• by Les Luchter , August 2, 2024

Naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses and poisoning, has been available over-the-counter since March 2023.  Yet the opioid crisis continues, aided greatly by fentanyl, a highly potent form of the drug.

If only everyone carried naloxone at all times.

Now, Emergent BioSolutions and the Ad Council have each launched educational campaigns providing step-by-step instructions on saving the lives of others once you have naxolone in tow.

“Lay, Spray, Stay,” urges NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith in new TV and radio PSAs from Emergent, marketer of opioid naloxone brand Narcan, and nonprofit SAFE Project.

In a 60-second TV spot created with Curation Communications, Smith explains how to:

1. “Lay the person on their back.”

2. Spray “Use Narcan nasal spray to reverse the effects of an opioid emergency.”

3. “Then dial 911 and Stay with them until emergency help arrives

The PSAs are the latest thrust in a “Ready to Rescue” initiative launched last fall by Emergent and SAFE, also with Smith on board. “Ready to Rescue,” the partners say, is designed to “break down the stigma associated with accidental opioid poisonings and inform Americans on the availability and use of Narcan Nasal Spray to help save a life.”

While a campaign press release singles out a Centers for Disease Control statistic that less than 15% of American college students know how to administer naloxone, Emergent stresses to Marketing Daily that its PSAs are designed to reach a much broader audience.

“The opioid epidemic is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., and opioid emergencies can impact anyone, anywhere, any time,” the pharma company says, so the ads “aim at preparing people across the country -- parents, young adults and community members alike -- to save a life.”

On the other hand, 16- to 24-year-olds are the direct target of the Ad Council’s new PSAs, done in partnership with the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), created by R/GA and supported by YouTube. Besides media donated by the latter, the ads are designed to reach the demographic on other digital and social platforms.

“Young adults are increasingly at risk due to the prevalence of counterfeit prescription pills made with fentanyl and many are not carrying or confident using life-saving medication like naloxone in a moment of need,” Michelle Hillman, the Ad Council’s chief campaign development officer, explains to Marketing Daily.

To help the demo get confident enough to carry and use naloxone, the Ad Council/ONDCP spots get much more granular than Emergent by providing young adultswith eight steps of “How to use naloxone nasal spray,” which begin with “Call 911.”

The Ad Council/ONDCP PSA, with no sound but music, comes in a living room version, a bedroom version, and Spanish-language versions of each (here and here).

YouTube is deploying the spots as pre-roll placements in front of videos about naloxone. For viewers specifically searching for “how to administer naloxone,” YouTube results feature a “First Aid” section, displaying ad-free content from such sources as the Cleveland Clinic and Psych Hub. A crisis resource panel is also promised.

The Ad Council/ONDP ads direct viewers to RealDealOnFentanyl.com, while the Emergent/SAFE ads send them to ReadyToRescue.com.