Where were we?
In 2019, Mindshare was commissioned by the Norwegian Directorate of Health to strengthen communication about cannabis and its harmful effects, targeting youth aged 15-17. The goal was to prevent use and recruitment to use.
Where did we want to go?
Youth want and need objective information
In autumn 2023, we decided to gather new and updated insights into young people's relationship with and attitudes towards cannabis. In close collaboration with Opinion and TRY, digital chats and in-depth interviews were conducted with respondents in the target group.
The insights told us that cannabis use is visible and increasingly normalized in the eyes of young people. Some use cannabis to better manage stress and pressure in everyday life. There is a duality in this mental health perspective: while several report using it for better psychological well-being, cannabis's impact on the brain is their biggest concern related to its use.
There was a significant difference in perceived knowledge levels about cannabis within the sample. Many have sought and received information, but the enormous amount of information they are exposed to makes them uncertain about what is credible information and what is not. The majority expressed a desire to learn more, but that the information must be available where they are.
Our most important task became to help the target group find, evaluate, and utilize neutral and fact-based information about cannabis. At the same time, it became especially important to build knowledge about the harmful effects of use.
Cannabis interferes with brain development
Based on the insights, we decided to place the greatest emphasis on the fact that cannabis can negatively affect brain development – a concern many young people have.
The main message for the campaign: Cannabis interferes with brain development.
To take the target group seriously, it was important for us to use the expressions young people themselves use when talking about cannabis. In the sample, no one used the term cannabis.
Hash, kush, and weed. The words themselves acted as a stopping effect. The visual elements and soundscape were characterized by strong colors, "quirky" illustrations, and references to psychedelia. This was intended to capture the attention of a discerning and overstimulated target group in a few seconds.
Weedensenteret (The Weed Center)
To provide the target group with easy access to nuanced and fact-based knowledge about cannabis, a digital knowledge center for cannabis was developed in 2019 at weedensenteret.no.
The knowledge center became an important landing place for the campaign. Here, the target group could find answers to questions about everything from addiction to legislation, impact on the brain, school performance, mental and physical health.
At the same time, the target group had clearly expressed that they wanted information where they are.
WHAT DID WE DO?
New creative solutions in the Student Calendar (Elevkalenderen)
It was crucial to choose channels and formats that allow time and space for knowledge building and engagement with the content.
Here, we want to highlight our collaboration with Elevkalenderen as a good example of innovative and creative use of an established niche channel, which has traditionally been associated with commercial, sales-driven brands.
Elevkalenderen is both a digital app and a physical calendar distributed at the start of the school year to upper secondary schools across the country. It is also the largest printed medium for youth in Norway.
A quiz, a coupon, and a QR code
Is cannabis legal in Norway? Which part of the cannabis plant contains the most THC? Based on insights into the target group's knowledge level and information needs, we created a ten-question quiz about cannabis for the app.
For the physical calendar, we created "discount coupons" for free info about hash/weed/a joint/"space cakes," with a QR code leading to weedensenteret.
The coupons were intended to draw attention to the campaign with an element of surprise that stood out in a humorous and playful way, illustrating to the target group that even health authorities can have a twinkle in their eye.
The campaign was reinforced with full-page ads and logo banners on every page of the calendar during the weeks the campaign was active. The discount coupon was adapted to "online offers" and made available in the app.
In the right mode, in the right place – at the right time
Elevkalenderen shortened the path to knowledge for the target group. But we also had to ensure reach and frequency for the main message. We solved this with outdoor advertising and social media.
To be as precise and cost-effective as possible, we chose to buy outdoor programmatic, with time management by day and time. We focused on places where young people spend time and gather in their leisure time, with an emphasis on public transport during hours before and after school, and at shopping centers around lunchtime and on weekends.
With VG Snapchat's takeover format, we aimed to establish dominance and attention through high pressure in a short time. We repeated this four times during the campaign period.
We also utilized VG's show format on Spårtsklubben and VG Nyheter. Young people spend a lot of time consuming Shows in Discover, and several of VG's productions are among the most watched in our target group.
HOW DID IT GO?
Sky-high attention and message comprehension
The campaign received sky-high attention. 61% can recall seeing one or more campaign elements. The benchmark for the Directorate of Health is 38%.
The channel that received the highest attention is Elevkalenderen with a full 46% attention (social media 44%, programmatic digital outdoor 41%).
Significantly more people state that cannabis has a negative impact on brain development (+7%) and that the younger one is, the more dangerous cannabis is for the brain (+6%). These are the highest proportions measured since the first measurement in 2019. These are also the two elements young people identify as the most interesting messages.
Significantly fewer people perceive it as difficult to find good information about cannabis. In 2023, only 17% believe so, compared to 22% after the first campaign in 2019.
The Result
With this campaign, we have succeeded in increasing awareness of the health risks of cannabis and protecting young brains. More people know where to find good and objective information about cannabis.
The campaign has been noticed and well-received by the target group. Reactions in the schoolyard indicate that we hit the nail on the head: "This is totally awesome," "Not to sound nerdy, but this was actually useful info," "Seriously, are you giving away free weed?!" "Aha, it's info that it can harm me," "I'm going to check this out right away."
The results show that when authorities dare to use humor and creativity, they gain attention and trust from the target group.
The campaign is also a good example that when we convey the same message over time, it sticks with the target group, who perceive the campaign's message as clear and easy to understand.
Together for good health – good lives.
Check out the campaign website here.