FRANK in action 2004-2006

Transcription

review
2004-2006
contents
Ministerial foreword
Executive summary
01
02
The FRANK campaign
12
Advertising
Media sponsorship
PR
Partnership marketing
talktofrank.com
Helpline
Stakeholder support
Campaign materials
Stakeholder activity in the regions
16
16
22
23
28
34
36
38
42
46
Campaign evaluation
FRANK’s objectives and outcomes
Advertising
Media sponsorship
PR
talktofrank.com
Helpline
Stakeholder support
Campaign materials
52
52
57
61
62
63
65
67
69
71
Creative lessons learnt
72
FRANK in 2006-2007 and beyond
74
ministerial foreword
Drugs and their impact on society affect us all. Drug use amongst children
and young people is a major issue for them, their families and the wider
community. It often has a negative impact on health, well-being and
development, as well as being a driver for crime and anti-social behaviour.
Reducing drug use by young people is a key strand of the government’s
drug strategy. We are taking action to reduce access to drugs; provide
high quality drug education and information to young people and their
families; intervene early with those most at risk and provide treatment for
young people before drug problems escalate.
The FRANK campaign has been providing credible drug advice and
information to young people and their families since 2003 and has
established itself as an important element of the government’s overall
strategy of prevention and early intervention with vulnerable young people.
Caroline Flint
Department of Health
FRANK has had some remarkable achievements: receiving their 1 millionth
call in the summer of 2005; clocking up 5.7 million visits to its website
through 2005-2006; achieving its highest ever levels of awareness in March
2006; and exceeding many of its other key performance indicators on
affinity and satisfaction.
FRANK has also demonstrated the importance of working in partnership.
Delivering, with local stakeholders, innovative communications to vulnerable
groups of young people as well as extending its stakeholder network into
mainstream children and young people’s services.
Vernon Coaker
Home Office
As the strategy to ‘Experience’ FRANK through 2006-2007 comes to an end,
it’s apparent that FRANK continues to be a credible and reliable source of
information on all drug-related matters. With its innovative use of media
and continued support for stakeholders, FRANK is well placed to contribute to
the government’s goal of improving the lives of children and young people
by helping them to choose a positive and healthy future.
Parmjit Dhanda
Department for
Education and Skills
FRANK Review 04/06 PAGE 01
executive summary
In 2003 the newly-launched
FRANK campaign surprised
audiences with its innovative,
refreshing approach to
awareness-raising and the
provision of drugs information
and advice. FRANK has built
on this successful start to
become established as a
trusted, informed and inclusive
brand for young people,
parents and stakeholders.
In 2002 the government updated its
Drug Strategy. One of the outcomes
of this was the decision to replace the
National Drugs Helpline with a new brand
that would have wider appeal and be
seen as a credible, non-judgmental
and reliable source of information
about drugs and their effects.
The FRANK brand was conceived and
developed to have a clear identity:
credible, reliable, discreet and nonjudgmental. FRANK would serve as
an anonymous friend – whether to
a user, potential user, concerned
friend or worried parent. FRANK was
designed to work as a communications
tool at both a local and national level,
and be synonymous with reliable drugs
information and messages.
2003-2004: KNOW FRANK
The challenge of the initial phase was to
build mass awareness of the new brand
as a source of free telephone, online
and printed information for anyone who
wanted to know about the risks of drugs.
The aim was to create a feeling among
young people that everyone knew
about and used FRANK; and, crucially,
that their parents knew about it as well,
to encourage open dialogue at home
around drug issues.
2004-2005: LIKE FRANK
Having successfully established
awareness, the 2004-2005 strategy
aimed to build young people’s affinity
with the brand. By making them ‘like’
FRANK more, they would be more likely
to turn to FRANK for advice and help.
2005-2006: TRUST FRANK
TRUST FRANK sought to establish FRANK
as an expert source of drug information
not only about Class A drugs, but about
all drugs, including volatile substance
abuse (VSA) and other legal drugs such
as alcohol and tobacco.
2006-2007 AND BEYOND:
EXPERIENCE FRANK
The brand strategy going forward is
to build a deeper, more involved,
relationship with young people by
allowing them to interact with FRANK and
by bringing the brand into their world.
FRANK’s contribution to tackling
drug misuse
FRANK contributes to the government’s
objectives on tackling drug misuse,
including specific drug Public Service
Agreements (PSAs):
> Reduce the use of Class A drugs
and the frequent use of any illicit
drug among all young people under
the age of 25, especially by the
most vulnerable.
– FRANK’s contribution: to help
prevent or delay the onset and
escalation of drug use.
> Increase the participation of problem
drug users in drug treatment programmes
by 100% by 2008 (from 1998) and
increase year-on-year the proportion
of users successfully sustaining or
completing treatment programmes.
– FRANK’s contribution: to help
increase the number of appropriate
referrals to support/treatment.
> Reduce the harm caused by
illegal drugs, including substantially
increasing the number of drugmisusing offenders entering treatment
through the Criminal Justice System.
– FRANK’s contribution: FRANK’s
communication activity includes
harm-reduction messages.
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Supporting children in their choice not
to take illegal drugs is also one of the
government’s key commitments,
expressed as ‘Be healthy’ in Every Child
Matters: Change for Children. FRANK
helps to achieve this by empowering
young people to resist peer pressure
to take illegal drugs.
The success of the campaign to
date has been measured through
19 challenging Key Performance
Indicators (many of which contribute
to the drug PSAs above), focused
on six areas:
> Young people’s and parents’
awareness of FRANK
> Their affinity with FRANK – i.e. whether
they trust and listen to FRANK
> How likely they are to contact FRANK
> How likely stakeholders in local
services are to recommend FRANK
to others
> The number of referrals to local
treatment services
> The number of phone calls and
website hits.
FRANK challenges all those involved in
delivering the campaign to keep activity
innovative, creative and effective in
order to make a real difference to the
lives of children and young people.
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
KNOW FRANK
LIKE FRANK
TRUST FRANK
EXPERIENCE
FRANK
Awareness
Affinity
Credibility
Interactivity
Establish FRANK
as a place to go
Make people feel good
about going to FRANK
Establish FRANK
as the expert
Build a deeper
relationship through
stronger interactive
communication
FRANK IN ACTION 2003-2004
The strategy over this period was to
build awareness, and advertising was
a key vehicle for achieving this. FRANK’s
core message was ‘Drugs are illegal,
talking about them isn’t’. The first round
of advertising activity used TV, radio,
youth press, ambient and outdoor
media channels. The campaign was
launched with eight television adverts
that used humour in a carefully
considered way to communicate
FRANK’s approachable nature and
knowledge of drugs. This appropriate
use of humour has become a feature
of the whole campaign. Radio adverts
were also developed to help build
mass awareness of FRANK. This
broadcast activity was supplemented
by a series of campaign posters, placed
on bus shelters and other prominent
sites, to give FRANK high visibility. A
series of print adverts appeared in youth
magazines, featuring young people in
street settings. These aimed to establish
FRANK as the ‘anti-dealer’ – a dealer
of drugs information – and spread the
message that FRANK was for everyone.
FRANK’s messages also appeared in
places where young people might be
buying or using drugs, such as pub and
club toilets. Finding FRANK messages
in unexpected places, such as stickers
on urinals, reinforced the humorous
approach as well as directly reaching
young people at the right time in the
right place, conveying messages that
could not be expressed via mass media.
Other elements of the KNOW FRANK
campaign included:
> The launch of talktofrank.com as
a source of clear, non-judgmental
information about drugs, accessible
24 hours a day. The site won the
Yahoo! award for best educational
site in 2003.
> The launch of the FRANK helpline,
accessible in 120 languages, 24 hours
a day, offering free and confidential
drug advice and information.
> A harm-reduction PR campaign with
the consumer press to inform young
people and parents about the risks
of taking Class A drugs, without
glamorising the issue.
> Strategic marketing partnerships with
relevant, youth-focused organisations,
to maximise promotional opportunities
and extend the overall reach of the
campaign.
> A suite of materials for stakeholders
and the general public, including
display kits, leaflets, guides, posters,
postcards and FRANK Action Updates.
> Materials and ideas for those working
in drugs services, and other frontline
services for children, to support
them in running their own local
FRANK campaigns.
By April 2006, FRANK
had exceeded 12 of the
performance targets and
was making good progress
in all areas. See page 52
for a detailed breakdown
of FRANK’s achievements
and progress.
executive summary continued
FRANK IN ACTION 2004-2006
Highlights
Over the last two years, FRANK has
continued to communicate the key
campaign messages through the
core channels of:
> talktofrank.com
> 0800 77 66 00 – the 24-hour
FRANK helpline
> TV and radio advertising – including
two new TV and four new radio
advertisements airing from
October 2005
> Public relations activity, in particular
continued targeting of parents
through national and regional
press and lifestyle magazines
> Resources for young people and
campaign materials for local services,
including a new support pack for
practitioners working with vulnerable
young people (VYP).
In addition FRANK has increased the
level of support provided to local
services to run local campaigns.
One key development has been the
introduction of intensive campaigning
in 30 ‘high focus areas’ where support
targets VYP.
ADVERTISING
Satellite TV advertising was timed to
coincide with key dates such as school
holidays, summer music festivals and
Christmas and New Year. The 2004-2005
campaign repeated the adverts
originally developed for the launch
of FRANK, as these were successful in
generating awareness and promoting
affinity with FRANK. For 2005-2006 two
new TV adverts were developed –
‘Inquisitive Kid’ and ‘Gameshow’. Both
were used to convey the message that
FRANK is the authority when it comes to
drugs, while ‘Inquisitive Kid’ highlighted
that other young people have questions
about drugs and FRANK is a good
place to find the answers. ‘Gameshow’
illustrated that FRANK understands the
pressure teenagers are under.
There were three bursts of radio
advertising in 2004-2005, using existing
adverts, and three new adverts were
developed for 2005-2006: ‘Ganj Mate’,
‘Druid Rubbish’ (with messages about
cannabis), and ‘Lucky Dip’.
A new channel for FRANK over the last
two years has been the development of
online advertising, for example banner
adverts and interactive polls and
quizzes on some of the most popular
youth sites such as mykindaplace.com,
ministryofsound.co.uk and weeblsstuff.com Online advertising enables
FRANK to reach the audience when
and where they feel comfortable talking,
and within their own private space.
This wave of online advertising focused
on the positioning of FRANK as a credible
and reliable source of drug information,
as well as on the risk elements of drugtaking. FRANK’s online advertising sought
to build affinity with the target audience,
by engaging young people through a
range of interactive executions.
MEDIA SPONSORSHIP
In autumn 2005, FRANK launched a
radio sponsorship promotion on Kiss and
Galaxy, with the theme ‘Don’t waste your
talent’. To win a chance to present on
the show, Galaxy invited young people
to send in vox pops, while Kiss asked
young people to send in demos of their
DJ sets to win a regular slot DJing on
their station. The best entries for both
competitions were played live on air and
votes were collected from listeners by
text (Kiss) and online (Galaxy) to find a
winner. The competitions (and FRANK)
were promoted through trails, live reads,
FRANK infomercials, sponsored credits
and advertorials, as well as a wide range
of off-air activities that included the
internet, text messaging and street
marketing in key areas.
PR
FRANK PR activity has mirrored the
direction of the overall campaign. It has
used the themes of leisure, music, sport
and teenage social life to generate
articles and publicity, enabling a more
in-depth conversation with young people
and parents. The emphasis has moved
from building awareness and affinity with
FRANK to establishing FRANK’s credibility
as the best source of information and
advice on drugs.
PR activity has also sought to reach the
priority audience of VYP, enabling them to
‘overhear’ the key campaign messages.
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‘Inquisitive kid’ TV advert
In 2004-2005 the strategy focused on
extending media coverage to include
teen online media, as well as national
tabloids, magazines and TV channels
with a high proportion of parent viewers.
More recently there has been an
increased emphasis on reaching the
professional and trade press, in order to
raise awareness among practitioners in
drugs services and in the wider arena of
children’s services.
PARTNERSHIP MARKETING
Partnership marketing allows FRANK to
continue to reach young people using
alternative channels to traditional
media. FRANK built a number of
partnerships over the 2004-2006 period,
including habbohotel.co.uk, BT, and
Addictive Interactive, to reach young
people in new and innovative ways.
Being associated with brands and
organisations that have strong youth
appeal continues to show that FRANK
‘hangs out with the right crowd’ and is a
particularly useful strategy for reaching
young people.
HELPLINE 0800 77 66 00
The FRANK helpline is open 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. As awareness
of the campaign has built, the number
of calls to the helpline has steadily
increased. It is currently handling over
1,000 calls a day. Its team of trained
advisors can provide information and
advice on any drugs issue to anyone,
as well as making referrals to local
agencies when a caller requires face-toface help and support. During the past
two years cannabis has remained the
most common topic that people have
called about. Cocaine overtook heroin
as the second most common topic in
the summer of 2004. When the service
launched in May 2003, ecstasy was one
of the major topics, but it has seen a
steady decline in terms of percentage
of total calls.
‘Gameshow’ TV advert
STAKEHOLDER SUPPORT
FRANK has a diverse range of
stakeholders and over the last two
years has sought to reach a wider
base, including professionals who do
not work directly in drugs services, but
who come into contact with children
and young people who may require
drugs information and advice.
FRANK’s support for stakeholders has
been very well received. Specific activity
has included:
> New FRANK Action Updates – including
packs on VYP, understanding diversity
and a pack to help demystify
youth culture
> Targeted support for 30 ‘high focus
areas’ where the FRANK stakeholder
support team has worked directly with
them to introduce a series of successful
street marketing campaigns that have
engaged young people in providing
peer-to-peer support.
TALKTOFRANK.COM
The site has consolidated its position as
a comprehensive source of information
and advice on drugs. The home page
is updated to keep information fresh
for a youth audience and visitors to
the site are increasing year-on-year.
For stakeholders, FRANK works closely
with the main government drugs
portal – www.drugs.gov.uk – which was
redeveloped during 2005-2006 to make
it more accessible to practitioners. Visitors
can download campaign materials for a
range of initiatives, including FRANK, and
can register with the site to receive FRANK
campaign updates.
‘Inquisitive Kid’ and
‘Ganj Mate’ – these were
among the most successful
adverts developed for
the campaign to date,
achieving the highest
levels of recognition
among young people.
campaign evaluation
FRANK has been successful
over the last two years in
continuing to build awareness
of the campaign and
generate affinity with young
people and parents. Of its
19 performance targets,
12 were achieved by April
2006 and good progress is
being made on achieving
the remaining targets.
HIGHLIGHTS
> Awareness of FRANK is now at its
highest ever level – 68% prompted
awareness amongst young people
and 49% prompted awareness
among parents.
> More people are ‘very likely’ to
call the helpline than ever before
– 29% of young people and 43%
of parents.
> More calls to the helpline than ever
before (495,000 – or about 1,350 a
day), although calls categorised as
‘fully interactive’ did not increase –
70,000 calls were fully interactive.
> More people are visiting
talktofrank.com than ever before
(5.7 million page hits from over
2 million visitors in 2005-2006).
> 88% of helpline callers rate the
service ‘very good’ (35%) or
‘excellent’ (53%) (2005).
> 93% of stakeholders are satisfied
with the quality of support from the
FRANK team (2006).
> FRANK won the ‘best digital creative’
category for online advertising at
the Institute of Direct Marketing
awards (2006).
> FRANK’s campaign approach has
been recognised as best practice
as part of the new ‘Engage’ initiative
from the Government Communication
Network (GCN).
KEY FINDINGS
1) The difficult balance between
engaging young people and also being
credible to parents appears to have
been achieved, with both audiences
showing good awareness and approval
ratings. However, it is interesting to note
that there has been a small (7%) decrease
in the percentage of young people who
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believe that FRANK advisors ‘know what
they are talking about’. The reasons for
this have yet to be established, but could
include increasing pressures to deal with
more specialist queries as the FRANK
helpline becomes more widely used, or
perhaps a negative reaction among teens
to the more hard-edged approach
being adopted in recent TV and radio
advertising campaigns. However, this has
increased for parents, suggesting that
stronger messages have encouraged
more parental trust. This is also indicated
by their increased likelihood to call
FRANK (see example on facing page).
Example measure:
40% of young people and 44% of
parents agree with the statement:
‘The people who work there [FRANK]
really know what they are talking about’.
YOUNG PEOPLE
Target
March 2004
March 2006
51%
47%
40%
Target
March 2004
March 2006
63%
36%
44%
PARENTS
2) Young people still have a strong
affinity with FRANK and it still appears
to be relevant to them.
Example measure:
33% of young people endorse the
statement: ‘The people on the FRANK
line really understand what it’s like to
be a young person today’.
Target
March 2004
March 2006
30%
27%
32%
3) Parents feel very positively about
FRANK, which is impressive given that
the campaign is youth-focused. Stronger
messages appear to have encouraged
parental trust in the service.
Example target:
43% of parents agree they are ‘very
likely to call FRANK in the future if they
have queries’.
Target
March 2004
March 2006
48%
30%
43%
4) FRANK is now viewed as a more general
information provider to all who need
help, not just a crisis line for problem
users (which tended to be how the
National Drugs Helpline was perceived):
> 43% of young people see FRANK as
‘for anyone concerned about drugs’
> 30% see FRANK as ‘for those thinking
of taking drugs’
Maintaining FRANK’s identity as an
open, approachable source of reliable
information meant that messages had
to be conveyed in a way which:
> Did not patronise a younger
audience
> Showed an understanding of what
it’s like to be a teenager or parent
> ‘Knew the lingo’ without over-using
drug terminology
> Used credible scenarios
> Exercised subtlety in ensuring that
humour portrayed drug use as pitiful
rather than fun
> Showed an understanding of the
differences between drugs, their very
different effects and associated risks
> Always used humour in a thoughtprovoking way, rather than ‘just
for laughs’.
> 24% see it as being ‘for those who
have been offered drugs’.
>> See page 52 for more information
on FRANK’s objectives and outcomes
LESSONS LEARNT
While FRANK needs to appeal to parents
as well as to their children, the slightest
hint of a ‘parental’ tone would soon
alienate the teenage audience. At the
same time, parents need reassurance
that FRANK is ultimately ‘on their side’.
In advertising, humour is clearly a way
of getting key messages across to
both audiences, but it must be used
sensitively to avoid the inference that
drug use is just a harmless bit of fun.
Finding humour that would appeal to
both teens and their parents has been
a challenge that FRANK has met with
extraordinary success.
“FRANK is a brilliant
campaign that really
knows its audience.
The TV work has been
amazing for years –
for my money, among
the most intelligent
advertising in Britain…
[the website is] very good
– engaging and relevant.”
Campaign
sharpening the focus
In 2005, desk research was
commissioned to identify
priority subgroups within the
audience of 11-18 year
olds and analyse the most
effective messages and
routes of communication
for reaching those most at
risk of using drugs. FRANK’s
communication strategy in
2005-2006 has been based
on the recommendations
from this desk research.
The desk research consisted of a review
of 28 information sources consisting of
specific drug research studies and wider
behavioural studies of young people.
Analysis of this research concluded that,
for the purposes of drugs communications,
the 11-18 year old audience divides into
older and younger age ranges:
Factors that have been found to
correlate strongly with drug use in
young people include:
Older (approximately 15+)
Tendency to have established patterns
of drug use. Prevention messages
are unlikely to have a big impact, but
harm-reduction information is valuable.
> Smoking and drinking
Younger (approximately 11-14
year olds)
This age group tends to be mainly
non-users, potential users and ‘triers’
who may not wish to repeat the
experience. Prevention communications
are effective for this audience. Harmreduction messages are misplaced, as
they may give non-users the impression
that they’re missing out on something
that most of their peers are doing.
Drug messages also need to be tailored
around the type of drug and the extent
of young peoples experience of that
drug. The survey of drug use, smoking
and drinking among young people in
England in 2005 tells us that 14% of
11-15 year olds had ever tried cannabis
and that 7% used cannabis in the last
month. Levels of use of cannabis are far
higher than use of Class A drugs (used
by 6% of 11-15 year olds in their lifetime
and 2% in the last month). There is also
a relative lack of stigma attached to
cannabis use coupled with low levels
of perceived health risks. FRANK has
a role to play in challenging people's
misconceptions about cannabis and
has carried health messages about
cannabis to this wide audience.
Alcohol is another commonly accepted
drug with considerable potential for
misuse, and FRANK materials include
information on the dangers of drinking.
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> Going through transitional stages
in life
> Peer-group pressure
> Opportunity and availability
> Having siblings or parents who
use drugs
> Poor levels of parental monitoring
> School truancy.
It is not surprising, then, that some young
people – such as school excludees and
truants, young offenders, young people in
care and children of substance-misusing
parents – are particularly vulnerable, as
they experience a number of the factors
correlated with drug use.
FRANK gets the message across in ways
that research indicates will have the
greatest impact:
> Offering young people a safer source
of reliable information than just the
received wisdom of their peers
> Encouraging dialogue with parents
and other adults (such as teachers)
who may be able to influence young
people in the choices they make
around drug use
> Counteracting the media’s tendency
to normalise and glamorise drug use
> Finding new and innovative
ways to signpost the helpline and
talktofrank.com, ensuring they
are brought to the attention of
young people
> Distributing drugs information from
places that young people frequent,
such as music shops and local
newsagents
> Making FRANK visible in unexpected
ways, especially in places where
young people engage in risky
behaviours.
New leaflet range for 2007
FRANK IN 2006-2007 AND BEYOND
The FRANK brand has come a long
way in establishing itself as a reliable
source of information to both young
and old alike; but there is still progress
to be made. For 2006 onwards, FRANK
aims to build deeper relationships
with its target audiences, in particular
through developing more interactive
communications. This EXPERIENCE
FRANK strategy has been set some
new, additional performance indicators,
focused on changing attitudes that are
known to be linked to risk behaviour:
> Perceptions of drug users – so that
users are not seen as aspirational
> Perceptions of the risks of drugs –
so that more people perceive drugs
as a significant risk
Strategies to build on the success of
the campaign over the year ahead
include continuing the successful
national advertising, developing the
website and helpline, extending PR
coverage working in partnership with
brands that will appeal to young
people. Seasonal face-to-face activity,
supported by local stakeholders,
will also be timed to coincide with
the school holidays. There will also
be a significant increase in digital
communications in 2006-2007 through
online advertising, mobile phones, music
activity and in game advertising.
>> See page 74 onwards for more
detail on FRANK’s strategy for
the future.
> Drug norms – so that taking drugs
is not seen as the norm
> Resistance skills – so that more
people can resist peer pressure
and feel comfortable saying ‘no’
to drugs
> Treatment – widening the
perception of who might
benefit from treatment.
‘Brain Warehouse’ TV advert
The FRANK helpline
answered an average
of over 1,350 calls
a day in 2005.
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the FRANK campaign
The FRANK campaign has
made rapid progress since
its launch in 2003. In the first
three years the FRANK helpline
has answered nearly 1.5
million calls. The website
talktofrank.com has been
visited more than 5.7 million
times and FRANK has
responded to nearly 100,000
emails. By the end of the third
year of the campaign, around
5,000 stakeholders had
registered at drugs.gov.uk/frank
and have been integrating
FRANK into their local drug
communication activities.
FRANK has achieved this
by becoming established
as a trusted, informed and
inclusive brand.
SHARPENING THE FOCUS
To inform FRANK’s strategy and enable
drugs communications to be delivered
in a more targeted and effective manner,
desk research was commissioned into
28 research studies to identify priority
subgroups within the audience of 11-18
year olds, and to analyse the most
effective messages and routes of
communication for reaching those most at
risk of using drugs. The recommendations
of this research, outlined below, have
since provided the foundation for FRANK’s
communication strategy.
The Internet can be useful, but the fact
that drugs information is available on
the Internet does not mean that it will
come to the attention of young people.
Similarly, telephone helplines require a
young person to actively seek out drugs
information. The FRANK campaign has
done a great deal to eliminate the
perception that helplines are only for
people with problems. FRANK also has
an increasingly high-profile online
presence, diverting traffic from other
sites by inviting users to click through
to talktofrank.com
DRUGS COMMUNICATION ROUTES
AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE
Where do young people get their
information about drugs, and what
shapes their view of drug taking?
Three key sources are:
FRANK tracking data shows that half of
young people receive drugs information
from leaflets. Music shops and local
newsagents are effective distribution
points, helping to ensure that information
reaches its target; peer-to-peer street
marketing has an even greater impact.
Friends and peers
Although young people trust the
information they get by word of mouth,
this ‘street wisdom’ isn’t always accurate.
By providing reliable drug information in
a friendly and confidential way, FRANK
offers a safer alternative.
Adults
Conversations with parents and teachers
can be important, but tend to be
avoided by adolescents who expect
to hear the ‘Just say no’ message. By
encouraging open, honest dialogue
about drugs, FRANK makes it possible
for adults to influence young people’s
drug-taking choices.
The media
Portrayals of drug users in the media
shape the perceptions of young
people. TV and the mass media tend
to normalise and glamorise drug use.
FRANK balances this out by showing
also the negative effects of drug use.
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Ambient media is an important way
of reaching young people, particularly
VYP. The places where young people
engage in risky behaviours are effective
places in which to reach them. FRANK
messages are constantly delivered in
new ways and in unexpected places.
DIFFERENT AGE, DIFFERENT MESSAGE
For the purposes of drugs
communications, the 11-18 year old
audience needs to be divided into older
and younger age ranges. In the younger
age groups, drug use tends to begin
as a random social activity (e.g. an
unplanned response to peer pressure).
Drug use increases with age, and with
experience it tends to become more
deliberate, rational and recreational.
Clearly, drug messages need to be quite
different for those who have not yet tried
drugs and those who are accustomed
to using them.
Users
Drug messages have reduced impact
on a young person whose drug use has
become established. They may dismiss
or ignore prevention messages about
the drugs they have experienced.
However, harm-reduction messages are
useful, not least in tackling some of the
low levels of drug knowledge that exist
even among regular users.
Non-users, ‘triers’ and potential users
Many young people have no intention
of trying drugs, and some occasional
triers have no intention of repeating the
experience. Prevention communications
are appropriate to this audience. Harmreduction messages are misplaced, as
they may give non-users the impression
that they’re missing out on something
that most of their peers are doing.
FRANK’s communications strategy
targets two main groups:
Older (approximately 15+)
A young person who has personal
experience of a drug will assess for
themselves the negative, neutral and
positive aspects of taking it, and will go
on taking it for as long as the benefits
appear to outweigh the risks. They are
influenced by their own experience
rather than prevention messages.
It may be, however, that older
adolescents who are regular users
will respond favourably to prevention
messages as long as they concern
a drug that they do not use regularly.
Furthermore, a better understanding
of the short and long-term health
risks associated with the use of a drug
is likely to be taken into account when
experienced young adults are
considering taking it.
Younger (approximately 11-14 year olds)
Prevention messages are best directed
at young people with no drug use
experience. In developing effective
prevention messages, it is worth
considering that young people tend
not to plan to undertake risky behaviour
(such as unprotected sex). Taking drugs
is no exception: they may agree to go
along with it simply because they are
not prepared for the situation they find
themselves in. Providing information
about drugs does not help with this, but
the following have been shown to have
an impact:
> The influence of parents and
teachers – FRANK encourages
dialogue about drugs between
young people and adults
> Peer-group pressure – FRANK invites
young people to consider how they
would handle being offered drugs
in different situations, and ways of
saying no
> The image young people have of
drug users – FRANK avoids portraying
drug users in a glamorous way,
dwelling more on the unattractive
aspects of drug use and emphasising
that drug taking is not ‘normal’
behaviour
> Beliefs about the level of personal
risk involved in taking particular drugs
– FRANK provides clear information
on the unwanted effects of drugs,
encouraging young people to make
healthier choices.
DIFFERENT DRUG, DIFFERENT MESSAGE
As well as developing different drug
communications to accord with the age
and drug experience of the audience,
care needs to be taken to vary messages
on a drug-by-drug basis. Levels of
experience among young people vary
greatly by drug, as well as with age.
Cannabis
Government research that is available
on 16-24 year olds indicates that very
few are established users of Class A
drugs. The British Crime Survey shows
that around 40% of them will have tried
cannabis and there’s evidence that
around a third of them go on to use
cannabis more frequently. Regular use of
cannabis amoung young people may
be accounted for by its relative low cost,
low levels of perceived health risks
and the fact that there is little stigma
attached to its use.
Alcohol
Though not illegal, alcohol is a drug that
needs to be taken seriously. Alcohol
misuse presents a bigger problem for
young people than Class A use, with
drinking starting at an early age, on
average almost 3 years before the use
of any illegal drugs. Numerous surveys
show an alarming rate of heavy drinking
among young people, and being drunk
may be the trigger for reckless use of
illegal drugs as they grow older.
the FRANK campaign
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DRUG USE
AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE
Seven groups of factors have been
found to correlate strongly with drug
use in surveys of young people:
> Life stage – key transitions (moving up
to secondary school, leaving school
to start work) can expose adolescents
to a new circle of people and
behaviours, while reducing the level
of supervision they experience
> Peer group users – having friends who
use drugs has an enormous impact
> Opportunity and availability –
deprived communities often have
a higher level of on-street dealing
at a younger age. Their drug use
is less recreational and is more likely
to take place on the street.
FRANK AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Building young people’s affinity with
FRANK, and intensifying the focus on VYP,
has aligned FRANK more closely with
the broader government agenda for all
involved in delivering services to children
and young people – Every Child Matters:
Change for Children. This programme
encourages services to work together
to improve outcomes for children and
young people in five key areas:
> Being healthy
> Staying safe
> Smoking and drinking – survey data
across the 11-18 age range show
that those who drink and smoke are
more likely to use drugs
> Enjoying and achieving
> Family users – having siblings
or parents who use drugs is a
major influence
FRANK has an important contribution
to make in helping children and young
people ‘be healthy’ – both directly
through communications with young
people and indirectly through work with
stakeholders. The campaign is a strong
example of the way in which services
can work together to prevent problems
arising in the first place, or intervene
earlier to stop them escalating into
something more serious.
> Lack of parental control – poor levels
of parental monitoring are correlated
with drug use
> Poor school attendance – the
high level of drug use among
school truants indicates that drugs
education cannot be delivered
solely through schools.
Vulnerable young people (VYP)
Some young people – such as school
excludees and truants, young offenders,
young people in care and children
of substance-misusing parents –
are particularly vulnerable, as they
experience a number of the factors
correlated with drug use. VYP groups
tend to be hard to reach effectively with
drugs communications, as they do not
fit the profile of a typical 11-18 year old.
They appear to have higher levels of
established drug use, which starts
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In addition, FRANK has increased the
level of support provided to local
services to run their local campaigns.
One key development has been the
introduction of intensive campaigning
in 30 high-focus areas where support
targets VYP. FRANK has also teamed
up with the Mentoring and Befriending
Foundation, and consulted with other key
organisations in the mentoring field, to
produce advice and guidance materials
for mentors and mentor coordinators.
>> See pages 16 to 51 for a summary
of FRANK in action in 2004 to 2006.
> Making a positive contribution
> Achieving economic well-being.
FRANK uses a number of channels to
communicate the key messages. The
website and helpline form the core of
the campaign, supplemented by TV
and radio advertising, online advertising,
media sponsorship, partnership
marketing and PR activities aimed at
young people. Parents are targeted
through national and regional press
and lifestyle magazines.
“FRANK’s down-to-earth
and accessible approach
to drugs information
and advice means that
it is making a valuable
contribution in supporting
Drug Action Teams and
children’s services as they
work together to improve
outcomes for young
people, their families
and the community.”
Beverley Hughes,
Minister for Children
TV advertising in
2004-2006 has
predominantly run
on Satellite channels
and occasionally on
Channel 4, helping
us to reach between
2-4m 11-18s in a
campaign period.
FRANK in action
2004-2006
advertising
Advertising continued to drive
awareness and the FRANK
message during 2004-2006.
The challenge was to build
on the success of the FRANK
launch and the awareness
this generated, to promote
affinity with FRANK and to
establish FRANK as the expert
on drugs. This was achieved
through a new series of TV
and radio adverts, while
online advertising opened
up an important new channel
for getting FRANK out to a
wider audience.
THE STRATEGY
The aims of this strategy were to
promote the following changes in
behaviour and attitudes:
> Young people’s behaviour: make
more informed decisions and
know where to get help
> Young people’s attitudes: feel
prepared for drug-related scenarios
and handling peer pressure
> Parents’ behaviour: have more
confidence about starting drug
conversations and tackling
drugs problems
> Parents’ attitudes: have more
confidence in their facts and know
where to get help if necessary.
A new round of satellite TV and radio
advertising was a key way of putting
this strategy into practice. It was
supplemented by online advertising on
some of the major sites used by young
people and parents. This was a new
outlet for FRANK advertising.
The approach
Across the whole campaign, the key to
success so far has been in the delivery.
FRANK has a warm, knowledgeable tone
and uses humour when appropriate (but
equally FRANK knows that drugs are not
a laughing matter). FRANK never just
delivers the message ‘straight’ – this is
likely to be rejected by the intended
audience, or won’t engage them in
the first place.
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FRANK’s brand values
> Wit and wisdom in the creative
idea, plus an element of surprise
> A message that is simply presented
and insightful
> A tone that is smart, friendly,
balanced and knowing
> A look that is modern and accessible.
>> All positioning FRANK as the
expert source of drugs information
Research with our audiences has shown
that there are some aspects of drug use
that are universally understood, believed
or accepted. These have provided a firm
basis for building engaging messages
around drugs. For example:
‘DRUGS ARE UNPREDICTABLE’
Everyone recognises that drugs –
especially Class A drugs – can be
unpredictable in their effects. Whatever
their attitude to drugs, people should
consider that:
> You can’t guarantee any two
pills are the same
> You can’t guarantee any two
people will react the same way
> You can’t guarantee the same
drug will affect you the same
way twice.
‘IT’S BAD TO LET DRUG USE GET OUT
OF CONTROL’
Research shows that, to teenagers,
acceptable drug use means keeping
it in perspective and not allowing it (or
anything else) to interfere with a ‘normal’
social life. This means that another
potent area for communication is
the recognition that drugs can have
undesirable social and physical effects,
for example:
> They can take over your life, to
the exclusion of your friends and
other interests
> With some drugs (for example
cocaine) it is easy to go too far,
and both the cost and the impact
of a habit can spiral out of control
> People you respect – including
your parents or your friends – would
be worried, angry, ashamed or
disappointed in you
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
KNOW FRANK
LIKE FRANK
TRUST FRANK
Awareness
Affinity
Credibility
Establish FRANK
as a place to go
Make people feel good
about going to FRANK
Establish FRANK as
the expert
Creative lessons learnt
In the process of finding the most
effective approach for advertising, some
valuable lessons have been learnt. While
FRANK needs to appeal to parents as
well as their children, the slightest hint of
a ‘parental’ tone would soon alienate
the youth audience. At the same time,
parents need reassurance that FRANK is
ultimately ‘on their side’.
In advertising, humour is clearly a way
of getting key messages across to
both audiences, but it must be used
sensitively to avoid the inference that
drug use is just a harmless bit of fun.
Finding humour that would appeal to
both teens and their parents has been
a challenge that FRANK has met with
extraordinary success.
Maintaining FRANK’s identity as an
open, approachable source of reliable
information meant that messages
had to be conveyed in a way which:
> Did not patronise a younger
audience
> Showed an understanding of what
it’s like to be a teenager or parent
> ‘Knew the lingo’ without over-using
drug terminology
> Used credible scenarios
> Exercised subtlety in ensuring that
humour portrayed drug use as pitiful
rather than fun
> Showed an understanding of the
differences between drugs, their very
different effects and associated risks
> Always used humour in a thoughtprovoking way, rather than ‘just
for laughs’.
> You might end up doing something
you regret with someone you really
didn’t want to get involved with
> You might end up looking a mess.
“People are becoming
more aware of FRANK.
The publicity has been very
good. All our young people
know the number now.”
FRANK stakeholder
advertising CONTINUED
TELEVISION
Why it was used
TV is the most inclusive medium, allowing
the campaign to reach all young
people, irrespective of their social
background. It has proved extremely
successful at driving awareness and
developing brand stature over the
years. Overall, non-terrestrial TV is a
very effective medium for reaching
young people, with 98% of all 11-18
year olds, regardless of socio-economic
background, watching satellite channels
[source: Youth TGI 2006]. TV advertising
also provides an opportunity to engage
the audience and communicate
emotional issues.
How it was used
In order to cost-effectively reach the
target audience, satellite channels were
used that deliver programming aimed
at 11-18 year olds (e.g. MTV, E4, Trouble,
Bravo, etc).
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When it was used
There were six bursts of TV advertising
over the 2004-2006 period, each timed
to coincide with key dates such as
school holidays, summer music festivals
and Christmas and New Year. The
adverts shown were those originally
developed for the launch of FRANK,
as these were successful in generating
awareness and promoting affinity with
FRANK. For 2005-2006, two new TV
adverts were developed ’Inquisitive Kid’
and ‘Gameshow’.
Inquisitive Kid
Inquisitive Kid finds himself in different
situations where drugs are being used
and has some questions he wants to
ask. Well-intentioned but naïve, they
receive short shrift from the people he
is talking to – most of whom are not in a
fit state to answer the questions properly
anyway. This ad was used to convey
the message that FRANK is the expert
when it comes to drug information, to
show the wrong way to go about trying
to find out more about drugs, and to
highlight that drugs are not aspirational.
Gameshow
Greg’s mates ask him whether he wants
to take ecstasy at the weekend. He
suddenly finds himself under the hot
lights of a TV studio, and is being asked
the question by a gameshow host. Should
he say ‘yes’ and hope for the best, or
say ‘no’, make an excuse and resist the
peer pressure? This ad was used to show
that FRANK understands the pressure
young people are under, that ecstasy
carries a real risk, and that FRANK can
help with drug-related problems.
‘Inquisitive kid’ TV advert
‘Inquisitive Kid’ TV advert
RADIO
Why it was used
Radio had an important role to play,
with opportunities to reach young
people at weekends with a ‘getting
ready to go out’ and ‘coming down
on a Sunday’ strategy, delivering a
long-term and constant presence to
build awareness of FRANK. Drug users
and their peers are more likely to listen
to radio, making it an effective channel
for drug communications.
How it was used
The radio campaign was planned to
ensure an even coverage of England.
Stations were selected based on their
delivery to the core audience and the
relevance of their programming (e.g.
Kiss, Galaxy, Vibe, etc).
When it was used
In 2004-2005 the radio activity ran
across 10 weekends, mainly throughout
school holidays and half-terms (using
existing creative). Three new adverts
were developed for 2005-2006, which
ran across 11 weekends.
EXAMPLES
Druid Rubbish: Cannabis is not a
safe drug. FRANK is THE source for
drugs information.
Lucky Dip: Drugs are unpredictable.
Ganj Mate: Cannabis could lead
to social isolation. Drug use is
not glamorous.
Ganj Mate and Druid Rubbish were the
first adverts that focused on cannabis,
except for advertising around the
reclassification of cannabis.
RADIO COMMERCIAL SCRIPTS
Druid
Starchild: Yeah yeah, of course Cannabis is safe. It has like no negative
effects at all when the moon of Venus cradles Neptune’s Starchild.
You’ve just got to make sure when smoking hash, the Space
Unicorns drain away all the negative energy from the symbolically
re-created cosmos.
VO:
People who say cannabis is harmless don’t know what they talking
about, to listen to someone who does, talk to FRANK on 0800 77 66 00
or visit talktofrank.com for friendly, confidential drugs advice.
‘Lucky Dip’
• SFX:
The sound of a club on a Saturday night.
• MV1:
Roll up, roll up, come and have a go on the ecstasy lucky dip.
• MV2:
I’ll have a go.
• SFX:
Money exchanging hands.
• MV1:
Have a rummage in there and let’s see what you get.
• SFX:
Rummaging and pulls something out.
• MV1:
Ooohh unlucky. It looks like an E, but it’s cheap speed cut with
talcum powder.
• MV2:
Awww.
• MV1:
Ok, tell you what, pick two, come on, there must be a real E in this
club somewhere.
• SFX:
More rummaging. This time he pulls out another dodgy ‘E’.
• MV1:
Ahh, now that’s aspirin… and oh, now even I don’t know what that
is. Go on, have it anyway.
• MV2:
Cheers mate.
• VO:
The truth is, you can’t be sure what’s in the drugs you take.
For friendly, confidential drugs advice talk to Frank on 0800 77 66 00,
or visit talktofrank.com
‘Ganj mate’
A lad is persuaded to stay in by his ‘new’ best mate.
SFX:
:Phone being put on hook.
Will:
“All right mate yeah, bye”.
Ganj:
Who was it? (Paranoid, possessive tone, rough, blowy voice).
Will:
It’s no-one, just a mate that’s all.Wants to know if I’ll go to Club Zero.
Ganj:
Oh no, no, no you don’t wanna do that! Stay in, Stay in!
Will:
Oh Don’t start Ganj. I just think it’ll be nice for us to go out for once.
Ganj:
But why?! We’ve got everything we need right here. Computer
games, take away menus, oh and that wildlife programme with
the mating dung beetles is on.
Will:
Ok.We’ll go out next week. They’ll probably call again.
VO:
Spending more time with weed then your mates? Talk to FRANK
on 0800 77 66 00 or visit talktofrank.com for friendly confidential
drugs advice.
ONLINE
Why it was used
This is an increasingly important
advertising channel for FRANK’s target
audience. Young people are spending
more time online, with chatrooms
becoming almost an extension of the
playground for interaction with their
peer community.
The core role of online in 2005-2006 was
to build credibility and trust of FRANK in
targeted online environments whilst also
driving traffic to the talktofrank.com
website. Online was also used to dispel
myths around drugs and drug use.
The Internet has certainly proved an
invaluable communications tool for
FRANK. Online activity enables FRANK
to engage with and talk directly to the
target audience, offering a trusted level
of discourse and strong assurances
of anonymity. As 2005-2006 shows, the
campaign’s online presence has gone
a long way to establishing FRANK as an
approachable, credible and expert source
of information on all drug-related matters.
How it was used
Advertising has included banner
adverts, polls and interactive quizzes
on the websites most commonly
visited by young people, for example
mykindaplace.com,
ministryofsound.co.uk,
monkeyslum.co.uk and
weebls-stuff.com
Drug ‘n’ Drop advert – top banner
When it was used
First introduced at the start of 2005, but
featured more prominently during 2006
and new creative materials have been
developed for future use.
Display Advertising
Using a question and answer reveal,
the user was invited to roll over a
banner and see it expand to display
a visual representation of the answer
to the question being asked. The sign
off ‘Got any questions about drugs?
talktofrank.com’ acted as a strong
call to action to drive young people
to the site for more information.
Polls
These pose a question and give the
user a number of options to choose
from. The results are compiled into a poll,
and are an effective way of highlighting
the myths and misunderstandings that
surround drugs.
Interactive elements
For FRANK to engage with the target
audience a highly interactive set of
creative executions were employed,
which capitalises on the increasingly
sophisticated use of the Internet by
young people in order to further
reinforce the relevance and credibility
of FRANK amongst its target audience
The Drug ‘n’ Drop advertisement is one
example of FRANK’s innovative online
devices. The user selects a drug from
a panel, then ‘drags and drops’ it onto
an animated on-screen character. The
character, (a teenager), then ‘acts out’
the effects of that particular drug
– for example, shaking, sweating or
becoming agitated – to illustrate how
different substances impact on the
body and mind.
Drug ‘n’ Drop advert –
side banner
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Bathroom posters, urinal sticker and mirror sticker
AMBIENT MEDIA
Why it was used
‘Ambient media’ is a term used for
communications that are present in
people’s day-to-day environments and
include for example, posters and stickers
appearing in phone boxes, urinals and
on lamp-posts, as well as postcards,
pens and stickers which can be given
out free to young people. They are an
important way of personalising FRANK for
the target audience. This approach also
enables FRANK to have a direct
presence in the local community.
Mirror sticker
How it was used
Examples from 2004-2005 include
stickers in the portaloos at the music
festival Creamfields, on washroom panels
in pubs and clubs, and on phone boxes.
Urinal sticker
When it was used
The placing of ambient media has
generally coincided with the key
phases of campaign activity during
holiday periods.
Washroom poster
media sponsorship
In autumn 2005, FRANK ran
radio sponsorship promotions
on Kiss and Galaxy. The aim
was to use ‘trusted’ stations to
help deliver FRANK’s messages,
by becoming part of each
station’s fabric – matching the
station’s tone, using recognisable
station voices, and using the
same language as the station.
To create relevance and
credibililty, FRANK worked
with the radio programmers
to create the hook, ‘Don’t
waste your talent’.
For FRANK to establish a
dialogue with the VYP audience,
creative solutions needed
to be different for each
station group and tailored
to regional differences.
KISS FM: PIRATE SOUNDCLASH
From its origins in pirate radio, KISS has
grown into one of the strongest youth
brands in the UK. Pirate Soundclash
offered a multi-platform opportunity for
young talent to win a regular DJ slot on
the station by sending in demos of their
DJ sets. These were played live on air
and votes were collected from listeners
by text. The winners had to progress
through a number of knock-out rounds
to scoop the coveted airtime slots.
There were four stages of activity:
> Recruitment – generating interest
through pre-recorded trails
> Competition duration – listeners were
alerted to live streaming of the best
and worst entries
> Competition close – trails and
live reads informed listeners about
the final
> Final week – finalists competed
throughout the week, with the final
vote on Friday via SMS.
There were also regular 40-second
infomercials communicating key
FRANK messages, with a tag at the
end highlighting FRANK as the official
sponsor of the Soundclash.
KISS FM: Pirate Soundclash
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A dedicated FRANK microsite was
created, embedded into the KISS
home page. This included streaming
of this year’s entries and last year’s
winners, voting details, and links to
talktofrank.com A campaign launch
SMS was sent out to 24,000 subscribers
to the KISS database, with emails being
sent to 31,000 subscribers. On the street,
20,000 flyers (twice the original amount)
were distributed to key KISS listener areas,
which overlapped with FRANK’s highfocus areas.
Through the popularity of this competition,
FRANK became associated with finding
the hottest new music talent on the
underground scene.
GALAXY: DIGITAL STATE
Like the Kiss competition, Digital State
gave Galaxy listeners the chance to
present their own show. The GALAXY
campaign also involved a microsite,
initially used for recruitment – encouraging
listeners to enter via email. The emphasis,
however, was on recruiting entrants
through the streets: vox pops were
recorded in key areas and loaded onto
the website for voting. This was supported
by an online entry facility, and publicised
– like Pirate Soundclash – via a multiplatform approach.
The FRANK team visited towns and
cities within the station areas, which
included high-focus areas. Vox
pops were recorded of 330 people
auditioning for the competition,
and 10,000 flyers were distributed.
SMS alerts sent to 15,000 subscribers
encouraged them to go online and
vote. The website voting form invited
listeners to contact FRANK for information
confidentially. Links to talktofrank.com
featured throughout, using the theme
‘it’s all in the mix’.
Two winners were selected from a
shortlist – one from the Northern stations
and another from Birmingham. The best
five entrants were put to an online vote
where listeners decided who deserved
their own show on Galaxy Digital.
FRANK was again associated with
finding the newest talent on the dance
music scene, and given a ‘right’ to be
out there on the streets.
PR activity
The advertising campaign
runs in conjunction with a
proactive PR campaign to
generate editorial content
such as news and features
in print, broadcast and online
media. This enables FRANK
to address drug issues in a
more in-depth or targeted
way than advertising alone
can do. PR activity also
provides a credible
endorsement of FRANK in
titles respected and trusted
by FRANK’s target audiences
– young people and parents.
Over the last two years,
PR activity has focused
on stimulating debate by
challenging the myths and
taboos around drugs and
drug use. There has also been
an emphasis on working with
case studies to strengthen
harm-minimisation messages
with real-life stories. More
recently, there has been
a greater focus on activity
with the professional and
trade press.
ACTIVITY IN 2004-2005
During this period, FRANK PR activity
used the themes of leisure, music, sport
and social life to generate articles and
publicity that would be of interest and
relevance to young people and parents.
The key messages underpinning the
stories were:
> Drugs are illegal, talking about
them isn’t
> You can’t tell what it is you’re taking
> Drugs can affect your relationships
with friends and family
> For further information contact FRANK.
This section gives examples of the main
stories generated.
‘TEEN TRIBES’ SURVEY
To coincide with the festival season,
FRANK compiled a study of young
people’s beliefs about drugs in relation
to their music and lifestyle preferences.
This was circulated to relevant media at
the height of the festival season using
the headline ‘young people talking, not
taking, drugs’, along with relevant FRANK
marketing materials such as postcards
and leaflets. Coverage was achieved
across a broad range of national and
regional media, from The Times and
BBC Breakfast programme to Radio Five
Live and Radio 1Xtra, triggering online
discussion among young people and
reaching the parent and young people
target audiences simultaneously.
THE DANGERS OF MIXING IT
A survey on the FRANK website found
that 43% of respondents were planning
to mix drugs and alcohol over the New
Year. This generated coverage in the
local as well as national media, as it
gave Drug Action Teams a platform for
warning of the dangers of taking drugs
over the Christmas period.
WHAT DID YOU GET UP TO AT
THE WEEKEND?
Research about how teenagers spend
their weekends was used to construct
a story of interest to both young
people and parents. The findings were
compared with call-centre data to show
that there was a rise in calls after the
weekend, coinciding with activity at
the weekend.
“The advice line and
website FRANK has great
tips for getting all the facts
about drugs and keeping
safe at festivals in the UK.”
Time Out
PR activity CONTINUED
FRANK AND ‘NATURAL HIGHS’
With the aim of normalising non-drug
use among teenagers, FRANK carried
out VYP research into teenage pastimes,
finding that sport and shopping top the
list of ‘natural highs’, and that ‘clean-cut’
celebrities like David Beckham are more
aspirational for this target audience than
more rebellious figures. Designed to sit
alongside local stakeholder activity, this
was supplemented by more localised
activity showcasing the ‘natural highs’
available through local sporting
organisations and clubs.
The strategy also focused on extending
media coverage to reach parents via
national tabloids, magazines and TV
channels with a high proportion of
parent viewers, for example with the
placement of a case study on Trisha.
A separate programme of activity
aimed at the health professional press
also took place, with the aim of raising
awareness and promoting a sense of
goodwill towards FRANK among health
practitioners who come into direct
contact with many drug users and their
family and friends, and to encourage
them to pass on the FRANK helpline and
website details and relevant literature.
This work included:
> Media initiatives with specialist
health media
> The recruitment of GPs, social workers
and nurses as advocates
> The promotion of FRANK at
professional conferences and
training courses.
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Over the past year, activity has focused
on building FRANK’s credibility as the best
source of information and advice on
drugs and to nurture affinity with young
people aged 11 to 18 and their parents,
extending the ‘peer-to-peer’ approach
of the campaign. This activity was also
designed to reach the priority audience
of VYP so that they would ‘overhear’
the key messages from the campaign,
which were:
TREATMENT – GET THE FACTS AND
GET HELP
FRANK IS AN EXPERT
WHAT’S YOUR GAME?
A PR platform was designed to integrate
with the messaging of the FRANK
‘Gameshow’ television advert to
encourage young people to think about
how they should act when faced with
pressure from their friends to try drugs,
and to trigger a debate around the
issues. It was supported by research on
peer pressure and the dynamics of the
friendship group, which showed that
20% of young people could give in to
pressure from friends to try drugs. Media
relations work with a psychologist
enabled FRANK to provide ‘resistance’
tips to young people and advice to
parents concerned about their child.
> FRANK is an expert on drugs
> If you need any information or
advice about drugs, talk to FRANK
> If you don’t know enough to talk to
your kids about drugs, talk to FRANK.
PEER PRESSURE/DRUG RESISTANCE
> Don’t assume everyone’s doing
it except you
> Get the facts before you try
something new.
NEGATIVE, HARMFUL EFFECTS OF DRUGS
> All illegal drugs are harmful; talking
about them isn’t.
> Get help for yourself or someone
you know
> You’re not alone, drugs misuse affects
all sorts of people and their families
> Talk to FRANK if you’re worried about
your own drug use, or someone else’s.
Examples of some of the stories placed
during 2005-2006 are shown opposite.
“Saying no to drugs,
when people around
you are taking them,
requires a lot of guts.”
Sneak
“For great advice on
how to talk to a teenager
about drugs, visit
www.talktofrank.com.”
The Times
PR activity CONTINUED
‘FRANK ON DRUGS’ WEEK
The five myths most commonly
mentioned by callers to the FRANK
helpline were used as the basis for press
activity during ‘FRANK on Drugs’ week,
when FRANK urged people to find out
three new things about drugs and to
trade in myths about drugs for facts.
Coverage ranged from national
and regional press to teen lifestyle
media, who ran ‘Drugs myths quizes’.
The PR team negotiated a media
partnership with top teen website
www.mykindaplace.com (MKP) during
November 2005, and arranged for
FRANK features such as the A-Z of drugs,
a celebrity ‘hall of drugs shame’ and
real-life case studies to run onsite during
the week. The week was trailed in
advance and visitors were offered the
opportunity to write in with drugs queries
to be answered onsite by FRANK.
During the week, MKP saw an increase
of around 10,000 page impressions
per day generated by an additional
1,000-2,000 users.
The MKP website routed 8,337 unique
visitors to the teen addict case study,
7,010 to the A-Z of drugs, 6,077 to the
Celebrity Drug Comebacks gallery and
2,395 to the ‘talk to FRANK’ section.
There were 2,735 page impressions
generated to the FRANK website from
MKP, coming from 1,572 users. This
includes the format advertising as well
as editorial placements.
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TOP 5 URBAN DRUGS MYTHS
Myth: When you take magic
mushrooms, all you see is
giant mushrooms.
Reality: Magic mushrooms give you a
trip. Trips can be good or bad – a bad
trip can be far more frightening than
giant mushrooms!
Myth: Smoking banana skins makes
you high.
Reality: If you smoked a truckload
of banana skins you might feel
something, but whatever you felt
it wouldn’t be good.
Myth: Taking speed makes your teeth
fall out.
Reality: The most common effects of
speed are feeling wide awake and
chatty, followed by a come-down that
can make you irritable and depressed
for one or two days.
Myth: Cannabis ‘cleans the lungs’.
Reality: Quite the opposite. Smoking
cannabis can give you heart problems,
bronchitis and cancer. Smoking it with
tobacco can also get you hooked
on tobacco.
Myth: Drugs are ‘pure’ if your mate
or dealer tells you they are.
Reality: You can never be 100% sure
what you are getting – and your mate
or dealer won’t know the full story either.
You could end up getting more than
you bargained for.
HARM MINIMISATION DURING THE FESTIVE
PARTY SEASON
To capitalise on the Christmas and
New Year party season, the PR team
developed an online poll for visitors to
talktofrank.com to deliver two stories
relating to young people’s social plans
and potential drug-taking. Findings
show that teens were planning the
‘Great Escape’ to party with their friends
on Christmas Day, yet were undecided
about how to spend their New Year,
provided two platforms for the harmminimisation message, and coverage
was secured across regional and
national media from the Daily Mirror
through to Radio One and XFM.
TARGETING PARENTS
Activity directed towards parents was
used to highlight:
The practical support and advice
available through FRANK:
> how to spot the signs
> where to get help/treatment
> reassurance:
– most kids who try drugs stop
– you’re not alone.
Advice on how to have the drugs
conversation with your child:
> having the skills to start it
> what to say
> how not to lose your rag
> how to keep talking.
“If you want to know what
advice to give your teen
this summer, get the
facts from FRANK”
Best
“I believe it was a definite success, not just
in terms of additional traffic for us but also
because we’d never really given drugs
such a high profile on the site. Giving
users access to this sort of information
and presenting it in a way that isn’t
patronising or boring can be tricky, but
I really do think that we got the balance
spot-on. The A-Z of Drugs will now be
a permanent feature on the site.”
Matt Bagwell, editor of MKP
‘Ministry of Sound’ website
mykindaplace.com
‘Bliss’ website
partnership marketing
It is important for the target
audience that FRANK is
associated with popular youth
brands. Since the campaign
launch, strategic marketing
partnerships have been
important. This maximises
promotional opportunities
and extends the overall
reach of the campaign.
FRANK developed relationships
with a range of partners to ensure
communication via a variety of
media. Partnership activities in
2004 included:
> Channel U (urban music satellite
channel) – live on-air competitions
> www.mykindaplace.com (youth
online magazine) – case study
featured, inviting comments and
votes to canvass users’ views on
drugs; pop-up ads with links to
the FRANK website
> TV, radio and magazine coverage
featuring case studies and expert
spokespeople
> Support from Cambridge United FC.
Particularly successful partnerships
that ran in 2004-2005 included BT
and habbohotel.co.uk
BT Internet kiosks
Over 1,300 BT payphones have been
converted to Internet kiosks enabling
web surfing, email, text messages to
mobile phones, and telephone calls
on the move. In July 2004 a deal was
negotiated whereby any kiosks that had
not sold their inventory would display
a variety of FRANK advertising (banners,
buttons and an attractor loop).
The kiosks were used to encourage
young people to call or visit FRANK free
of charge. The privacy and free access
provided by the kiosks made it possible
to raise awareness among a younger
(aged 15-24) target audience that is
usually hard to reach, since Internet
access at home or at school tends to
be supervised. The street kiosks were
used more by females, when shopping;
use of rail-station kiosks was biased
toward males, who tended to be visiting
friends or travelling to work.
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Analysis of usage enabled optimisation
of the most effective media to ensure
more intelligent targeting. The highly
effective attractor loop was a key feature
on many kiosks in high-focus areas.
habbohotel.co.uk
2005 saw the launch of a highly successful
partnership with habbohotel.co.uk –
an online community where young
people can log in to create their own
Habbo identity and interact freely with
other ‘Habbos’ in the context of a safe
virtual environment.
FRANK created a Habbo virtual bus
where drug discussions could take place
within the interactive online community.
To find out what topics Habbos would
like to cover, a poll was designed, which
was completed by nearly 5,000 young
people through their Habbo persona.
Analysis of the poll enabled FRANK to
develop a press release and publish a
weekly calendar of topics for the day.
This approach ensured the relevancy
of messages to the audience, and
enabled FRANK advisors to prepare
their responses to questions.
Drug discussions took place on the
virtual bus three times a week for one
hour, during which FRANK advisors would
conduct three 20-minute sessions.
Ten Habbos were allowed in for each
session, allowing 30 Habbos to interact
with FRANK on each day. To publicise
the sessions, Habbo:
> Put the FRANK logo on the
home page
> Sent Habbos info on the bus via
e-newsletters
> Posted on the site the schedule
for session topics on the bus
> Sent console messages.
habbohotel.co.uk
Pearl & Dean
The Harrow UCG cinema has 1 million
visits per year, with an audience that is
predominantly from the 15-25 year age
group. Pearl & Dean agreed for Harrow
Council to fill their ‘still’ cinema ad space
with a FRANK message. This ran for one
year, with four 7.5-second showings
per movie.
Music festivals
FRANK had a presence at a number
of music festivals, where tissue packs
and postcards were distributed:
> Princes Trust Urban Music
> Download
> Isle of Wight Rock festival
FRANK advertising on BT internet kiosks
> Party in the Park
> Wakestock
> V Festival
> WOMAD
> JAM Under 18 events.
FRANK Postcards
FRANK in Action 2004-2006
Partnership marketing CONTINUED
BT internet kiosks continued to be a
key feature of the FRANK campaign
in 2005-2006.
FRANK’s regular discussion sessions on
the Habbo virtual bus continue to be
a success. There are still queues every
time it arrives!
Exciting new partnerships for 20052006 included:
JazzyMedia
Running from January to March 2006
was a deal with JazzyMedia, who own
poster sites around schools (11-18 year
olds) and sixth-form colleges (16-19 year
olds). During spring term, any unsold
space was used to display FRANK
posters, free of charge. This received a
highly positive response and the media
value alone was worth approximately
£620,000.
Shot in the style of a music video and
featuring cameos from hit artists from
the urban music scene, this was the
world’s first-ever interactive viewer-led TV
programme. The series was broadcast in
November/December on C4, E4, E4+,
MTV UK and MTV Base, with exclusives
and special editions shown via PSP and 3.
By dramatising social issues facing
young people, the series provided a
vehicle for lively debate. Issues covered
included the use of cannabis, crack,
ecstasy and cocaine.
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FRANK joined in the party by having:
> Merchandise inserted into check-in
bags given to each attendee
> Logo and ad run on a loop on the
Big Reunion TV channel
FRANK’s partnership with the
series included:
> Logo on the screens in the five
main arenas
> An exclusive music CD with a comicstrip case design by the talented
new graphic artist, Remi. 40,000 CDs
containing FRANK messaging were
distributed via street teams in highfocus areas. CDs were also distributed
via outlets such as urban hairdressers
and specialist record shops, where the
target market were likely to hang out.
> Banners placed in eight different
rooms around the event
> 100,000 FRANK-branded A5 flyers
were distributed by street teams to
publicise the programme.
Dubplate Drama
Dubplate Drama was a gritty urban
music drama made for TV broadcast
from November 2005 to February 2006.
Starring a real-life MC, Shystie, the series
followed the story of Dionne, a young
MC, and her bid to make it in the music
industry. Each 15-minute episode ended
with a dramatic moral dilemma, and
viewers were able to choose the course
of action for the next episode by voting
via their mobile phone.
The Big Reunion
The Big Reunion is recognised as the UK’s
biggest winter music festival and premier
clubbing weekender. November 2005
saw the fifth Big Reunion, drawing 9,000
young people (mainly 16-20 year olds)
from all over the UK.
> A public announcement ran during
the end credits of episodes 2 to 6,
when the audience was invited to
vote via text. Voters received a FRANK
text bounce: ‘Thanks for your text
to Dubplate Drama, if you have a
problem with drugs talk to FRANK on
0800 77 66 00 or talktofrank.com’
> The FRANK logo and website links
were featured on the sites for
Dubplate Drama, MTV and C4.
> Logo and website link on the Big
Reunion homepage
> Content in the Big Reunion’s quarterly
e-magazine.
A newsletter was sent prior to the festival
weekend with harm-reduction tips on taking
drugs whilst clubbing. This email went out
to the entire Big Reunion database.
Addictive Interactive
Addictive Interactive (AI) is the driver
behind numerous online communities,
mainly within the clubbing scene (such
as Club 18-30 and Twice as Nice).
FRANK has been created as a profile on
these sites which is fully integrated into
talktofrank.com and can also be added
as a ‘friend’ in users’ address books.
‘Stoned’ Film Premier
Dubplate Drama
Stoned premiere – November 2005
Stoned was a new British film about the
life of Brian Jones, the founding member
of The Rolling Stones who allegedly died
of a drug overdose.
A competition was run offering AI users
the opportunity to win tickets to attend
the London premiere of the film. This was
promoted on their competition page for
a fortnight, and also via a solus email to
their database of 27,000 active users at
the time. There were 286 entries.
Those attending the gala screening in
Birmingham, and the London premiere,
in November 2005 were given a FRANK
pack which included tissues, stickers and
the FRANK cards. FRANK banners were
displayed around the foyer of the cinema.
For the London premiere, the FRANK
tissues were also put into 100 goodie
bags for the celebrities attending.
Sofa workshops and CD-WOW!
From October 2005 to February 2006,
the FRANK street marketing initiative
used branded sofas, secured for
free, to create an informal interactive
environment on the street, targeting
186,000 young people. Motivational
prizes offered included £5,000 worth
of free vouchers for CD-WOW! – one
of the main online retailers for CDs,
DVDs and games.
Street marketing – Sofa Workshop
Miss Dynamite (right) and Akala (left)
Daniel Parmer (left) and Shystie (right)
Shystie
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The FRANK sofas campaign
went out to 35 locations
around the UK in 2005.
talktofrank.com
In 2005-2006 an average
of over 15,000 visitors a day
used talktofrank.com It offers
a comprehensive source
of information about drugs,
complementing the main
communications activity and
giving users an additional,
private and personalised
route to establishing contact
with FRANK. The website is
also a gateway for emailing
FRANK for further information
and advice. In the year to
March 2006 it received nearly
30,000 emails.
The website is essentially the face of
FRANK, so it has been important for the
homepage to be informative, engaging
and fresh for a youth audience. The
homepage has featured a mix of
games, news features and quick links
to drug information.
Drugs A to Z
The heart of talktofrank.com and one
of the main reasons people visit the site.
The Drugs A-Z is a straight talking guide
on a wide range of substances including
legal substances like tobacco and alcohol.
It can be searched alphabetically –
by technical name or ‘street’ name –
and provides information on the drugs
appearance, risks, effects and the legal
consequences of possession and supply.
Getting help
Visitors are able to search a referral
database of local services throughout
England, that holds information on
referral procedures, types of treatment
and support offered, phone numbers
and opening times. And of course visitors
are encouraged to phone FRANK with
any query or question about drugs.
Special Features
‘Teen Tribes’ was a piece of research
that identified different groups of young
people. Visitors were able to go through
a multiple choice quiz to identify what
‘Tribe’ they belonged to. Whether it was
a ‘Mosher’, ‘Townie’, ‘Gansta’ or ‘Goth’
there was a ‘tribe’ for everyone and
some of these tribes were linked to
supposed drug use with certain groups
more likely to ‘Talk-up’ their drug use.
‘Natural high’ looked at how young
people chose to spend their free time.
With sport coming out on top of the
ways to experience a high, closely
followed by shopping, with taking illegal
drugs right at the bottom of the list. The
feature gave ideas for achieving that
‘natural high’ whether it be through
friends, being in love or even doing
well at school.
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Habbo Hotel Is a regular FRANK feature
and has proved an important partnership
for FRANK. Habbo hosts a virtual ‘Bus’
where young people can ‘hang out’ with
their virtual friends, or talk to FRANK in
moderated sessions with FRANK advisers.
‘Drug and Drop’ proved to be one of
the sites most popular attractions. The
animated feature tells visitors about the
effects of four different drugs with the
message that ‘there’s no way of knowing
what the effects will be until you've
taken it’.
www.drugs.gov.uk
This is a separate cross-government
portal for drugs professionals carrying
the latest news and guidance about
the Drug Strategy. During 2005-2006
it was redeveloped to make it more
accessible to practitioners.
The site has a dedicated area for
communicating news and information
about FRANK to stakeholders in local
services. People can register with
the site to receive newsletters and
updates about new materials as
they become available.
>> See www.drugs.gov.uk/frank
to register for information
and updates.
“This has to be the most
accessible online helpline
service about drugs.”
The Guardian
“It’s good. It’s quite vibrant. It’s easy to navigate through
to get to the various areas you want. There’s a lot on there
that you just want to look at and some things you want to
download. The selection is good. There are lots of choices.
For me it works well.”
Stakeholder, education
“I recently looked up crystal meth on the website because
that is something that is coming up in the news. I looked
up what FRANK was saying and found it very up-to-date.
And I’ve had some good feedback from young people and
adults saying that it is age-appropriate and it answered
their questions, especially in the email service because
they got a response within 24 hours.”
Stakeholder, education
helpline 0800 77 66 00
The FRANK helpline is open
24 hours a day, seven days
a week and between 20052006 it handled an average
of 1,350 calls a day. It is
accessible in 120 languages
and has textphone for the
hard of hearing.
The FRANK helpline provides
confidential information and
advice on drugs and drugrelated issues and with an
extensive database of drugs
treatment services it can
also make referrals to local
agencies when a caller
requires face-to-face help
and support. The FRANK
helpline is also responsible for
answering emails sent via the
talktofrank.com website.
HOW IT WORKS
The helpline operates from two sites in
Bristol and Glasgow and is staffed by
advisors from a consortium consisting of
The Essentia Group and Broadsystem,
which specialise in telephone information,
advice and support services in the fields
of health, education and lifestyle.
The Essentia Group provide specialist
advisors who can handle all calls from
start to finish, including more complex
calls or calls from people who are
distressed, upset, or anxious. They also
respond to email requests. Between
11pm and 7am, all calls are handled
by the Essentia Group.
Broadsystem provide a back-up service
between 7am and 11pm to ensure
that as many calls as possible are
answered by a live operator rather
than a recorded message. They handle
basic information and literature requests,
deal with simple queries and provide
national referral details. If a caller
requires advice or more complex
information, they are transferred to
advisors at the Essentia Group.
This operational model enables the
most efficient and cost-effective use
of both the experienced front-line call
handling and advice elements of the
service. The campaign currently has
access to 2,200 referral organisations
on the drug services database and
51,442 referrals (up to April 2006) have
been made to treatment or services
via the helpline.
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“It is interesting to note
that both calls and web
traffic continue after the
advertising has stopped.
This is because FRANK
is a brand and not strictly
a direct response vehicle,
and as such lives on in
people’s minds to be
recalled when needed.”
Engage best practice
programme
“It’s satisfying for us as drugs
workers to feel confident that
when clients contact FRANK they
are getting good information.”
A local drugs worker
“We rang a few times, and
got just the sort of advice
we’d hoped for.”
Community stakeholder
EXAMPLES OF HOW THE HELPLINE WORKS
Caller 1
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Length of call: 15 minutes
ISSUES: Has been told by a friend that heroin is harmless and wants to know
the risks.
CONVERSATION: Advisor explains that heroin is a highly addictive drug, that
larger doses can lead to drowsiness and that excessive doses can result in
overdose, coma or death. Users can see a recreational habit spiral out of control
quite easily. Also, tolerance develops, which means the user needs more heroin to
attain the same high. Then discusses how difficult it can be for users to withdraw
from the drug and how a long-term habit can cause depression, low self esteem
and mental health problems. Finally mentions that many users turn to crime to
fund a heavy habit.
OUTCOME: Caller says he was unaware of all these issues surrounding the drug
and thanks advisor for their time. Advisor invites him to call back in the future.
Caller 2
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Length of call: 12 minutes
ISSUES: Is going to try ecstasy with her friends and wants to know more about it.
CONVERSATION: Advisor gives caller comprehensive information on the
effects and risks of ecstasy. Advisor then discusses with the caller her reasons
for wanting to take ecstasy, advising her to be sure that this is what she wants
to do and not to feel coerced into it. Finally gives advice on how caller can look
after herself and her friends if they do decide to take the drug, for example, by
not mixing it with alcohol.
OUTCOME: Encouraged caller to call back if she needed any further information,
emphasising that FRANK is a 24-hour line. Website address is also given out.
stakeholder support
FRANK is an umbrella
campaign, providing ideas,
resources and hands-on
support for local services
to build into their own local
campaigns. FRANK gives local
stakeholders a robust and
stable platform for their activity
while they, in turn, underpin
the national campaign by
reaching young people
directly and promoting a
consistent message.
WHO ARE FRANK’S STAKEHOLDERS?
Anyone whose work brings them into
contact with young people and who
has an interest in reducing risk-taking
behaviour is a potential FRANK
stakeholder. There are currently
5,500 stakeholders registered with
drugs.gov.uk/frank and linked into the
campaign. They cover a diverse range
of local organisations and agencies,
in particular:
> Health agencies and drugs
treatment services
> Community and voluntary
organisations
> Schools, colleges and education
support services
> Housing and social care
> Legal advice agencies
> Training and employment services.
What does FRANK offer them?
FRANK offers a range of ideas, literature
and resources for local organisations
to use in their own local campaigns
and their face-to-face work with young
people. In areas with a large population
of VYP, FRANK also provides direct
support for local services in the highfocus areas that have been targeted as
part of the Every Child Matters: Change
for Children agenda.
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Specific support from FRANK includes:
> FRANK Action Updates: a series of
activity and reference packs that are
regularly developed and distributed
to drug and youth professionals and
other interested stakeholders. They
aim to strengthen and enhance
the local delivery of the FRANK
campaign, providing a focus and
encouragement for for local media,
PR and communications activity.
> Literature: a range of information
literature including leaflets on
different topics and for different
age groups.
> Other resources: posters, postcards,
dog tags and other communications
materials for handing out to
young people.
> Extra resources for high-focus
areas: in 2005-2006, 30 areas were
identified where communication
targeting VYP were developed. The
FRANK stakeholder support team now
works directly with them to implement
local campaigns. This will increase to
48 areas in 2006-2007.
>>Stakeholders wanting to find out
more about how to build FRANK
into their work should register at
drugs.gov.uk/frank
“We know we can trust it
if the information comes
through FRANK. We don’t
need to think twice or
question it.”
Stakeholder
FRANK Action Update –
Vulnerable Young People
– Making the Difference
In 2004-2005 awareness of FRANK grew
among local services, which resulted
in increasing levels of activity to build
FRANK into local campaigns and to
work directly with children and young
people to promote awareness of FRANK.
In addition to the specific examples
described on pages 46 to 49, local
services have used and built on FRANK’s
resource base in other innovative and
diverse ways. Typical examples include:
> Information days in schools
> Displays in drop-in centres
> FRANK sponsorship of a girls’
football team
> Information for group work
in youth clubs
> Featuring as an element
in college tutorials
> Handouts at information days
for parents (the foreign language
versions are particularly useful here)
FRANK Action Updates
Since FRANK’s launch, 13 Action Updates
have been published, each one
designed to link with a particular event,
time of year or policy priority. Recent
titles include:
> Vulnerable young people – making
the difference
– information and activities to support
those young people considered to
be among the most at risk from the
dangers of drugs
> Talking diversity
– building upon the initial research
outlined in an earlier pack called
Understanding Diversity, this update
profiles specific communities in
more detail
> Youth trends and tribes
– addresses the complex
interweaving of social and personal
identities during adolescence and
provides insights into current youth
trends and interests.
> Promoting a skateboarding event
> Part of the literature for a community
drugs prevention project
> Display in health centres/
doctors surgeries
> Work with young offenders and
displays in custody suites
> A major element in
drugs roadshows.
A recent evaluation of local stakeholders
showed that nearly half were actively
using FRANK’s campaigning ideas
and resources in their local activities
and that of these, 85% rated the
activities a success.
FRANK Action Update –
Talking Diversity
“Very accessible
and engaging.”
Each pack follows a tried-andtested structure:
FRANK in action: feedback from the
public and local networks.
Vital statistics: statistics and insights
on the topic in question.
Movers and shakers: snapshots of
positive practice from across the country.
Ideas for action: numerous ideas for
activities to support one-to-one, group
and campaign work with young people.
Useful resources: such as websites and
publications that can provide further
information and insights.
“Lots of good information
and the activity sheets
are good.”
“Everything we need for
ourselves or our clients
we can get from FRANK.”
Stakeholder
stakeholder support CONTINUED
In addition to the ongoing support
through literature and campaign ideas,
FRANK’s stakeholder activities during
2005-2006 were concentrated in 30
high-focus areas across England. These
areas were identified as part of a joint
strategy between the Home Office, the
Department for Education and Skills and
the Department of Health, to prevent
drug harm and to ensure that all
children and young people are able to
reach their potential. The 30 areas were
selected on the basis of local need and
levels of existing service provision, and
included areas with high levels of crime
and deprivation, where drug misuse
problems tend to be most prevalent.
High-focus areas
Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford,
Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Calderdale,
Camden, Cumbria, Essex, Hackney,
Kingston Upon Hull, Knowsley, Lambeth,
Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough,
Milton Keynes, Newham, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, Plymouth, Redcar &
Cleveland, Rochdale, Southampton,
Southwark, Stockton-on-Tees, Thurrock,
Tower Hamlets, Westminster.
What FRANK did…
FRANK has supported these 30 areas
through an increased presence on
radio, advertising on phone boxes and
the deployment of peer-to-peer street
marketing teams.
The street marketing activity was an
important new area for FRANK. Research
has shown that peer-to-peer marketing
is an effective way of communicating
with VYP as it makes messages more
accessible and credible. Local
stakeholders such as Connexions
services and youth clubs helped to
recruit young people to the teams, and
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FRANK arranged training, materials and
the branded sofas that were to be a
talking point for engaging passers-by.
The street marketing teams were trained
by Kikass, an innovative youth charity,
who provided participants with a mix of
education about FRANK, role-play and
scenarios to help them anticipate and
work through the kinds of issues they would
be likely to encounter on the street.
After training, the different teams took
to the streets with their FRANK sofa and
scratch cards. Each card had an instant
win prize of a FRANK dog tag (a new
accessory to rival the wristband), which
were extremely popular. The cards also
carried information about drugs, and
the opportunity to enter a free prize draw
on talktofrank.com, to raise awareness
of the website among VYP.
>> See page 69 for an evaluation of
stakeholder support activities to date.
“Whatever group you work
with FRANK has produced
something for them. Our
young homeless people
have found the information
helpful and appropriate.”
Stakeholder
Nottingham City DAAT
get FRANK on the road
The North-West
VIEW FROM THE STREET
I got involved with our street marketing team through my local youth club, the Compass Centre. It
sounded like it would be a laugh, but I did think I might get abuse from people who don’t like being
approached on the street! We had a few training sessions first where we learnt how to approach
people.You need to be up-front, polite and to the point. I was picked to make the first approach so
I went up to a woman in Redcar and offered her a scratch card. She asked me some questions so I
explained a bit about FRANK. When the youth worker told the others that was how it needed to be
done, I felt good. It was easy after that. And it was good that we – young people – were doing it. We
were proving that older people’s impressions of us can be wrong. I’m not an expert now on drugs
but I do know a lot more. If I knew someone who needed help now I’d know where to send them.
One man came up to me and said he was addicted to cocaine and wanted to come off it, that it was
ruining his life. I wrote down the FRANK helpline number and gave him a FRANK scratch card
which has lots of information on it. I just wanted to help him and give him the advice he needed.
He genuinely looked like he wanted help to stop it.
Amy Tait, Redcar & Cleveland
campaign materials
Engaging, attractive and
informative materials are a
central part of the FRANK
campaign. Between 2004
and 2006, FRANK introduced
some new publications and
began work on refreshing a
suite of literature. A range of
innovative marketing materials
such as postcards, dog tags
and posters have also been
produced to support local
work with young people.
FRANK LITERATURE
During the 2004-2006 campaign period,
FRANK issued a range of literature,
including some new publications:
Drugs – What the Law Says
General information for young people
and adults on the legal implications
of drugs.
“FRANK is head and
shoulders above the other
drugs support material.”
Stakeholder
Talk About Cannabis NEW
General information leaflet for
young people.
Parents Guide to Drugs and Alcohol
Information for parents
Drugs the Facts
General leaflet for 11-14 year-olds.
Know the Score
General leaflet for 15-18 year-olds.
Easy Read Drug Pack NEW
Information on drugs and alcohol for
people with special educational needs
or low literacy levels.
Other resources
As well as written literature, FRANK has
produced a range of resources which
help to convey headline messages or
generate affinity with the FRANK brand.
These include postcards, posters and
information cards. Feedback from
local stakeholders has emphasised
the value that young people place
on these resources.
Part of the strength of FRANK’s street
marketing activity (see page 42) has
been the quality of the materials that are
made available. FRANK scratch cards
offer an instant win of a FRANK dog tag,
and a giveaway music CD has been
produced. In evaluations these materials
have scored highly in making an impact
on young people.
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FRANK Scratch Card
Dog tags: these were designed for the street
marketing activity that ran in 2005 and 2006.
Heralded as ‘the new wristbands’, they have
helped to position FRANK as being in tune with
young people, helping to generate affinity.
“People liked the dog tags.
I’ve still got my set of dog
tags which I still wear and
I’ve seen people wearing
them in the city centre.”
Young person, Bristol
FRANK Easy Read Drug Pack
FRANK Talk About Cannabis
FRANK Posters
FRANK Postcards
236 young ‘street marketeers’
reached thousands of young
people over 52 days of activity
in 2005.
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Stakeholder activity in the regions
EAST MIDLANDS
Nottingham city DAAT paid for a doubledecker bus to be completely wrapped
in the FRANK logo for two years.
The text on the bus was kept simple, with
FRANK contact details and the strapline:
“Worried about drugs or alcohol? Talk
to FRANK”. The eye-catching FRANKbranded bus travels in to the city centre
16 times a day, resulting in high visibility
over a long duration.
The scheme also allows a great deal of
flexibility, as the bus can target routes
through areas that are known to be highrisk. It can also be used to tie in with any
high-focus FRANK events that are held
throughout the city. As part of the deal,
Nottingham City Transport also supplied
10 free advertising spaces within the bus
to promote local drug and alcohol
services and to reinforce the Frank
message. This gives a drugs focus both
inside and out.
The launch took place in February 2006
and was officially presented by Karl
Froch, Commonwealth Supermiddle
Weight Champion.
WEST MIDLANDS
Coventry DAT has purchased FRANKbranded bags, frisbees, wristbands
and pens, which are distributed at
local festivals and other specific events
targeting young people, such as music
competitions. Frisbees are also being
sent to the Positive Futures team, a sports
development unit that works to engage
young people from vulnerable areas.
Sofas have also been branded with the
FRANK logo for use in schools as part of
their drug education. The sofas will also
be available for local festivals and other
community activities, and can ultimately
be used for peer-to-peer street
marketing activities.
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Local Yellow Pages and BT Phone Books
carry adverts promoting the young
person street marketing service (along
with the adult drug treatment service
and community alcohol service). Adverts
also appear on buses, radio, and public
information pillars. Coventry is also
piloting a series of electronic signposts
placed strategically throughout the
city, promoting the young person
street marketing service with the FRANK
branding and contact number.
FRANK is also promoted in the Active
Intelligence Mapping (AIMS) newsletter,
monitoring local crime levels and youth
substance misuse. Distributed to local
providers such as the police and
education service, the newsletter
enables them to respond quickly to
problems before local situations
escalate. The rear side of police charge
sheets is printed with details of local
YPSM services, including FRANK.
EAST OF ENGLAND
In April 2005, Positive Futures launched
the Teenage Kicks football project at
Gainsborough Sports Centre. Young
people aged 12-19 are invited to play
football for free. Five qualified football
coaches are there every week to deliver
coaching, as well as organising small
matches and tournaments. The project
ran through to November 2005 and was
so successful that it has been repeated,
starting in April 2006.
The sessions attract around 55
young people each week, of whom
approximately 85% come from the
south-eastern wards of Ipswich. These
areas have been identified as having
experienced high levels of antisocial
behaviour, and the Teenage Kicks
project aims to give them something
sociable, fun and healthy to do in
the evenings.
The project has been financed by the
South-East Ipswich Area Forum, as well
as by local councillors. The GO-East
Drugs Team have supported the project
with a large amount of FRANK ambient
media such as T-shirts, gloves, hats, draw
string bags and water bottles, which are
given out to the young people and also
act as prizes at the sessions. They also
provided all the footballs for the project.
Further equipment was supplied from the
Barclays Spaces for Sport Programme,
which provided clothing and coaching
equipment for the project
Positive Futures Team are working closely
with the police, who believe the project
has already had a considerable positive
impact on the more difficult areas of the
local estates. Before the project, young
people were noticeably very territorial
and would not use facilities in adjacent
wards, preferring to hang around local
‘hotspots’. Teenage Kicks has helped to
overcome this, and local residents and
shopkeepers have commented to the
police – who agree, based on their own
observations – that antisocial behaviour
has been considerably reduced since
the sessions began.
LONDON
Barking & Dagenham (B&D)’s activities
for 2005-2006 have been included
raising the profile of their screening and
referral protocol by running extensive
training in the use of the Drug Use
Screening Tool (DUST). Part of this training
covered general substance misuse
information, and current FRANK materials
such as The Score:Facts About Drugs
were distributed to all delegates. Over
140 practitioners, including foster carers,
are now trained to use DUST and have
been directed to FRANK as a source
of further information and advice.
The B&D DAAT also commissioned
playing cards (originally developed
in Hounslow) as part of a community
Examples of stakeholder activity in the regions.
initiative to raise awareness and
minimise harm. Over 1,000 of the cards,
which included the FRANK logo and
contact number, were distributed
throughout the borough through local
events and via statutory and voluntary
organisations. Schools were also involved
in programme, and the playing cards
were incorporated into secondary
school PSHE classes.
These efforts continue to raise awareness
of substance misuse and ensure that
young people and substance misuse
remains high on the borough’s agenda.
SOUTH EAST
Brighton and Hove have produced a
communication resource, The Hidden
Ones, to support children of substancemisusing parents. Aimed primarily at
secondary schools and local agencies,
it was designed to support the
improvement of communication
between student, school, agency and
parents. The focus is on promoting
awareness of the issues and building
the structures to respond when parental
substance misuse has been identified.
Local and national agencies that can
offer further help are referenced in the
resource, including FRANK. The Hidden
Ones has been piloted in one school
and the evaluation is currently being
analysed to identify whether any further
issues need to be addressed.
In 2005 Local DAAT campaigns included
a Christmas campaign focusing on the
links between substance misuse and
sexual health, stressing the influence of
alcohol and drugs on sexual behaviour
and the need for a safe approach to
both drugs and sex.
Website development has also been
a key activity in the South East region.
Brighton and East Sussex have
set up an interactive website,
www.sussedaboutdrugs.net, which
addresses the needs of parents,
carers and young people. This
has also been developed into an
additional site focusing on alcohol,
www.sussedaboutdrink.net In Brighton
and Hove a further resource is under
development to bring together
information such as training, resources
and meetings for professionals:
www.sussedprofessionals.net
The sussedaboutdrugs promotional
material includes Heat magazine-style
examples of international celebrities
who have fallen foul of cocaine misuse,
highlighting the impact it has had on
their careers. The sussedaboutdrink
promotional material uses celebrities
to highlight the risk of too much
alcohol ruining a night out. Using
celebrities in the materials is a way
of grabbing the attention of young
people, since popular culture is
currently very celebrity-focused.
SOUTH WEST
Bournemouth’s Drug Action Team
works hard to get FRANK’s message
out, with limited resources. FRANK
information is mailed out to
Bournemouth schools, community
centres, police stations, GP surgeries,
job centres and other advice centres,
along with information on how to order
further copies.
To ensure a multi agency approach
FRANK Action Updates are regularly
distributed to the Young People’s Task
Group, which includes representatives
from the YOT, Children’s Fund,
Connexions, Youth Service, PCT, CAMHS
and School Nursing.
“We’d love to be able to
get out and run more
high-profile activities,”
says David Hosie, the
DAT Coordinator, “but
it’s good to know that
the FRANK materials
are reaching the places
they’re most needed.”
DAT worker Bournemouth
stakeholder activity in the regions
CONTINUED
YORKSHIRE AND HUMBER
In 2005, Sheffield commissioned some
radio slots through the local radio station,
Hallam FM, to run two FRANK campaigns.
The first campaign presented the point
of view of a young person who is getting
fed up with a friend regularly overdoing
booze or cannabis. The 30-second slots
were voiced by young actors and focused
on the negative social effects of cannabis
or binge drinking: embarrassing friends
by being sick, not playing football with
friends any more, getting over-emotional
and upset and needing looking after.
The tone was of a concerned peer
telling a young person how their
behaviour was looking to other people.
The second campaign was run in
conjunction with the other South Yorkshire
DAATs, and covered a range of different
themes mainly aimed at parents: one
highlighting the fact that although they
might worry about their children using
drugs, alcohol use could be equally,
if not more, dangerous. Another
highlighted the issue of buying alcohol
for under-18s, while another encouraged
parents to talk to their children about
drugs and drug issues. The tone was
relatively light-hearted.
The ads for both campaigns were aired
over a 6-week period, with slots timed
to hit young people and parents for the
different themes (drivetime for parents,
post-7pm for young people.) They
were heard by over 100,000 young
people across South Yorkshire, and
half a million adults.
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To coincide with the second campaign,
a series of news items were developed
with assistance from local coordinators,
doing street-based ‘talking heads’
interviews where young people talked
about the most annoying thing a friend
had done whilst drunk. Young women
laughed about the idea that young lads
seem to believe that heavy drinking
makes them sexy, when in reality they
can look like idiots.
All the slots featured a call to action to
contact the FRANK number or website
for further information or to find out
where to get help.
NORTH WEST
In Manchester, Positive Futures have
helped to promote FRANK in addition
to the street marketing campaigns.
Their sports development programme
uses FRANK-branded sports kits,
including jerseys, footballs, basketballs
and water bottles, as well as branded
display banners. They also distribute
FRANK information packs to the young
people who train with them, and to the
young people who just come along
to their events.
The Youth Offending Team gives FRANK
packs to all the young people on their
caseload. Along with information on drugs
and alcohol, the packs include details
of talktofrank.com, the helpline number,
and Cannabis literature.
The local YP drug and alcohol service,
Eclypse, worked on an information
campaign for FE college students
at MANCAT college. The FRANK logo,
helpline number and web address
featured on all materials.
NORTH EAST
A FRANK promotional music event was
held in December 2004 in the Backworth
Miners Welfare Hall. Some 50 young
people, aged from 10-17 years, came
from different estates, bringing their own
records. DJing equipment was provided
so that they could use their DJ skills to
mix tracks. A non-alcoholic cocktail bar
was run by staff from North East Council
on Addictions, who also brought along
a display made up of information on
a range of services. A Sexual Health
Development worker also attended, with
a display and reference material on a
range of services and advice options
for young people. FRANK leaflets and
helpline information were also distributed.
This popular event brought together
young people from across the ward who
would not normally socialise with each
other due to strong territorial boundaries.
The event was a fun way to raise
awareness of the FRANK campaign
and other relevant services available to
young people in relation to a number of
issues faced by them in their daily lives.
Positive Futures – ‘Teenage Kicks’ football project
FRANK COMES TO TOWN
In October 2005 four FRANK drug action
team areas piloted street marketing
directly to VYP. Each area engaged a
group of young people to act as peer
educators promoting the FRANK drugs
information website and helpline to VYP
aged 11-18 years by approaching them
on the street in selected public areas.
Knowsley, Liverpool, Thurrock and Essex
were asked by the Home Office to
support a refocus on FRANK targeting
VYP. These four areas were the first of the
30 high-focus areas across the country
to carry out this work as part of a wider
national campaign.
FRANK Positive Futures Partnership
interactions handing out FRANK
information and instant win dog tags.
Due to the hard work and important
contribution made to the campaign
each young person who volunteered to
work as part of their Street Team, received
a reference from the Home Office.
Ian Whiteside, Substance Misuse Officer
from Knowsley Youth and Play Service,
who worked closely with the young
people in Knowsley, commented
‘all in all this has been a real success
an d has shown us another way of
communicating with young people,
through peer education, the risks
associated with drug use’.
The young people involved in this work
spent half-term school holidays on the
streets of their local area, supervised
by local drug professionals and youth
workers, reaching several thousand
young people directly in peer-to-peer
FRANK branded bus in
Nottingham city centre
Radio is used to engage
with our core 11-18 year old
audience at drug taking
moments. Throughout 20042006 we have maintained a
frequent presence on radio
with activity reaching around
2.9m 11-18s in England
throughout a weekend.
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campaign evaluation
FRANK has four key aims:
1. To ensure that young
people understand the
risks and dangers of drugs
and their use.
2. To help young people
know where to go for
advice or help.
3. To give parents the
confidence and knowledge
to talk to their children
about drugs.
4. To support professionals
who work with young
people, especially
vulnerable groups.
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HIGHLIGHTS
> All the performance targets for
‘awareness of FRANK’ have now
been exceeded among young
people and parents.
> The campaign is still present in
people’s minds and is showing no
signs of natural erosion.
> A balance between engaging young
people while remaining acceptable
to parents appears to have been
achieved, though it is possible that
some young people may have been
distanced by the more negative tone
adopted by TV and radio advertising
in 2005-2006.
> Young people still have a strong
affinity with FRANK and it still appears
to be relevant to them.
> Parents feel very positively about
FRANK, which is impressive given
that the campaign is youth-focused.
Stronger messages appear to have
encouraged parental trust in
the service.
How FRANK’s performance
is measured
To demonstrate how FRANK is achieving
the campaign aims and, in turn,
contributing to the government’s drug
PSA targets, performance in key areas
is measured against a series of ‘key
performance indicators’ (KPIs). These
and their accompanying targets, are
shown in the following charts. They
are measured through a nationally
representative tracking survey of young
people and parents, a stakeholder
satisfaction survey, and data collected
from the helpline and website.
Progress against KPI targets, 2004-2006
KPI 1 AWARENESS OF FRANK
parents show spontaneous awareness
of FRANK helpline.
68% of young people and 49%
of parents are aware of FRANK
when prompted.
parents show spontaneous awareness
of FRANK website.
68%
59%
50%
49%
39%
33%
30%
28% 28%
23%
16%
15%
10% 10%
10%
10%
5%
Young people
Key:
Target
March 2004
March 2006
Parents
Young people
Parents
Young people
3%
Parents
Comment:
These are the highest ever awareness
levels recorded for FRANK. All targets
were met by 2006 and performance
continues to improve.
campaign evaluation
CONTINUED
KPI 2 AFFINITY TO FRANK
32% of young people endorse the
line really understand what it’s
like to be a young person today’.
parents agree with the statement:
‘The people who work there really
know what they are talking about’.
KPI 3 LIKELIHOOD TO CONTACT
FRANK IF NEEDED
parents agree they are ‘very likely to
call FRANK in the future if have queries’.
31% of parents agree with the
line really understand what it’s like to be
a parent of a young person today’.
63%
51%
48%
47%
44%
43%
40%
36%
35%
32%
30%
31% 31%
29%
27%
30%
25%
17%
Young people
Parents
Key:
Target
March 2004
March 2006
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Young people
Parents
Comment:
Generally going in the right direction,
but it is disappointing to have lost
ground with young people on this target.
This may be due in part to the more
explicitly negative messages about
drugs that FRANK is now carrying,
which at the same time has produced
an increase in parental support.
Young people
Parents
Comment:
Exceeded the target for young people,
almost on target for parents.
KPI 4 STAKEHOLDERS USING AND
RECOMMENDING FRANK
2,420 stakeholders (i.e. people involved
in delivering local services) registered
with drugs.gov.uk are also using FRANK.
192,737 hits on treatment pages
of talktofrank.com
Target
March 2004
Target
3,000
September 2004
March 2006
72,000
78,714
192,737
2,517
March 2006
KPI 6 PEOPLE USING FRANK HELPLINE
AND WEBSITE, AS AN INDICATOR OF
FRANK’S SUCCESS IN PROVIDING
INFORMATION AND ADVICE TO PREVENT
SUBSTANCE MISUSE
9,909 interactive* calls from young
people and 5,246 from parents to
helpline in 6-month period.
15,000
2,420
* Data from Sept 04, as Mar 04 not available
Comment:
Held steady, but target not met. This
appears to be largely due to the new
drugs.gov.uk website which required
stakeholders to re-register, and some
did not.
Comment:
Website hits target exceeded. Referrals
target not met, but we believe the
quality of referrals has improved since
launch (compared with those from the
National Drugs Helpline, on which the
target is based) meaning helpline
advisors are giving out fewer referrals
per caller.
9,909
9,120
5,246
KPI 5 REFERRALS TO LOCAL
TREATMENT SERVICES
10,893 referrals from FRANK to local
treatment services (in 6-month period).
3,000
1,848
Young people
Target
March 2004
March 2006
18,000
10,440
10,893
Parents
Key:
Target
March 2004
March 2006
* Interactive = fully interactive calls are where
a complete conversation is made with the caller
which ended with a positive outcome (calls that
are not fully interactive include hoax, silent calls,
wrong numbers, and if callers hang up early,
etc). The number of fully interactive calls against
total answered calls is comparable with that of
other government helplines, and reflects the fact
that many young people test the line or hang up
before plucking up the courage to speak.
campaign evaluation
CONTINUED
Visits to the website (in 6-month period)
Target
900,000
March 2004
March 2006
1,397,292
3,556,543
LOOKING AHEAD
In April 2006 a range of new KPIs were
introduced so that, going forward,
FRANK is also measured against how
it is succeeding in changing attitudes
linked to risk behaviour. These KPI’s fall
into the following categories:
Emails to FRANK (in 6-month period)
Target
March 2004
March 2006
> Perceptions of the risk of drugs – so
that more people perceive drugs
as a significant risk
16,590
15,510
16,971
Comment:
Hits and emails have far exceeded
targets. Parent calls to the helpline have
exceeded the target. Young people
calling the helpline has moved in the
right direction.
Note: Where possible the National Drugs
Helpline (NDH) was used as a ‘baseline’ or ‘pre’
measurement, and the targets were often set
to match or exceed this.
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people feel comfortable saying
‘no’ to drugs if they want to.
There is a further KPI based around
who can benefit from treatment:
> Perceptions of drug treatment –
to widen the perception of who
can benefit.
Progress against these targets will
be reported on in future reviews.
campaign evaluation
‘Inquisitive Kid’ TV advert
advertising
The new range of television,
radio and online adverts
introduced in 2005-2006 were
very successful, achieving
a high impact particularly
in relation to the relatively
modest cost of the
campaign. The television
advert ‘Inquisitive Kid’ and
the radio ad ‘Ganj Mate’
were among the most highly
recognised FRANK campaign
adverts since launch. Among
younger audiences and
recent cannabis users, the
most effective channels
were television and
online advertising.
> The ‘Inquisitive Kid’ TV ad was
recognised by 60% of young people.
This is the second highest recognition
rating in the history of the FRANK
campaign (the first was ‘Talk About
Drugs’, produced for the FRANK
launch in 2003).
Because FRANK is seen as an
approachable, reliable source of
useful information, a key strength of the
campaign is that it encourages open
and honest communication on drugrelated matters, as well as offering help
to those who need it. Some approaches
have been more successful than others
in maintaining this credibility among the
target audience. Humour needs to be
used with care if it is to effectively engage
audiences with the FRANK messages. The
language employed is also important:
although the use of youthful vocabulary
can help to portray scenarios plausibly,
drug-using jargon should be avoided
in order to ensure that the meaning is
accessible to everyone.
> On radio, ‘Ganj Mate’ achieved
greatest recognition, with 24%
of young people spontaneously
recognising this ad.
Successful messages
Some of the most well-received basic
messages from the FRANK campaign
have been:
> There are indications that the
advertising is having an impact on
how young people perceive the risks
of using drugs. Those who recognised
a FRANK ad believed drugs were
‘riskier’ than those that didn’t.
> It’s OK to talk about drugs
> The latest round of advertising has
been less humorous and has had
stronger negative messages about
drug use. This has been successful
at communicating messages about
the risk of drugs, but may have
contributed to a slightly negative
impact on overall affinity and trust
among young people towards the
FRANK brand.
> Drugs can get in the way of
leading a normal, productive life
HIGHLIGHTS
> The 2006 campaign of radio,
television and online advertising
achieved good levels of awareness
and was more cost-effective than
other information campaigns running
during the period.
> 76% of young people recognised
any FRANK advert, as did 51%
of parents.
> Class A drugs have
unpredictable effects
> There may be unpleasant
side effects
> Drugs interfere with friendships
> Find a way to say ‘no’ that feels
right for you
> If you want to know more,
contact FRANK.
> Despite this, the key target group of
vulnerable young people are more
likely to agree with the statements:
‘they know what they are talking
about’ and ‘I trust them to give me
the facts’.
campaign evaluation
WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE SAID ABOUT
FRANK ADVERTISING
We asked young people how they
responded to the adverts. Their replies
are summarised in the chart on the right.
Overall, they feel that FRANK advertising is
credible. The figures also show that the key
messages ‘talk to FRANK’ and ‘drugs are
risky’ have been communicated strongly.
‘These ads made me…’
...feel that FRANK is someone I could talk to
...believe what this advertising
was saying
...realise drugs are more
risky than first thought
We asked young people to rate
statements about drug-users on a scale
of 1-10, where 1 represented favourable
statements, and 10 represented
negative statements.
...want to find out
more about the risks 17%
Unfavourable
Someone
not like me
...feel it was OK to be
unsure about drugs
33%
25%
> 20% said that it tells you not to
take drugs.
...feel differently about
people who take drugs 18%
...feel no different
about drugs
8.97
8.44
8.66
8.18
Very
untrustworthy
8
7.62
7.47
Very boring
7.34
Follows
the crowd
7.18
7.27
9.18
8.62
Key:
11-14 years
seen any FRANK ad (262)
11-14 years
no FRANK ads seen (125)
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> 26% said that it tells you the dangers
of drugs
> 25% said that it encourages you
to talk to FRANK
19%
The ‘Game Show’ TV advert had less
impact but was notable for successfully
dispelling some of the aspirational
perceptions around drug use:
17%
> 30% said that it tells you not to
take drugs
> 22% said that it encourages you
to talk to FRANK
Favourable
Very stupid
Very
unpopular
34%
...think more about the effects
of taking drugs
Perception of drug users
by 11-14 year olds
The campaign has had a particular
impact on how young people perceive
drug users. Indicative results show that
those who have seen any FRANK advert
have more negative perceptions about
drug users than those who have not,
as shown in the chart below.
40%
TV advertising
Among the TV adverts, ‘Inquisitive Kid’
was the more widely recognised
and remembered. Young people’s
unprompted impressions of this advert
show that key messages around the
risks and side effects of using drugs
are coming through strongly:
> 15% said that it shows that it is not
cool to take drugs.
Someone
like me
Impact of television advertising
As a result of the TV advertising:
Very clever
> 18% of young people claimed to
have talked to friends about drugs
while 26% of parents said they
talked to their child about drugs
Very
trustworthy
Very fun
Do their
own thing
Very
popular
> 5% of young people and 10% of
parents claimed to have looked
at the FRANK website, and 2% of
young people and 1% of parents
phoned the helpline. This is a
high response rate, particularly as
FRANK is not pitched as a direct
response campaign.
Drugs cocktail advert
Radio ads
The radio adverts, in particular ‘Ganj
Mate’, made a strong impact in
relation to communicating the risks
and unpredictability of drugs and in
signposting young people and parents
to FRANK for further information and
advice. Young people’s unprompted
impressions of the radio adverts show
the following messages being taken
on board:
> 35% say that they tell you not to
take drugs
> 29% say that they encourage you
to talk to FRANK
> 22% say that they inform you about
the dangers of drugs
> 20% say that they tell you there
is someone you can talk to
> 4% say that they tell you that it’s
not cool to take drugs.
Online advertising
The impact of online advertising is
measured in terms of ‘click-through
rate’ (CTR)* and ‘interaction rate’. The
average CTR for FRANK advertisements
was above the industry average
(0.08%), at 0.25%, rising to 0.4% for the
expandable banner adverts and 0.6%
for the interactive ‘Drug and Drop’ and
‘Grabber Game’ adverts. The average
interaction rate for FRANK advertisements
is 18.5%. This shows that these larger
formats which encourage interaction are
attracting more attention from website
visitors, and that young people are
engaging with FRANK.
Grabber game
What the TV ads said to me…
“That you look daft and stupid if you take drugs”
15 year old, Manchester
“You can phone and ask FRANK any time you want”
11 year old, Southampton
“Being inquisitive makes you want to talk to
FRANK. The grotty toilet and girl looking rough
portray a negative image of drugs”
20 year old, Fareham
“FRANK can help you deal with your friends, tell
you about drugs to help you decide what to do”
20 year old, Accrington
“Drugs are bad for you”
11 year old, Bristol
“Find out the implications of taking drugs. The
government has provided support to parents whose
children take drugs by telling them to phone.”
Mother of 14 year old, Camberley
“Children don’t know what they are taking and the
harm it does them. They can ring FRANK to ask for
help and advice.”
Father of 17 year old, Hemel Hempstead
Once people have clicked through
to talktofrank.com they are reading
an average of 5.5 pages on the site,
with a high proportion also viewing the
A to Z Drugs pages.
*CTR is the percentage of visitors to a web page
who click on a FRANK advert to go through to
talktofrank.com to find out more. ‘Interaction rate’
refers to the number of times a user interacts with
the features within an advert.
campaign evaluation
Click through rates for web advertising
(see previous page)
0.6%
0.6%
0.4%
Recognition for new advertising
creative in 2005-2006 compared
very favourably to other
government campaigns
For example, for TV, other government
campaigns average 66% recognition
on a spend of £1.5m, whereas FRANK’s
TV advertising for 2005-2006 got 69%
recognition on a spend of only £1.32m.
Recognition Scale (%)
0.25%
OGC*
Radio
32.5%
FRANK
Radio
39%
£0.4m
Radio
0.08%
£0.5m
66%
OGC* TV
Key:
Industry average Click Through Rate (CTR)
£1.5m
TV
69%
FRANK
TV
£1.3m
OGC* Any
Ad (TV)
£2.5m
FRANK average CTR
FRANK expandable banner ads
FRANK Drug ‘n’ Drop ads
FRANK Grabber game advert
Advertising spend
These high levels of advertising
recognition were achieved with a
relatively low budget (see chart on the
right), showing that FRANK’s advertising
is proving cost-effective compared with
other government campaigns tracked
through COI Communications. During
2004-2005, existing creative materials
were used which meant that the budget
of £700,000 was targeted on buying
media space and airtime. For the
2005-2006 campaign the budget
increased to £2.2 million, which also
funded the development of the new
radio, television and online advertisements.
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72%
Any
FRANK
Any Ad
76%
£2.2m
Advertising Spend (£) Millions
Key:
Recognition (%)
Advertising Spend (£ Millions)
*Other government campaigns
campaign evaluation
media sponsorship
KISS: PIRATE SOUNDCLASH
Interest generated by the competition
and marketing resulted in over 125,000
banners viewed and 20,147 page
impressions to the Pirate Soundclash
microsite (sponsored by FRANK). On
average, almost one third (31.7%) of
the target audience of 11-18 year olds
heard the FRANK Pirate Soundclash
12.4 times – higher than the anticipated
average of 25.3% hearing it 7.8 times.
GALAXY: DIGITAL STATE
There were 7,067 page impressions to
the microsite, with 504 click-throughs
to talktofrank.com (a CTR of 7.1%, which
represents almost twice the number of
click-throughs normally associated with
a Galaxy promotion). On average, 68.3%
of the target audience of 11-18 year
olds heard the FRANK Pirate Soundclash
9.59 times, versus predicted figures of
62.52% hearing it 7.9 times.
Four weeks of activity were planned,
but 9 weeks were actually delivered,
resulting in 101% over-delivery against
the projected target audience. The high
impact of the competition is reflected
by the 7,042 text votes received on the
final night.
The competition gave FRANK an
opportunity to get out and about (with
a purpose) in at-risk areas, and engaged
young people in interaction through
email, sms and on-air activities.
KISS Pirate soundclash
Galaxy digital state
campaign evaluation
PR
Between February 2004
and March 2006, nearly
1,300 articles about FRANK
appeared in national and
local media. Over 99% of
these were slightly or strongly
favourable, reflecting the
largely factual nature of most
coverage. The message most
commonly conveyed in this
coverage was ‘for more
information or advice about
drugs, contact FRANK’.
2004-2005
> 670 articles about FRANK appeared
in the media over the course of
the year.
> Readership was fairly evenly spread
across all socio-economic groups.
The coverage also reached a large
proportion of people from minority
ethnic backgrounds.
> 11-15 year old boys had the highest
number of opportunities to see FRANK
coverage. FRANK appeared in more
than half the key publications for
this group, as well as in national press
coverage, coverage on Radio One
and Capital Radio, and mentions
in numerous problem pages.
> The number of opportunities to see
FRANK coverage was not as high for
11-15 year old girls, but it was still
strong, helped by numerous pieces
in Bliss and Sneak.
> There was a strong correlation
between the number of press articles
appearing in December 2003 and
the increase in calls to the helpline
the following month. This trend was
also evident in August 2004, following
extensive coverage of the ‘Teen
Tribes survey’.
Reach of FRANK PR messages
in England
2004-2005
2005-2006
All Adults
59%
66%
Boys 16-18
54%
55%
Girls 16-18
55%
70%
Parents of 11+
59%
69%
Source: Metrica
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2005-2006
> During this period FRANK was
mentioned in more than 600 articles
across a range of publications, which
provided 275 million opportunities to
see FRANK coverage.
> The proportion of UK adults reached
by the coverage was higher than in
the previous year, at 66%. Figures
were even higher for people from
minority ethnic backgrounds (69%)
and girls aged 16-18, demonstrating
effective targeting of these groups.
> Figures for Opportunity To See (OTS)
messages about the campaign were
particularly high for the ‘parents of
children aged 11+’, ‘female C2DE’,
and ‘male C2DE’ audiences,
indicating that coverage was well
targeted to these groups.
> Socio-economic group D saw FRANK
coverage more often than any other
socio-economic group over the
period (5.3 times).
> A large majority (more than 80%)
of the articles analysed made the
connection between FRANK and
drugs advice, which would have
raised awareness and understanding
of the brand.
> 11-15 year old girls had the highest
number of opportunities to see FRANK
coverage, helped by national press
coverage, radio news coverage and
items in Bliss, Sneak, Cosmo Girl,
Sugar and Mizz.
> The volume of press coverage had a
relatively strong correlation with the
pattern of calls to the FRANK helpline.
> Overall, coverage was evenly
spread between parent and
young people audiences.
campaign evaluation
2004-2005
BT Internet kiosks
The kiosks resulted in a significant
increase in page impressions on
talktofrank.com and phone calls to the
FRANK helpline. As might be expected
from the school summer holiday period,
a peak was reached in August 2005
with a total of 21,838 impressions on
talktofrank.com, representing a duration
of 26,639 minutes spent surfing the site.
Encouragingly, statistics showed that
users would visit the home page and
then click through to other areas of the
site. There was a corresponding increase
in the number of calls (169 in total)
made to the FRANK helpline in August.
2005-2006
habbohotel.co.uk
A satisfaction survey undertaken live
on the UK Habbo home page in
December 2005 captured a total of
4,089 responses, and revealed that
20% of Habbos who had taken part in
a session had been to more than four.
In response to the question, ‘How good
have the sessions been?’, half of the
Habbos (49.1%) ranked FRANK sessions
as the best on the site.
In total the campaign delivered
approximately £1.3 million of in-kind
support, giving a Return On Investment
of 7:1.
There were also some interesting answers
to the question, ‘Which drug session did
you enjoy the most?’, with some of the
additional comments reflecting the
following perceptions:
> Drug abuse can ruin lives
> Being better informed makes it
possible to give good advice to
protect friends
> Being better informed means
choosing not to take drugs for
health reasons, rather than just
obeying parents
> The potential risks of drugs, including
those such as cannabis that are
socially well tolerated, are now
better understood
habbohotel.co.uk
This proved extremely popular, with a
queue for the bus every session. The
helpline reported additional calls and
emails from young people who were
now aware of FRANK through Habbo.
Many of the emails received from
Habbos asked for more sessions, as
they were often disappointed not to
have been able to get on the bus.
A FRANK ‘console’ message was sent to
1,336,600 young people over a 1month
period, resulting in a 10% click-through
rate to talktofrank.com
habbohotel.co.uk
> The risks of mixing drugs are
better understood
> Advice on dealing with peer pressure
to take drugs is appreciated
> Advice on quitting drug habits
is appreciated.
Worst
Best
1 = 4.5%
185
2 = 1.8%
72
3 = 10.2%
417
4 = 34.4%
1,406
5 = 49.1
2,009
Over the 6-month period from October
2005 to March 2006, the FRANK helpline
reported approx 555 additional calls
from young people who were now
aware of FRANK through Habbo.
campaign evaluation
CONTINUED
JazzyMedia
Research conducted by JazzyMedia
across a sample of seven secondary
schools involved in the campaign
showed that:
> The posters resulted in an increase
of 28% in spontaneous awareness
of FRANK
> 80% of students recalled seeing
the posters
> 89% of students who recalled seeing
the poster could accurately report
what the artwork was about
> School panel posters were ranked
highest after TV in media attribution
and considerably higher than press
> 14% of students reported that they
had told their friend or family
member about the posters.
Qualitative research to assess the
success of the campaign in sixth-form
colleges showed that, in the seven
colleges sampled:
> Spontaneous awareness of FRANK
increased by 19%
> 92% of students recalled seeing
the posters
> 92% of students who recalled seeing
a poster could accurately report
what the artwork was about
> College panel posters were ranked
highest after TV in media attribution
and considerably higher than press
> 16% of students visited the FRANK
website after seeing the posters
> 7% of students called the FRANK
helpline after seeing the posters
> 25% of students reported that they
had told a friend or family member
about the posters.
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Dubplate Drama
Site statistics show a high volume of
visitors, with total of almost 2.5 million
hits in 2005 alone. Each visitor to the
Dubplate Drama site would have seen
the FRANK logo on the homepage,
and 158 visitors clicked through to
talktofrank.com.
The FRANK logo and link were also
featured on C4 Music for six weeks, as
well as being on the C4 homepage
as part of the Dubplate editorial.
Traffic from the C4 pages resulted in
1,072 visitors to talktofrank.com over
the duration of the series.
Addictive Interactive
AI has generated a high volume of
visitors to the FRANK profile, as well
as photo ratings of FRANK. Guest
book entries to FRANK included
the comments:
> Good advice frank! Good to see
sound advice being given out
> Frank you’re a legend…thanks for all
the support you’ve given everyone
across the land…
> Frank ur a top guy! We wouldn’t be
without you
> I think this is a gud idea …4 ppl
who need 2 talk 2 sum1xx
> this is a good idea and more
websites should do it!
> This is a very helpful way 2 talk bout
drug and alcohol misuse
> FRANK IS GREAT!
Like the 2004-2005 period, in total
the campaign delivered around £1.3
million in kind support, giving a return
on investment of 6:1.
campaign evaluation
talktofrank.com
The number of visitors to
talktofrank.com has increased
steadily since launch. Levels of
trust in the site have also risen,
with young people saying that
they trust it more than they
would information from their
friends, father or school
teacher. The close correlation
between PR activity and hits to
the site demonstrate the role
the site plays as a cornerstone
of the campaign, which can
be signposted whenever more
in-depth information or direct
contact with FRANK is required.
> In the 12 months from May 2005 to
April 2006 there were more page
hits at talktofrank.com than ever
before: 5,700,000 page hits, up
from 3,700,000 the previous year
> these were made by more than
2 million ‘unique’ visitors (i.e. visits
from unique computer terminals)
Source of advice
> 64% of site users were repeat visitors
> there were 314,000 visits to the
treatment pages, compared with
192,000 the previous year.
5,620,710
Visits to talktofrank.com
6
100%
31
FRANK
telephone line
30
Drugs advice
centre
26
talktofrank.com
22
School teacher
22
Friends
20
Father
16
70%
1,188,375
2,017,640
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
1
0
April 2004-2005
March 2005-2006
Repeat visit rate (%)
64.3%
66.3%
3,582,661
Visits (Millions)
Mother
80%
3
2
% of young people
trusting this source
90%
5
4
Though not rated as highly as the FRANK
telephone line, talktofrank.com is seen
as one of the most trusted sources of
information by young people, even over
friends and some family members. This
rating has increased from 16% at the
start of the period.
Key:
10%
Total visits
0%
Unique visits
Repeat visit rate %
campaign evaluation
talktofrank.com
CONTINUED
Parents still tend to trust local services
rather than phone or internet services;
however, it is notable that levels of
trust in talktofrank.com have also risen
among parents since the start of the
period, from 8% to 15%.
Source of advice
% of parents
trusting this source
Drugs advice
centre
52
Drugs action
team
31
FRANK
telephone line
22
Leaflets/
booklets
16
talktofrank.com
15
Local advice
centre
15
Child’s
school/college
13
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frank@talktofrank.com
Over the 12 months from May 2005
to April 2006, FRANK received and
answered more emails than ever before:
32,000 (up from 26,000 the previous
year). The vast majority of these were
received via talktofrank.com
Stakeholders have also responded
positively to talktofrank.com Of those
who expressed an opinion:
> 100% said the site was either very
or fairly easy to use
> 55% said the information was very
good quality and 42% said it was fairly
good. The remaining small minority
felt that some of the information was
inaccurate or simplistic
> 43% said the site had a strong visual
impact, while 46% said it was fairly
good and the remainder felt it was
either unexciting or not targeted
sufficiently at young people.
campaign evaluation
helpline
The number of calls to the
FRANK helpline increased to
their highest ever levels during
the period under review. The
most common queries were
about cannabis, cocaine,
heroin and ecstasy, and caller
satisfaction with the responses
they received was very high.
> In the 12 months to April 2006, the
FRANK helpline received more calls
than ever before
> over 500,00 calls were made –
about 1,350 a day – up by 41,000
on 2004-2005
> Of these 435,000 were answered,
an increase of 48,000 on 2004-2005
CALLER QUERIES
The main topics that people enquire
about are cannabis, heroin, cocaine
and ecstasy. Consistently, cannabis
queries are the most common. Cocaine
overtook heroin as the second most
common topic in the summer of 2004.
When the service launched in May 2003,
ecstasy was one of the major topics, but
it has seen a steady decline in terms of
percentage of total calls.
CALLER PROFILE*
Age of callers
Under 16
10%
16-25
26%
26-35
27%
36-45
21%
46-55
11%
56-65
4%
66-75
1%
435,082
Gender of callers
71,853
74,207
89,332
271,311
387,288
387,031
458,820
500,797
> 71,853 were considered ‘fully
interactive’ (compared to 74,000
the previous year), which is about
190 calls a day.
Fully interactive calls are where a
complete conversation is made
with the caller. Calls that are not fully
interactive include hoax calls, silent
calls, wrong numbers or hanging
up early. The proportion of fully
interactive calls is comparable
with other government helplines
addressing potentially sensitive subjects
(for example the Adult Sexual Health
line). Many ‘non-interactive’ calls are
likely to be young people testing the
line or hanging up before plucking
up enough courage to speak with
the operator.
Key:
Demand
Answered
April 03/04
April 04/05
April 05/06
Interactive
Male
49%
Female
51%
* Figures based on fully interactive calls
campaign evaluation
helpline CONTINUED
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
A survey of callers to the FRANK helpline
showed that callers are overwhelmingly
positive, rating both the advisors and the
service very highly:
> 53% rated the service as excellent
and a further 35% rated the service
as very good
> I felt able to ask all the questions
I wanted to 9.27
> They were clear about their
advice 9.26
> I had plenty of time to talk 9.18
> They know what they’re talking
about 9.14
> Less than 1% rated the service
as poor
> They understood what I wanted
from them 9.02
> 69% thought the service was good
because it offered good advice
and information
> They were able to answer all
of my questions 9.01
> 33% thought the service was good
because the advisors were helpful
> 79% were very likely to call FRANK
again and a further 9% were
quite likely
> 81% were very likely to recommend
FRANK to friends and family, and a
further 10% were quite likely
> Of those who were referred to
treatment or services, 79% said they
were very likely to contact them,
and a further 8% said they were
quite likely.
People were asked to rate on a scale of
1 to 10 some key features of the FRANK
helpline. This showed a very strong
approval rating of the following:
> They listened to what I said 9.36
> I felt comfortable talking to
them 9.33
> They were very helpful to me 9.29
> I believe everything they told
me 9.29
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> The service is for people like
me 8.77.
WHAT CALLERS SAID
‘It has been fantastic. She [the advisor]
was very sympathetic, knew what
they’re talking about. She was fantastic
at her job.’
‘Straight forward and easy to use.
Answered questions and agreed to
send me information straight away.’
‘Because I had all of my questions
answered and also he gave me a
course of action to take. I’ve not used
this service before so the answers I got
were quite efficient.’
‘Just the way the advisor made it
personal. Felt like she was interested in
my problems. Got exact information.’
‘Good sound advice with a friendly
person on the phone.’
‘It sounded like somebody knew what
they were talking about and weren’t
judging or preaching at all.’
TRUST IN FRANK
Since the start of 2004 there has been
a drop in the level of trust that young
people have in the information provided
by the FRANK helpline. This probably
reflects the more overtly negative
messages around drug misuse that are
a feature of the whole campaign, as it
may be alienating some young people.
However, despite this, there has been a
significant increase in likelihood to call
and FRANK is still seen as one of the
most trusted sources of information,
even over friends and some family
members. (See table, page 65)
There has also been a reduction in levels
of awareness about some key features
of the service; for example, at the end
of March 2006 (compared with 20042005) fewer people were aware that:
> Calls are totally confidential
(62% vs 82%)
> It is open 24 hours a day
(49% vs 72%)
> Calls are free from a landline
(45% vs 55%)
> Calls can be answered in lots of
different languages (17% vs 22%).
Stakeholder perceptions of
the helpline
In a survey of FRANK stakeholders from
local services, impressions of the helpline
were mostly positive. 22% had used the
helpline and, of those who had an
impression of the quality of information
provided, 78% thought it was ‘fairly’ or
‘very’ good and 82% rated the referral
service as ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ good.
campaign evaluation
stakeholder support
Local stakeholders are, in
general, very satisfied with the
quality of support they receive
from the FRANK team. Nearly
half are incorporating FRANK
in their local campaigns, and
the vast majority rate such
activities a success.
In March 2006 a tracking study was
carried out with 200 stakeholders to
assess the extent of customer satisfaction
with FRANK, in particular support for
stakeholders. The responses were
overwhelmingly positive, exceeding
the previous and already high levels
of satisfaction.
SUMMARY OF STAKEHOLDER VIEWS
1) To what extent are FRANK resources
meeting your needs?
> 93% of stakeholders were satisfied
with FRANK’s service
> Only 3% were very dissatisfied.
The main reasons stakeholders cite for
their satisfaction with the service are:
> Comprehensive support for
professionals and clients
> Reliable and up-to-date information
> Accessible and user-friendly
resources
> Constantly improving service.
Only a small minority voiced
complaints about:
> Resources that aren’t colourful
> Problems over the supply of resources
> The lack of personal contact with
the FRANK team.
Nearly half (44%) of stakeholders are
incorporating FRANK in their local
activities and of these, 84% are rating
this activity a success. Activities are wideranging and diverse, from sponsorship
of a girls’ football team to work with
young offenders and information days
at schools. Of those who had not used
FRANK in their day-to-day work, most
had no scope for doing so.
Very successfully
16%
Fairly successfully
47%
Not very successfully*
7%
Not at all successfully
5%
No specific ‘needs’
for FRANK resources
25%
* Majority complained that they are no longer
receiving FRANK resources or updates.
2) How can FRANK improve levels
of customer service?
89%
84%
73%
Key:
Oct 2003
July 2004
Feb 2006
No need for any
improvement
campaign evaluation
stakeholder support CONTINUED
What stakeholders said
“We know we can trust it if the
information comes through FRANK. We
don’t need to think twice or question it.”
3) How useful are the FRANK
Action Updates?
“Just really useful. Young people like
them and they are user-friendly for the
staff to understand.”
PR coverage for stakeholders
Stakeholders were one of the target
audiences for FRANK’s PR coverage over
the period. The table below shows how
a wide range of trade publications –
reaching audiences that include nondrugs specialists – carried key FRANK
messages during the period.
“There is so much information coming
out from FRANK which is well-targeted
and extremely brilliant.”
Publication
Very useful
Content
Date
www.drugscope.org.uk Research shows teenagers want
to resist drugs but need help on
how as they fight pressure from
friends to try drugs
October 2005
Children Now
Drugs service steps up work in
30 areas. Information in VYP
Action Update
October 2005
PR Week
FRANK targeting VYP with pilot
programme kicking off in
Liverpool, Thurrock and Essex
October 2005
Drink and Drugs News
FRANK refocuses on VYP
October 2005
Who Cares?
Mentioned on front cover with a
double page feature on drugs.
FRANK is focusing on VYP by
giving honest advice on the
streets throughout the country
Autumn 2005
UK Youth
Introduction of FRANK and focus
on 30 areas. Details how to get in
touch and getting hold of Action
Update resources
Winter 2005/6
Nursing Standard
How to engage young people
to talk about drugs. Link to VYP
Action Update
January 2006
40%
Fairly useful
53%
Not very useful
5%
Not at all useful
2%
4) What can FRANK do to improve the
quality of service?
Nothing mentioned
62%
More contact with FRANK team
20%
Easier ordering of resources
6%
Greater diversity of resources
4%
More advertising/publicity materials
4%
More transparency about FRANK ‘team’
2%
More colourful resources
2%
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campaign evaluation
campaign materials
Since the FRANK campaign
began, more than 7 million
leaflets, booklets and
other materials have been
distributed to young people,
parents and stakeholders. The
campaign’s brand flexibility
allows materials to be
customised at a local level.
This, along with stakeholder
initiatives and the use of
‘free’ media through PR and
partnership marketing, has
helped the campaign to
reach a wider audience.
MOST REQUESTED PUBLICATIONS
The charts below show which
publications and materials have been
most requested between the start of the
campaign and July 2006. It is important
to note that many of these publications
have only been produced in the last
year (for example the FRANK Action
Update on VYP), which makes their high
distribution figures more impressive.
1) FRANK Action Updates
We are family
29,800
FRANK at work
28,305
Vulnerable young
people
19,460
Youth trends and
tribes
11,883
2) Materials for young people
Drugs and the law
755,049
Talk about cannabis
415,434
FRANK with your
mates – ‘credit card’
info leaflet
372,592
FRANK for young
people
279,949
Drugs abroad
245,303
3) FRANK for parents
826,234 copies of this leaflet have been
distributed since the start of the campaign.
campaign evaluation
creative lessons learnt
Although they acknowledge
that this may not be a reliable
source, teenagers tend to rely
on each other for information
about drugs; whether they
use them, consider using them,
or have no intention of using
them. Dabblers do not respect
the views of rejectors because
they feel their point of view is
uninformed and unconsidered.
Contemplators and rejectors
do not respect the views of their
drug-using peers for the same
reason. Parents are universally
dismissed as a source of
advice and discussion, as
they are expected to have
only one point of view.
Within this context, the value of FRANK’s
unique position as a well-informed
‘friend’ is clear. While FRANK needs
to appeal to parents as well as their
children, the slightest hint of a ‘parental’
tone would soon alienate the teenage
audience. On the other hand, parents
need reassurance that FRANK will
discourage their children from drugtaking. This is clearly a delicate
balance to achieve.
On the other hand, the campaign’s
message is successfully reinforced by
humour that:
Humour is a way of appealing to
an audience, but the wrong approach
could undermine FRANK’s message
by appearing to reinforce the idea
that drug use is just a harmless bit of
fun. Examples of this are humour that:
> Makes fun of drug users rather than
making them seem amusing
> Could be misappropriated and
used out of context by the drugtaking community
> Uses drug jargon in a way that
excludes non-users
> Invites the audience to laugh about
drugs without having a clear point
to make.
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> Ends on a downbeat, thoughtprovoking note where drug use
is portrayed
> Shows understanding of what it’s like
to be a teenager or the parent of
a teenager, by using situations and
ideas that the audience will relate to
> Uses adult language, even when
addressing an immature audience
> Portrays situations and conversations
that are credible
> Uses a relaxed, informal style that
invites further contact
> Maintains a consistently open,
honest, direct approach that
reinforces the identity of FRANK.
Resisting peer pressure is an example
of a scenario that appeals to both
teenagers and adults. Parents consider
this a key factor in leading their children
astray, while teenagers can universally
relate to the experience of peer
pressure, whether related to drugs or not.
When teenagers pretend to their peers
that they have considerably more
experience of drugs than is really the
case, this may sometimes be so that
they can resist peer pressure to take
them, without losing face. FRANK
enables them to use this ploy
more convincingly.
‘Hugging’ TV advert
‘Laundrette’ TV advert
‘Worried’ TV advert
Clear, accessible language is important
in all FRANK communications. Apart from
the risk of baffling non-users, attempting
to ‘talk the same language’ as drug users
can be hazardous. Rather than sharing
a common vocabulary, drug use involves
a wide range of terms that will vary from
one community to another. It’s best to
keep language simple and direct rather
than attempting to use jargon – not least
because, as any parent knows, trying to
talk like a teenager and getting it wrong
can completely alienate the intended
audience! It is also worth noting that
over-use of the generic term ‘drugs’ to
describe all illicit substances may alienate
the more drug-aware, by implying
ignorance of the significant differences
in various drugs and their effects.
Messages that can successfully be
reinforced include:
The dangers of addiction to heroin and
crack are widely recognised, along
with the negative social and personal
consequences of habitual usage. These
are often referred to as ‘dirty’ or ‘ugly’
drugs within the community, and FRANK
can express the problems associated
with them in an unequivocal way.
However, this should be done without
demonising users, or FRANK will alienate
those who would most benefit from
helpful intervention.
> The effect of drugs is unpredictable
because of variables such as
substance purity and individual
response
> There are physical and social
repercussions that may increase
with long-term use.
Cannabis is often viewed as a relatively
harmless recreational drug – perhaps
because it is widely used, without
any percieved negative social
consequences other than general
lethargy and lack of motivation. While
teenagers don’t reject the idea that
cannabis use has the potential to
become problematic, moderate
use is regarded as relatively normal
– alcohol is viewed as having the
same potential for harm.
FRANK in 2006-2007
and beyond
Maintaining and building upon
previous achievements, the
aim for FRANK in 2006-2007 is
to build a deeper relationship
with young people by enabling
them to interact with the FRANK
brand (EXPERIENCE FRANK). This
will be achieved by developing
a range of communications
that are instant and interactive
including:
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
The EXPERIENCE FRANK campaign
has been set some new, additional
performance indicators for 2006-2007,
focused on changing attitudes that are
known to be linked to risk behaviour:
> Interactive TV ads and games
people can resist peer pressure and
feel comfortable saying ‘no’ to drugs.
> Themed interactive events through
street marketing teams
> A FRANK online presence in online
environments such as chatrooms
and websites frequented by young
people (music, gaming, lifestyle)
> Developing an interactive format
for FRANK online communication
(ads, games, viral marketing)
> Direct access to FRANK information
through new media channels such
as MSN and real-time text messaging
> Using FRANK ambient media to target
VYP in outdoor environments.
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> Perceptions of the risks of drugs
– so that more people perceive
drugs as a significant risk
The campaign has an additional KPI
based around treatment:
> Treatment – widening the perception
of who might benefit from treatment.
CHANNELS
Advertising
Radio and television will be used to
reach a broad target audience. These
routes have been successful in the past;
they are socially inclusive; reach young
people who may have literacy needs
and have a strong social currency.
Importantly, they also provide
opportunities to interact with FRANK.
Advertising across a range of media
will be an important vehicle for
communicating the health and
social effects of cannabis use.
There will be more use of direct response
and interactive media – for example
online advertising, interactive TV, MSN
messenger, chat rooms, emailing and
texting. This will enable FRANK to deliver
information and advice as well as
changing attitudes.
Media sponsorship
For a 9-month period FRANK will be
sponsoring Fresh 40. The Fresh 40
is a new top 40 chart show exclusively
aimed at a youth audience. The show
will be broadcast in England every
Sunday from 4-7pm, across regional
radio stations that have a particularly
high 11-18 year old listenership (Kiss,
Galaxy, Juice, Vibe). The charts, hosted
by the popular Dynamite MC, will
specifically reflect the musical tastes of
this audience, with the top 10 being
repeated on Thursdays at 11pm. The
show will be supported by a website
including features such as exclusive
downloads, a discussion forum, and
music news.
PR
PR activity with the consumer press will
focus on extending the ‘prevention’
messages to a youth audience by
providing more detailed content and
encouraging ‘conversation’ in trusted
media channels. It is planned also to be
a route for delivering messages around
the mental health risks (and other health
risks) associated with cannabis use.
It is intended to use PR to communicate
messages to parents around volatile
substance abuse and messages about
treatment to heavy users and parents.
This will be done in conjunction with the
National Treatment Agency.
FRANK’s PR initiatives will strongly
complement the other elements
of the campaign.
Partnership marketing will allow FRANK to
continue to reach young people using
alternative channels to traditional media.
Being associated with brands and
organisations that have strong youth
appeal continues to show that FRANK
‘hangs out with the right crowd’ and is a
useful strategy for reaching vulnerable
young people, alongside the
mainstream audience.
New plans for increasing visibility and
strengthening contact with young
people include partnerships with mobile
phone companies, sports organisations
and retailers, Internet download and
gaming sites, and fashion outlets.
talktofrank.com
To build a deeper relationship with young
people at risk of taking drugs, giving
them more reasons and opportunities
to contact FRANK on a regular basis,
talktofrank.com has been redeveloped
in keeping with the look and feel of the
latest literature that has been produced.
This creative refresh has made the site
more eye-catching, and new content
has been developed to help deliver the
EXPERIENCE FRANK strategy by engaging
young people interactively. Improved
navigation and more clearly presented
information ensures accessibility for all
user groups.
Helpline
Activity will focus on encouraging
interaction with FRANK through other
routes such as texting, and interactive
channels as appropriate.
The helpline will continue to provide
a high level of service, through the
development of the core scripts and
email responses to ensure tailored,
helpful information and advice.
Stakeholder support
Activity will focus on energising
stakeholders about FRANK. Particular
attention will be given to drug action
teams as well as attracting new
stakeholders to use FRANK. Activity
will demonstrate how easy it is for
organisations to use FRANK and increase
their confidence in communicating
information and advice about drugs,
particularly to VYP and their parents.
Stakeholder PR will be used to
encourage stakeholders to use and
recommend FRANK as a service and
as a brand for their communications.
This will include communication through
trade publications as well as direct
communications through events and
government information channels such
as drugs.gov.uk
The approach currently offered to the
30 high-focus areas will be extended to a
further 18 areas. This could include support
to deliver street marketing activities or
new events such as roadshows or local
partnership projects.
An important new area of stakeholder
activity will be support to secondary
schools, via resources for teachers and
pupils, which draw on the learning from
the government-funded Blueprint
education project.
FRANK in 2006-2007 and beyond
continued
Examples of new leaflets for 2006-2007
Campaign materials
FRANK will continue to increase the
availability and usefulness of resources for
young people, parents and stakeholders.
In 2006-2007 we are introducing a new
suite of literature for young people and
parents including general drug information
materials and a range of leaflets
specifically focussed on cannabis.
For vulnerable young people, (who have
very different experiences of and attitudes
to drugs), FRANK will be producing a
more tailored range of information to
support the development of life skills
and the promotion of self esteem.
There will also be a new range of
postcards designed to capture audience
attention, some of which feature wry
messages to illustrate the downside of
drug use, and others which are designed
to be used as part of a quiz or to
stimulate discussion around drugs.
On the Cards: Drug informationn cards
New action updates and a range of
other resources are likely to be produced
for stakeholders.
Mentoring programme
FRANK is working with key mentoring
organisations to develop materials
designed to help mentors talk about
drugs, deal with drug emergencies and
keep drug issues firmly on the agenda.
New range of FRANK postcards
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For further copies of this publication call
0870 241 4680 and quote product
code: 227389
© Crown Copyright 2006. The text in this
document may be reproduced free of
charge in any format or media without
requiring specific permission. This is subject
to the material not being used in a
derogatory manner or in a misleading
context. The source of the material must
be acknowledged as Crown Copyright
and the title of the document must be
included when being reproduced as
part of another publication or service.
Photography:
Photos of Caroline Flint and Vernon Coaker
©David Partner.
Dubplate Drama Series 1 (©Road Mullet
Ltd 2005) by Alex Sturrock.
ISBN 978-1-84726-140-3
0800 77 66 00
talktofrank.com

FRANK in action 2004-2006

Transcription

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