DDB Canada launched a pro-bono PSA campaign for Toronto Crime Stoppers examining the dangers of ecstasy use, entitled “Cookin’ with Molly.”
The spot, whose full-length version online runs 90 seconds, is presented as a cooking show with a drug dealer. Molly is a name for pure MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy), but, as the video shows, pills presented as “Molly” are often adulterated with substances ranging from methamphetamine and cocaine to heroin and even bath salts. “Welcome to ‘Cookin’ with Molly,'” says the host of the show at the beginning of the ad, “today’s secret ingredient is meth.” He adds just a pinch of bath salts to some ground up MDMA, a bunch of meth and finishes up with his “signature” blue color and some binder before pressing the pills. The online version of the spot ends by directing to viewers to the campaign landing site for more information. There are also 15 and 6 second broadcast versions of the spot. DDB Canada hopes the tongue-in-cheek approach of the campaign, which launched today and will run through the end of February, will resonate with the target audience of people between the ages of 15 and 25.
“These party-type drugs have been a growing concern, and Toronto Crime Stoppers wanted to tackle this head on without being heavy-handed, so the cooking show format is intended to be tongue-in-cheek,” explains Craig Ferguson, senior art director, DDB Canada Toronto. “At the same time, this creative still allows us to educate people on the harmful, hidden ingredients found in MDMA which was our key objective.”
Credits:
Agency: DDB Canada, Toronto
Chief Creative Officer: Cosmo Campbell
Executive Creative Director: Paul Wallace
Copywriter: Allan Topol
Art Director: Craig Ferguson
Agency Producers: Julia Morris, Lorrie Zwer
Account Director: Carly Sutherland
Social Media Strategy: James Ly
Media Company: OMD
Production Company: Partners Film
Executive Producer: Gigi Realini
Director: Michael Downing
Director of Photography: Andre Pienaar
Line Producer: Erik Wilson
Editorial Company: Rooster Post Production
Editor: Jeff Poremba
Assistant Editor: Brett Rostrup
Visual Effects: Fort York VFX
Online Editor: Andrew Rolfe, Fort York
Colourist: Cem Ozkilicci, Alter Ego
Audio House: Pirate Radio
Audio House Executive Producer: Joanne Uyeyama
Audio House Producer: Chris Tait
Audio House Engineer: Ian Boddy
Music: Paul Wallace
Photographer: Jake Bundock
Music: Paul Wallace
Casting Agency: Jigsaw Casting
Talent: Jason Jazrawy