuana prevention campaign to educate youth ages 12 to 17 about the risks and consequences of marijuana use. The campaign encourages young people to pursue their dreams and helps them to see how marijuana may distract them from achieving these things. The campaign also recognizes the stressors associated with being a teen and provides healthy alternatives to cope instead of using marijuana.

For years, You Can focused on transforming the marijuana conversation by connecting with youth authentically to promote substance-use prevention messaging. Then, in the spring of 2020, COVID-19 hit. The pandemic impacted teens in unique ways. They were missing milestones, such as prom, graduation, and homecoming. And they were experiencing increased feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, boredom, and social isolation.

Some also thought marijuana was a safe and natural way to cope with these feelings. But research shows that marijuana use can have serious and lasting effects on teens. To address these feelings and effectively meet teens where they were, it was crucial that You Can’s messages acknowledged difficult times without reinforcing feelings of negativity. To accomplish this, You Can created assets that promoted healthy ways to deal with stress, anxiety and isolation; built resilience in young people; encouraged connecting with others; and provided mental health resources if anyone needed professional help.

Ultimately, You Can empowers young people to choose the things that are important to them—like school, relationships, health, interests and passions—over using marijuana.

Contributors:

SVP and Managing Director, GMMB:	Melissa Simpson
SVP and Creative Director, GMMB:	Phillip Allen
VP and Associate Creative Director, GMMB:	Lacey Gonzalez
VP, GMMB:	Leslie Tunmore
Senior Art Director, GMMB:	David Matlock
Senior Designer:	Alex Gonzalez
Copywriter:	Eleanor Chen
Health Promotion & Education Supervisor, DOH:	Kristen Haley
Health Educator, DOH:	Nikki Meline
Health Educator, DOH:	Gauri Gupta

GMMB

Website: https://www.gmmb.com/

Location: United States

About the Agency:

GMMB is an agency on a mission. We got our start helping great candidates win tough elections—and three decades later, we’re still delivering. But the issues we care about aren’t solved in November. So, we became more than just another political shop. We bring our campaign-trail mindset and ability to hone a message to elevate policy discussions, grow movements, and advance issues year-round. From electoral politics, education, and healthcare to global development and the environment, we are experts who work across disciplines to win—and get real results.