'Meth. We're On it': South Dakota's anti-drug ad campaign brutally ridiculed for its baffling motto
South Dakota's latest anti-drug awareness campaign is getting the attention it wanted, but not for all the right reasons. The state, which has a serious drug crisis decided to call its campaign "Meth. We’re on it" and it has received considerable backlash online for being not well thought out.
The state's Governor, Kristi Noem, on Monday launched the campaign to increase awareness of South Dakota’s methamphetamine problem, which is said to have cost them $449,000. It includes new TV advertisements, billboards, posters, and a website. Noem said in a statement that the whole point of the campaign is to raise awareness and that she thought it was definitely working. "It's a problem and it needs to be addressed. Combating it needs to be a dinner table conversation. We need everyone on it. We’re starting the conversation - It. Is. Working".
She also said it was a bold, and innovative effort to address the problem. The Argus Leader reported that Broadhead Co., a marketing and ad agency in Minneapolis was behind the campaign. "I am confident South Dakota can lead the country in this effort and demonstrate ways we can aggressively combat addiction and spark opportunities for recovery," she said.
Creative Director Walt Burns from Broadhead said it was a campaign to help South Dakotans to get on "top of it". "We wanted to take real South Dakotans and give them this message that we all need to be on it. If you look at the numbers, it's really easy to imagine the entire state of South Dakota being overcome by this thing," Burns said.
But the ridicule online was harsh.
"Oh lord. This is really real," one Twitter user said as the campaign was catching up while another begged the agency to hire some editors. "I know it's not funny, but I can't stop laughing at this.
Okay, it's a little funny. Editors, people: hire them," the user said. Another angry user said, "did South Dakota really just trademark "Meth, We're On It?" What a horrible idea. How many rural rehab centers could you have created with your $449,000 Minneapolis-based ad campaign?" Another user took a jab at Melania Trump's anti-bullying campaign, "Umm "meth we're on it"? I think someone is! That is about as dumb as "be best".
Some comments were hilarious but some actually agreed with Noem. "South Dakota officials knew before they launched their new campaign against methamphetamine addiction that its tagline would provoke people. But that was the point," one user pointed out.