Montana Meth Project

The Montana Meth Project (MMP) is a Montana-based non-profit organization founded by businessman Thomas Siebel which seeks to reduce methamphetamine use, particularly among teenagers. The main venture of the MMP is a saturation-level advertising campaign of television, radio, print, and Internet ads that graphically depict the negative consequences of methamphetamine use. Common elements are the deterioration of each teenage subject's health and living conditions, amphetamine psychosis, moral compromise, and regret. As of 2010, the Meth Project has expanded its media campaign into seven additional states. As of March 13, 2013 the Meth Project, the umbrella organization of the Montana Meth Project, joined the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids in their efforts to reduce substance abuse among teens.

A new study was published in the Journal of Marketing Research validating the effectiveness of the Meth Project’s advertising in deterring substance abuse. The study was authored by researchers at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

The researchers tested the effectiveness of several advertisements—including the Meth Project’s—and found that ads that relied on fear alone to convey their message did not lead to immediate changes in attitudes or behavior. However, according to the study, the Meth Project ads that incorporated an element of “disgust,” such as rotting teeth, skin sores or infections, did compel viewers to “undertake distancing behaviors,” such as deciding not to use illegal drugs.

The study concludes that, "notably, the disgust and fear appeal condition in this study used an actual advertisement from the Montana Meth Project, a nationally recognized, award-winning program that uses high-impact advertising to reduce methamphetamine use . . . It was only the disgust-inducing fear appeal [the Meth Project ad] that significantly reduced future drug use, making it more effective in terms of persuasion and compliance.”

While the effectiveness of the campaign at reducing methamphetamine use is disputed, in 2010, the Meth Project was named the third most effective philanthropy in the world, up from #5 in 2009 on Barron's yearly rankings. In its efforts to effectively reach teens and change attitudes and behaviors toward meth, the MMP regularly conducts focus group research to refine its messaging and better understand how to connect with the state's youth.HBO has also partnered with the MMP on a documentary as part of its Addiction series.

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