Draw the Line

Social awareness integrated campaign

www.drawYOURline.org

Underage drinking is Arizona’s #1 substance abuse problem, but many adults shrug it off as just “a rite of passage” — pouring for teens at home. When scientific research showed exactly how alcohol affects teen brains differently than adults, Tara and colleagues set out to change perceptions.

A statewide, integrated public awareness campaign called “Draw the Line” was developed for the Arizona Governor’s Office of Children Youth and Families. It featured a traveling 20-foot “pledge wall,” an interactive website that introduced parents to blogging, and sustained public relations across a nine-month period. News coverage by Spanish and English language outlets, plus instructional videos about “social host laws,” began to move the needle on perceptions of underage drinking. Today, more Arizona adults say they believe alcohol causes irreversible damage to a young, developing brain – in line with the latest scientific evidence.

Tara’s role included writing all media materials, outlining and crafting content for the website, soliciting parent bloggers, producing special events including a gubernatorial press conference, and attracting media attention across a 15-county area. The campaign included paid advertising, public service announcements, earned media, interactive school presentations, web resources for parents, and special events.

Visit www.drawYOURline.com to see videos with advice for and reactions from communities statewide.

An electronic press kit included facts and charts measuring underage drinking activity -- county by county.

 

A special event featured photography by children about places they find alcohol in their neighborhoods, as well as a pledge wall for visitors to sign.