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Problem: How do you influence students who don't trust you? The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) faced this classic dilemma. On a campus known for bristling at directive and questioning authority, MIT administrators realized telling students what to do wouldn't work, so instead they hired AED to create a campaign against binge drinking.
Challenge: Most students distrusted the administration. Anti-alcohol messages seemed preachy and unrealistic. And research showed that students were drawn to the perceived benefits of drinking as a way to connect socially, have a little fun and increase sexual opportunities. The heaviest drinkers were the biggest believers in those benefits.
Action: AED built a more viable communication channel. Working with MIT students, we launched a new student organization to protect what is beloved and authentic about MIT, including the university's lower-than-average binge drinking rate. It was dubbed Save-TFP, a name that drew on a rebellious underground term for MIT. (TFP translates as This F-ing Place.) With an agenda that reached beyond alcohol, Save TFP scrapped blatant attacks on binge drinking in favor of environmental changes (keeping the coffee house open longer, for example) and more subtle anti-binge-drinking messages embedded in broader efforts, such as a tip book for new students and a campaign celebrating MIT's quirks. Instead of edicts or warnings, the campaign's messages illustrated the benefits of not drinking too much — benefits students valued, such as being part of the norm or being perceived as one who can perform sexually. What once seemed like a lecture felt more like advice, and the benefits of moderation seemed valuable indeed.
Results: The campaign led to student efforts to create more alcohol-free places to hang out on campus. The campaign quickly drew accolades for being hip and real. Students viewed campaign products as funky and irreverent, but more importantly, they found the alternatives to binge drinking useful. What's more, Save TFP was one of 16 U.S. campaigns that earned an "Ideas That Matter" award, an honor that included a prize of more than $16,000. |
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