The Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention tasked my company with educating at-risk populations on the dangers of fentanyl and encouraging safe use.

Fentanyl has become an incredibly urgent issue in Colorado and across the nation, with fentanyl-related overdose deaths rising year-over-year. Many street drugs are laced with synthetic fentanyl, and our target audience—a casual, recreational drug user— doesn’t know that they’re taking something that has fentanyl in it and may not be prepared with safety precautions.

We knew our audience was “too cool for school” and may be distrustful of authority, so we needed to approach this challenge boldly and without judgment. By using eye-catching and familiar neon signage typically found in nightlife and entertainment atmospheres, we created a harm reduction-focused campaign, Keep The Party Safe, native to the environment where individuals might find themselves in a situation where they would be using. Our ads grab our audience’s attention just long enough to say: “We’re not here to judge. We’re here to keep you safe. Here’s how.”