Global advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi has defended its much-ridiculed “stoner sloth” campaign warning of the dangers of marijuana.
After a week’s silence, a spokesman for the agency told Fairfax Media: “The videos we created were designed as part of a preventative campaign specifically for teens; the audience is not for adults or long-term cannabis users.”
The ads, created for the New South Wales government, cost taxpayers $500,000. The spokesman said it was a “moderate spend in advertising terms” for a “significant return on investment and involvement”.
The campaign attempts to warn teenagers against the dangers of sustained marijuana use, but was quickly parodied on social media. Its Facebook page became overwhelmed by comments making fun of the campaign.
The campaign was initially linked to the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre, but the NCPI said they were not involved in the campaign development and learned of the stoner sloth idea when the ads were released.
The campaign also drove web traffic to a “cannabis solutions” site based in Colorado, that bills its mission as helping others “enjoy each and every smoking experience from seed to sleep!”
