Despite the efforts of our government, illegal drugs are still widespread in our society and will continue to play a role in the future. An effective tool for risk prevention and education about drugs is drug checking, a method for assessing the safety of illegal substances that has been legal in Germany since 2023. To date, the topic of illegal drugs has been heavily stigmatised and has received little attention in public discussions. The aim of our SAFERHIGHS project initiative is to draw intensive attention to the topic and initiate a debate on how to deal with illegal drugs.
Instead of focussing on deterrence and lectures, we want to tell an emotional story that touches people deeply. The core of our campaign is a love story between two young people from the centre of society who come into contact with illegal drugs. Through the story, we want to put viewers in the shoes of the protagonists and show them that it could also be their own world.
Our idea takes shape in the form of a three-and-a-half-minute advert that tells the emotional love story between Leon and Sophie. The story begins in a techno club and takes its course through the highs and lows of their interpersonal relationship. We follow the two of them as they build a life together and are suddenly torn out of the narrative at the climax.
