Two Hard-Hitting Campaigns Examine the Impact of Opioid Addiction on Families

The first campaign, Impossible Questions, is based on the insight that when a child is struggling with substance use and addiction, parents are faced with questions that have no easy answers. Directed by Mark Pellington of Washington Square Films and edited by Chris Franklin of Big Sky Editorial, the campaign demonstrates that these questions can often divide a family or tear apart a marriage. A powerful 30-second television spot – set to run nationally and locally across broadcast, digital and social media channels – dramatises this struggle as a mother and father poignantly debate topics like whether kicking their son out of the house will be the catalyst to address his substance use, or fuel his addiction.

Companion print ads feature simple silhouettes of parents as they contemplate heart-wrenching questions, like “Should we empty our son’s college fund to pay for rehab?” and “Is giving my daughter money to buy food helping her buy drugs?” All the assets that comprise the Impossible Questions campaign direct parents to the nonprofit’s website, drugfree.org, “where families find answers.”

The second initiative – a national print and out-of-home campaign entitled Hope Lives – uses cleverly designed copy to turn statements of hopelessness into stories of success. Each pairing inspires parents to “Find Help. Find Hope,” by visiting drugfree.org.

“The team at Terri & Sandy exhibited such passion for this project, and the power of their work was due not only to the beauty with which their campaigns were crafted, but also the depth of the genuine insights on which their concepts were developed,” said Rebecca Shaw, Director of Advertising and Production for Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.

“They understood the isolation and helplessness so many parents feel and grew to appreciate the incredible stress that substance use disorders put on the whole family, especially on the parents who so desperately want to help their child.”

Both campaigns draw on raw, true-to-life scenarios in an effort to grab the attention of those dealing with a loved one’s addiction and position drugfree.org as a resource to help empower families with hope, help and practical answers to the real-world problems they have to confront.

“As we worked on this project, we were constantly struck with the impossible questions parents face, if their children are struggling with an opioid addiction,” said Terri Meyer, co-founder and co-CEO of Terri & Sandy. “Every day, they must make agonising decisions that can take a tremendous toll on their marriage and their lives. Our goal was to capture these moments with great empathy and authenticity and offer help and hope from Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.”