INTERNATIONAL: Fleishman-Hillard wins US anti-drug campaign

WASHINGTON DC: White House drug chief Barry McCaffrey has awarded

Fleishman-Hillard a potential pounds 43 million account to coordinate

the biggest ever nationwide anti-drug media campaign.

F-H will be leading a team of agencies contracted by McCaffrey. He is

director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The

budget for F-H’s account is pounds 5.8 million in the first year, with

four option years.

The agency has been charged with implementing a pounds 1.23 billion

integrated public education campaign to reduce youth drug use in the

US.

F-H international chairman and CEO John Graham said: ’Now we have an

unprecedented opportunity to benefit the nation and make a tangible

difference in the lives of young people and their families.’

F-H’s work will be based around four areas. These are a PR campaign to

develop partnerships with other organisations such as community and

family groups, collaboration with the entertainment industry to

denormalise drug use, a public information and education campaign and

the creation of internet sites.

There will also be an advertising campaign, although no ad agency has

yet been selected to do the work.

F-H will liaise with other contracted agencies, including Los

Angeles-based Rogers and Associates, renowned for its work on tobacco

and AIDS education programmes, and Washington DC’s Academy for

Educational Development, a lobby organisation.

Imada Wong Communications, S&C Advertising and PR and Sykes

Communications have also been retained on smaller contracts.

Porter Novelli helped the Office of National Drug Control Policy develop

the parameters of the PR programme in a separate contract worth around

pounds 600,000.