CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC HEALTH

FACTS FIGHT
FENTANYL

Overdoses don’t happen to or around “people like me,” right? Except they can. We placed contextual messages in hyper-personal spaces to turn proximity into responsibility.

 

AWARDS: Shorty Awards (Public Health – Gold) · The Drum Awards (Advertising: Government – Bronze)

Fentanyl comes with misconceptions. Many know how dangerous it is, but think “oh, it doesn’t affect me.” Which means naloxone, a spray that reverses an opioid overdose, is stigmatized. But lethal doses of fent have been found in seemingly safer drugs like coke, molly, and fake Adderall and Xanax. 40% of overdose deaths happen around bystanders — which means they could’ve been prevented.

Heavy stuff. Before I started at the agency, my creative directors came up with a campaign to deliver facts about fentanyl in a dry, witty, and nonjudgmental tone. I love writing for the internet, so I helped out by extending this messaging to talk to audiences in relatable ways. People on Tinder.

    

And gamers on Twitch.




This radio ad appeared on EDM Spotify and YouTube playlists. 


And these TikToks targeted... well, anyone who’s ever been on TikTok. In California, overdoses now kill over twice as many people than car accidents. Harm reduction saves lives. Get fentanyl test strips on Amazon and find free narcan near you.

Made at Duncan Channon.