Tribal DDB S.F. Hired to Fight ‘Robotripping’

An anti-drug abuse nonprofit and a pharmaceutical trade association have teamed up to hire digital agency Tribal DDB San Francisco, hoping the agency can help them stop teenagers from getting high on cough syrup.

The Partnership at Drugfree.org, which works to prevent and treat drug use among teens, is collaborating with the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents the manufacturers of over-the-counter medicines, and is funding the Tribal DDB assignment. The Omnicom-owned agency will provide strategic guidance as well as create social and digital work for the campaign, slated for launch in early 2012. The agency declined to disclose revenue on the project.

Approximately 5 percent of teens age 12-17 admit to having taken OTC cough syrup recreationally (often refered to as Robotripping) in the past year, according to the CHPA. "We believe that Tribal DDB will bring a unique approach to the challenge of engaging teens constructively on this important issue," says Emily Skor, CHPA's vp of communications.

Tribal DDB's San Francisco office, opened by the global digital network in 2002, also works for clients like Intel, Clorox, and Microsoft.