In the 1980s, at a time when cocaine use was booming in the United States, the American Association of Advertising Agencies donated money to help form an organization with one goal: to reduce the demand of drug use through media communication. In 1986, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America was born.

Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a "private, non-profit, non-partisan coalition of professionals from the communications industry"(Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) Profile, Internet Website). The organization consists of mostly volunteers: media professionals, journalists, advertising agencies, talent guilds, and public relations and research firms and with an employee staff of about 30 people.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America's fighting tool is the media. Through this, the Partnership aims at changing attitudes about drugs. Their mission is:

The premise on which the Partnership was based is that this nation's drug

problem was driven by societal attitudes that accept drugs and the perception that drugs were not dangerous. Based on the belief that changing attitudes is the key to changing behavior, the Partnership's mission is to reduce demand for illega

Marijuana Inhalants Meth Heroin Crack

voice of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America has been steady and true. It is an

 Since 1993, fewer and fewer pre-teens report viewing drugs as harmful. And more pre-teens view drugs as socially acceptable.

The Partnership for a Drug Free America is known for it's "this is your brain on drugs" public service announcement, perhaps one of the first that became nationally recognized. But since 1986, the Partnership has been relying on the media to donate advertising exposure to get the their message out. While this effort was successful, it simply was not enough. Jim Burke, chairman for the Partnership, said, "We simply were not reaching parents and children with the frequency to make an impact. In a vastly changed media industry facing new economic realities, it was clear that paid media was necessary" (Annual Report, 1998).

Research is important when developing advertising strategies. The challenge for the Partnership is translating valuable research perspectives into compelling, strategically sound advertising (Annual Report, 1998). It is crucial in creating advertising that communicates effectively with the target audience.

Many musicians have participated in carrying out the Partnership's message. The Partnership's Music Campaign, in conjunction with the Musicians' Assistance Program (a California-based organization devoted to helping music industry professionals recover from drug and alcohol problems) is a program designed to get musicians to do public service announcements talking about their experiences with or without drugs. Meredith Brooks talks about her life without drugs; Chuck Negron, singer of Three Dog Night, speaks of the destruction drugs has caused in his life before recovery; and country singer Lorrie Morgan tells of her husband's drug-related death. Other musicians appearing in public service announcements are Lauryn Hill, Everclear, and KISS (Annual Report, 1998).

The main tool used by the Partnership is its public service announcements (PSAs). Since the airing of the infamous fried egg "this is your brain on drugs" PSA, the Partnership as raised issues targeting specific drugs and specific audiences. Some of the tactics used in the television, print, and radio advertisements are "scare" tactics, real-life recovering drug addicts, celebrities and musicians.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a very credible organization because they are "fighting the war on drugs" and trying to shape and change people's, especially children's, attitudes toward the dangers and harmful effects on drugs. The new National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is the best thing that could have happened for the Partnership, because their advertisements were getting less and less exposure. This is no longer a "free" market.

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