Everybody gets a shot at Kristi Noem’s ridiculous anti-drug campaign, including guest columnist Dave Baumeister:
Greetings, Blogophiles!
I apologize for my absence from last week, but I had been trying to contact a source, which I finally did.
Like everyone else, I wanted to weigh in on Gov. Noem’s latest advertising debacle, where she brags to the world everyone in South Dakota is On Meth™.
And I do mean “the world,” as this ad campaign has been featured on all the network (and many of the cable) news shows, the late-night talk shows, and even Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update.”
OK Boomers, I want all of you to imagine what Dan Aykroyd, would say to Gov. Noem if he was speaking to her from the “Weekend Update” desk during the “Point/Counterpoint” segment.
(Yeah, I’m not going to write that one out!)
As the money for this ad campaign came from the Department of Social Services, I suspect that Laurie Gill, the state cabinet secretary for DSS, may have had something to do with it, but if that is the case, then the governor is breaking from her Trump ties to back up her staff – as opposed to throwing them under the bus – when she defends the program on Fox & Friends and other places saying it was successful because “it has gone viral” and “everyone is talking about it.”
There is an old axiom, a fish rots from the head down, and although I have heard that a lot, I never really knew what it meant. However, I think this applies here.
Because even if someone else was responsible, since a fish rots from the head down, the governor would ultimately take the blame. But whether she was defending others or not, Noem now owns the campaign.
“METH, WE’RE ON IT™.”
With those four words, South Dakota expatriates living all over the country are cringing. And one of those expats is Gary Bingner, who is the president, CEO, and the guy who cleans the restrooms at Quasimodo Advertising in Minneapolis, Minn.
Gary, who is a graduate of Washington High School and the University of South Dakota, would have loved to have had the $1.4 million to make an anti-drug ad campaign for his home state. Instead, those dollars went to Broadhead Advertising, also in Minneapolis, which has no South Dakota ties that I know of.
Heck, Gary probably would been satisfied with the $450,000 first payment and called it good.
I am somewhat familiar with how ad agencies work. In the past, I worked for an ad agency, and I have two ex-wives that worked for ad agencies. Still, I wanted to talk to someone who could give me the Minneapolis advertising perspective.
But let me tell you, there are plenty of good advertising agencies right here in South Dakota that are (1) more in touch with what goes on in the state, and (2) would love seeing some of the money they spend to pay the governor’s salary (as well as the salaries of most of her family) come back to them.
Any governor of any state should know that her first duty is to the citizens of her state.
I am guessing that Joe Henkin or Kirby Schultz would be beyond euphoric to get a $1.4 million contract from the state.
Let’s get back to my friend in the Minneapolis advertising market, though. Gary told me that so many agencies are just looking for a “viral” connection, or something that will bring in awards, and often times, that means they are just looking for “shock value.”
But, as with the South Dakota On Meth™ ads, while the viral and shock value might be there, they are lacking the most important thing in any type of advertising, and that is a “call to action.”
If the audience is left on their own to fill the void from the missing call to action, no one can fault them for filling it with something unintended, i.e. “Boy, those South Dakotans must all be meth users!”
In that case, no matter what Gov. Noem tries to get us to believe, viral is bad. And what is more, it is a huge waste of money.
Case in point: if someone had photos of the governor, à la former California Congresswoman Katie Hill, and put them up on the Internet, they would most likely go “viral,” but I doubt Noem would think that was a good thing.
Here’s another one: we all know that the governor hates the idea of hemp coming into our state in any form. So why not have an ad campaign that says the people of the state all about getting rid of hemp? Beating hemp?
To this end, we’d use slogans like:
Wouldn’t you think the governor would react negatively to this? But this is exactly the same sentiment that is created by her meth ads.
Gary told me about a campaign that won awards for a health food store.
Imagine, if you will, a print ad with a blurry photo of chips, Twinkies, French fries and other bad, greasy foods in the background.
Superimposed over the top, in bold letters, is a slogan that reads “Eat Sh*t and Die!”
Of course, being a print ad, there is copy below explaining the ad’s position.
Some people might look at this as objectionable, though it certainly has shock value. But even without any copy, it also has a call to action: Don’t eat bad food, unless you want to die.
Sadly, METH. WE’RE ON IT™. has no such call.
What is the farmer in the field doing about meth? How about the high school football team? There is a woman who looks like she may have bad teeth, so she kind of fits.
But no matter what the governor thinks about how great this campaign is, if she has to go on national TV to explain it, then it probably isn’t going to work very well.
The following are some suggestions for how to help a meth addict.
Do:
-Approach him or her in a loving and caring manner, free of judgment and anger.
-Try to approach your loved one when he or she is already trying to quit using crystal meth, since it’s often half the battle to get him or her to acknowledge the addiction.
-Make a mental note of his or her positive qualities and remind yourself of them when hurtful things are said or done under the influence.
-If a respectful and kind environment has formed, you should encourage him or her to attend rehab.
Don’t:
-Approach your loved one when you’re angry. This will only cause him or her to become defensive and push you away.
-Blame your loved one for his or her crystal meth addiction.
-Degrade your loved one – this will compound the shame he or she is already feeling.
Have a heart-to-heart when he or she is high – they may not take the issue seriously, or remember the conversation at all.
-When approaching your loved one, make sure you express concern and care, while encouraging treatment. Reassure him or her that you will be there every step of the way and provide support no matter what.
Top Five Most Addicting Drugs … Where does meth fall? Below nicotine and alcohol; two South Dakota Friday night favorites.
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/adult-addiction-treatment-programs/most-addictive
Alcohol is much more dangerous than meth. Add alcohol together with nicotine and you have a cocktail that is even more deadly that accounts for many many South Dakota deaths and misery. Meth does not have the lobbyists that alcohol does here, or it would be as legal as brew.
I wonder how far down the barrel GNOem will have to dig to find someone worse than DiSanto as her replacement. At least she will move her sorry behind out of the state, so we’ve got that going for us.
“But no matter what the governor thinks about how great this campaign is, if she has to go on national TV to explain it, then it probably isn’t going to work very well.”
Excellent summation. It’s true. NoMa’am’s ad campaign is a $1.4 million epic flop.
“Death rates from suicide, drug overdoses, liver disease and dozens of other causes have been rising over the past decade for young and middle-aged adults, driving down overall life expectancy in the U.S. for three consecutive years, according to a strikingly bleak study published Tuesday that looked at the past six decades of mortality data.
“The report, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was hailed by outside researchers for its comprehensive treatment of a still-enigmatic trend: the reversal of historical patterns in longevity.”
Now is not the time to play with stupid ad gimmicks, nor be fearful of big changes. Clearly, real, courageous action must happen.
Lock Up Them Damn Indians! – The hidden Kristi Noem solution.
https://newrepublic.com/article/155775/locking-people-up-south-dakotas?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=sharebtn&fbclid=IwAR0zhJRcCjQNcq3vVq9Sl2Mm_hTISlhXtOAS5GJm1bN9AJXZ3ApxIBe8uxY
Princes Kristi strikes again.
It seems the Rs are out of touch with reality, but Voters are reluctant to vote for another party.
My 2 Cents.
Outstanding link, Porter.
The SDGOP’s drug policy is overwhelmingly punitive and racist.
@Debbo … Governor Noem wanted attention. The racist incarceration rates are the attention she and her party need exposed.
The statistics cited in Porter’s linked story reveal the true meth problem in SD – The State’s draconian approach to meth users – “lock ’em up.” Meth users are not the major problem in SD. The State’s “lock ’em up” policies that take the place of rational educational, treatment and prevention programs, have hurt the people of this State much more than some kid experimenting with meth or some adult looking for whatever relief meth affords. Our State exaggerates and lies about the supposed immediate result of trying meth even once, leading young people who see others use meth without the immediate consequences the State claims exist to reject valid information about the actual danger they face. The State’s claims are thought to be the same type of state lies spread in the now discredited “marijuana madness” campaigns of the past.
Instead of helping people who actually are harmed from meth related problems such as psychological dependence and adverse and dangerous health effects, the “lock em up” policies of State impose a new problem – jail, with the corresponding breaking up families, ruining future employment prospects, and exposing impressionable young people to an environment where they can be negatively influenced by malevolent people who have commited crimes of violence or dishonesty.
The statistics cited in Porter’s link are too important to miss:
“A tectonic shift happened since, with 60 percent of respondents backing life imprisonment without parole for murder compared to just 36 percent for the death penalty.”
Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup
SDGOP is even more of an outlier on cruel policies.
Does SD have private prisons? I’m looking to “follow the money.” That’s the usual SDGOP trail.
@BCB It’s hardly a coincidence that the head of the SD Republican Party owns a statewide bail bond business that directly profits from locking up as many as possible. And, the whole scheme is backboned by his bail bondsman blogger, Pat Powers justifying the unscrupulous fraud. Is it any wonder SD has such a corrupt arrest and incarceration scam going on? It’s a classic inside job!
HAPPY THURSDAY TO ALL. Two Cents, Rapid City Journal, 11.28.19.
“From here on I will refer to the governor as “Crystal” Noem. Another thought. Since SD is #2 in DUI arrests, how about this slogan for our state: Alcohol… a driving force.”
A good one that is so true. Alcohol is so much more available and more addicting than meth will ever be. Ingest alcohol and nicotine together and you have the perfect addicting cocktail. Meth is a strawman, meant to keep the jails and the pockets full for the crooks and liars.
Happy Thursday to you, Mr. jerry. They will be coming to take grudznick to my granddaughter’s house soon, where I will feast on turkey and vast piles of potatoes laden with gravy, and I will raise a mug of beverage to you and yours, thankful for so much.
coming soon
SD… STD… We’re two-thirds of the way there!