Youth Today: The Message May Be the Medium

By Karen Pittman, January 2001

“Has Sarah lost her mind?” This quote — referring to Sarah Brown, director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (NCPTP) — opened a Washington Post story about a provocative series of public service advertisements launched by the campaign. The ads, developed to spark conversation among teens about the possible consequences of sex, feature controversial words printed in large letters across pictures of young people. The words are embedded in small-print sentences like: “Condoms are CHEAP. If we’d used one, I wouldn’t have to tell my parents I’m pregnant.”

Email lists across the country have been humming as prevention and youth development advocates react to the ads. Advocates for Youth has issued a strong statement condemning the ads. Prominent prevention researchers like Bonnie Bernard and Norm Constantine have written letters to the editor (including Youth Today) and started letter-writing campaigns. Momentum is building for a national recall.

I, too, have concerns about the ads. While some argue that the ads were intended to run in teen magazines in which edginess is mandatory, we know that messages and images travel. When compelling, they make their way out of magazines onto bedroom walls, Web sites, notebook covers. Even more importantly, messages can be appropriated for other uses. Case in point: The Republican National Convention co-opting the Children’s Defense Fund’s “Leave No Child Behind” slogan.

But the deepest concern is not that the ads will get into the wrong places or the wrong hands. It is that the ads will send the wrong message. What if the takeaway becomes not the sentence, but an image that may unintentionally stir or reinforce feelings about the basic value and values of young people? Clearly this was not the intent of the campaign; I’m sure it gave NCPTP pause.

Yet I also have concerns about the quick move for a recall. The vote among teens and adults is not unanimous. There are good arguments and respectable advocates on both sides. This campaign started with market research, it should end with market research. While developed pro bono by the public relations firm Ogilvy & Mather, the follow-up should be by an independent research group that tests for both intended and unintended effects with a more varied group of teens and adults.

In the interim, I suggest that we step back to reflect on how to tackle the gorilla in the room: The negative perceptions adults have about teens. Take the package apart: The copy is good. It doesn’t preach. It reinforces the fact that sex has consequences. The pullout words are provocative; they grab attention. The pictures of teens are good stark magazine art. And the messenger, NCPTP, is well respected and well intentioned. The concern is the juxtaposition of provocative words across the chests of dubious-looking teens. But PR firms use this technique frequently. Why is it questioned here? Because for some, the negative message is believable.

Imagine the same words emblazoned across wholesome, well-scrubbed teens — clearly privileged and college-bound. People might yell, but focus groups probably wouldn’t believe the words to be descriptive of the teens. Imagine the same strategy used to run ads about the need for daycare — words like “USELESS” or “TRASH” printed across the chests of three-year-olds. Would we be as concerned about labeling? What about a campaign that pulls positive words out of negative sentences? Perhaps an anti-cheating campaign that features clean-cut kids with words like “PROFESSIONAL” and “GREAT” across their chests, embedded in statements like: “50 bucks got me a PROFESSIONAL-looking fake ID,” or “You can’t be GREAT at your game without using steroids.” Would we yell about the messages, or applaud them?

Maybe the bold move now is to figure out how to tackle the bigger problem. What could be done to build on these ads to force the discussion of both unprotected sex and undervalued youth? Is Ogilvy & Mather up to another pro bono challenge?
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Pittman, K. (2001, January). "The Message May Be the Medium." Washington, DC: The Forum for Youth Investment. A version of this article appears in Youth Today.

Karen Pittman is executive director of the Forum for Youth Investment.