To reach the most troubled teens we used illegal drug distribution channel as a media channel.
Background
SITUATION:
Ukraine is overwhelmed with teenage drug use. It's never been easier to get drugs: everywhere on the walls of residential areas you can see drug dealers’ contacts on Telegram messenger: just send the money and find out where the drugs are hidden.
BRIEF:
Get troubled teens off the streets and into the sky.
OBJECTIVES:
Show them a different perspective in life. Bring youth to the Aerospace Center — a public education organization where they can become skydiving athletes or military and commercial pilots.
Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)
Every 4-th Kyiv teenager tries drugs. The walls of residential areas are densely covered with drug dealers' contacts. Teens get drugs through the drug dealers' accounts in the anonymous Telegram messenger: baggies with drugs are hidden in various places throughout the neighborhoods, buyer sends the money and receives the exact location and a photo of the place where to look for the drugs.
We knew that people quit drugs after they tried skydiving, even those who struggled to quit before, because nothing compares. And a famously friendly skydiving community helps drug addicts to break free of their toxic environment. So we decided to offer young drug addicts a new kind of substitution therapy - skydiving!
IDEA: use illegal drug distribution channel as a media channel.
Describe the strategy (20% of vote)
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Teenagers who use drugs.
MEDIA PLANNING:
To reach the audience who needs it the most, we used the drug distribution channel as medium: spray-painted our ads on top of drug dealers' contacts and offered teens to try a new and better "drug" via our @TryBlueSky Telegram account.
APPROACH:
Invite young people to try a better high. The highest high of their lives…
Describe the execution (20% of vote)
IMPLEMENTATION:
We painted our @TryBlueSky account on top of drug dealers’ contacts, offering the first try for free, as drug dealers often do to promote the new substances. On Telegram we convinced buyers to try a new drug, the best drug in their life — Blue Sky!
Inside the baggies were flyers for a free skydive. The jump was an introduction to the educational sections of the Aerospace Center, where youngsters could complete the skydiving course or start a career in Aviation and Space.
MEDIA CHANNELS AND INTEGRATION:
50 graffiti with our @TryBlueSky Telegram account was painted on top of most notable drug dealers' ads in Kyiv's largest residential areas.
TIMELINE:
Campaign duration: 1 month.
SCALE:
200 flyers for a free skydive were hidden and distributed via @TryBlueSky Telegram account.
List the results (30% of vote)
RESULTS:
Flyers distributed: 200
People jumped: 87
Became students: 33
TESTIMONIALS:
Natasha: It wasn't until after I jumped that I realized how stupidly I was wasting my resources, my brains. It's more fun than any high! I went through rehab many times, but the environment has always dragged me back. Here I've met so many magical people! Did my life change after that? No s#it, of course it did!
Vlad: I found this “stash” at the lowest point of my life when I was thinking about suicide. And I’ve hoped my chute wouldn't open. But it pulled me to the very top... beyond the clouds.
Ivan: After the first jump, there's no point in spending money on drugs. The sky and the freedom it gave me… words can’t describe it! Life begins at 4200 meters!
Please tell us about the social behaviour that inspired the work
Skydiving is a life-changing experience. It gives a totally new perspective. People quit drugs after they tried skydiving, because nothing compares. And a famously friendly skydiving community helps drug addicts to break free of their toxic environment. An ex heroin addict, who tried to kick the addiction for decades, is now a Russian female skydiving champion!