On the day that actress Brittany Murphy died from what reports suggest to be drug abuse, the DJ Brandon Block is fronting a new Government anti-drugs campaign. The results, I feel, are exceptional and you can watch it here.

Everyone has seen a public health campaign which takes the wrong tone or, worse still, could motivate youngsters to do the opposite – after all, adolescence is all about rebellion. The Brandon Block video should put people off cocaine and congratulations should be given to Mother, the agency behind the campaign.

The only small worry about the message is perhaps it won’t resonate that well with the young because many won’t know Brandon Block, as his career peeked at some point in the nineties. I remember him and his music ‘wasn’t to my taste,’ but he was a famous self-styled “nutter”, and hopefully the scale of his lifestyle can be put across to those under 30 years of age. Using the Pablo Facebook campaign I am sure this generational problem can be overcome.

For those of you who are under 30 and don’t remember Brandon Block, then perhaps the following video of him in action at the Brit Awards, is just as strong a message about “Just Saying No.” Looking back at the clip now, it is both funny and sad, and it is this complex picture of drugs, the highs and the lows, which this campaign gets across so well.

This is a great image. Not only does the graphic illustrate how panic and fear can cause us humans to become irrational, but also how a stunning and eye catching diagram can bring a story to life. Too often are fascinating statistics presented in uninteresting ways.

If you can’t see the image well on screen you can also see it by clicking here

(I’ve not worked out how to get full size images on my blog yet )

Just when you thought the Americans were just like us Brits, you get a real shock to the system. 

The new healthcare reforms in the US, meaning everyone regardless of wealth can access care, are proving a sticky wicket for the president. 

The proposals are
‘communism by stealth’, will ‘put politicians in between the people and their doctors’ and is pretty much the end of the world as we know it. 

There are demonstrations and in some places violence at town hall rallies. 

It just goes to show the power and influence of lobbying and the in-built love of the free market within US society. 

The whole situation is funny, frightening, enlightening and remarkable. 

Trying to convince the US public that healthcare reforms are in their interest would be a great campaign for a PR man like myself to be involved in. Instead, though, I will watch from the sidelines, via John Stewart. And with the thousands of miles of distance between us and them, I can kick back and enjoy the spectacle on TV. 

Posted via email from jamescrawford’s posterous

© James Crawford’s PR and Media Blog.  2009