Ad Council wants parents to drop a different ‘F bomb’ in new fentanyl PSA

In a bid to tackle skyrocketing overdose cases, the Ad Council and Meta have joined forces to create a new public safety campaign that encourages parents to say the “F* bomb” in front of their kids—but this time, it’s not one of comedian George Carlin’s seven dirty words. Fentanyl is the target of the new awareness push that’s titled “Drop the F*Bomb,” which debuted this morning with a series of three video spots. The campaign was created with Meta’s Creative Shop a spokesperson for the Ad Council confirmed The PSA effort is also anchored by digital tools to engage the public such as polls, an interactive augmented reality filter and an on-platform content hub, DropTheFBomb.com, that contains resources for parents who want to talk to their children about the risks of the synthetic opioids, even if they don’t suspect their kids would engage in substance abuse. “Fentanyl is incredibly dangerous, it’s increasingly present in the counterfeit and illicit drug supply, and it continues to present a deadly risk to teens and young adults across our country,” Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council, said in a statement. “Informed parents have the ability to play a significant role in keeping our kids safe and it’s our aim through this campaign to ensure they have the tools needed to have honest and effective conversations with their children about fentanyl,” she said. “Drop the F*Bomb” comes less than two months after the Ad Council announced its “Real Deal on Fentanyl” PSA campaign during Advertising Week panel in October, which it styled as a multi-phase effort to educate teens and young adults about the risks of fentanyl via social media. That campaign’s first installment was funded by YouTube and Snap and created with Joan Creative. The impetus for the campaign’s development is the sharp rise in fentanyl-related overdose deaths in the U.S. in recent years, particular among American youth. Fentanyl was identified in 77% of fatal adolescent drug overdoses recorded in the first half of 2021, versus just 5% attributed to prescription opioids, according to statistics provided by the Ad Council. And perhaps even more troubling is the fact that many people encounter fentanyl accidentally when it has tainted other recreational and prescription drugs, with more than half of Gen Z’ers reporting they have not heard of the risk of the substance being added to counterfeit pills, according to a recent survey.

Ad Council wants parents to drop a different ‘F bomb’ in new fentanyl PSA

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