Pubdate: Tue, 18 Jan 2000
Source: Wall Street Journal (US)
Copyright: 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Contact:  200 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10281
Website: http://www.wsj.com/
Author: Glenn Burkins, staff reporter
Also: Nick Wingfield and Erin White contributed to this article.

U.S. ALSO USES AOL AND COMICS TO PUSH ITS ANTIDRUG MESSAGES

A government-sponsored antidrug campaign has centered on major television
networks, but the White House drug office also used federal advertising
dollars with other outlets, including Internet company America Online Inc.
and comic hero Spider-Man, to push its message.

Under a $1 billion, five-year spending program, the government buys
antidrug advertising mostly on television, in return for which the networks
provide matching free ad time or agree to include antidrug messages within
entertainment shows. The federal program caused an uproar last week when it
was revealed that scripts of some TV programs had been submitted for review
to the drug office and that changes in the shows' content had been made in
a few cases.

In fact, there are very few media the government can't use to distribute
its antidrug message. When Congress allocated the ad money in 1997, it said
the funds should "fashion anti-drug messages in motion pictures, television
programming, popular music, interactive (Internet and new) media projects
and activities, public information, news media outreach and corporate
sponsorship and participation."

Matching Free Ads

At AOL, for example, the drug-control office bought ads on AOL sites in
return for which the nation's largest Internet service provider, as
mandated under the 1997 program, provided matching free ads for antidrug
messages.

But under part of the program that allows in-kind contributions to the
government to reduce the number of free ads it must provide, AOL also
established a Web site called the Drug Resource Center for Parents,
launched in April 1998.

The site, which is available by typing in the keywords "Drug Help" through
AOL's access software, refers to the participation of the White House drug
office through a page link. A second antidrug AOL site oriented toward kids
was set up in the summer of 1998. On occasion, AOL incorporated links to
its own drug-resource center in other areas of AOL. For instance, AOL's
Families channel recently linked to the AOL drug-resource center.

'A Lot of Programming'

AOL, Dulles, Va., said the content on both sites was developed in
collaboration with the White House drug office. Like many AOL sites, the
antidrug areas essentially collected links to other drug resources on the
Web. "They gave us suggested links and we added our own," said AOL
spokeswoman Ann Brackbill. "We aggregated a lot of programming in one
place."

Alan Levitt, an official in the White House drug office who directs the
antidrug media campaign, estimated that the government has spent "hundreds
of thousands of dollars" with AOL under the program. Ms. Brackbill said
that estimate was probably correct, but neither had an exact spending
figure.

In another effort, the White House drug-control agency, in September,
launched the first of a four-part series with Marvel Enterprises Inc.
featuring the comic-book character Spider-Man. The story line features the
webbed superhero as he guides student journalists through an action-packed
lesson on how to recognize and resist drug images in the media.

Half-and-Half Payments

Each eight-page installment in the series, called "Fast Lane," is
distributed inside publications such as Boys' Life, Girls' Life, Contact
Kids, Muse, React and Scholastic Classroom magazine and Marvel Comics.
Together, the government says, those publications have a combined
circulation of nearly 11 million and reach at least 65% of the nation's
youth ages nine to 14.

Under the arrangement, the government drug office pays for half the insert,
and each magazine pays for the other half. Marvel said the government
doesn't vary its compensation depending on how strong it deemed an antidrug
theme. The agreement was announced in the summer by the government and the
publisher, although a Marvel news release at the time didn't disclose
specific terms.

Marvel has worked with the government to develop the story lines since the
spring of 1998, according to the company. The drug office guided writers on
which drugs would be the most appropriate subjects for adolescents, which
drug-related problems were most relevant, and what language kids use to
talk about drugs. After Marvel submitted an initial story line, the
government tested it in adolescent focus groups, the comics publisher said.

"We're still in consultation at all times," said John Fraser, Marvel senior
vice president for strategic promotions and advertising. He added that
although Marvel has no other arrangements with the drug office, the comics
company hopes to continue the relationship with other projects. Marvel's
superheroes include Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Incredible Hulk.
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