Goal:  To increase awareness of the Rhode Island Social Host Law through social media and partner engagement awareness strategies across 20 RI towns.

Overview: Across the United States, alcohol is the most widely used substance among teens and young adults. Consuming alcohol underage poses substantial health and safety risks, including lowered inhibition, impaired judgment, and impacts to a developing brain. States like Rhode Island have passed social host laws (i.e., laws about providing alcohol to underage persons) in an effort to decrease youth access to alcohol, including through one-off purchases or hosting gatherings featuring alcohol.

Despite the state’s social hosting law, some adults, including parents and siblings, provide alcohol to underage youth. In collaboration with six Rhode Island prevention coalitions, JSI designed a social marketing campaign to 1) increase awareness of Rhode Island’s Social Host Law 2) increase awareness of the dangers of underage drinking 3) decrease youth access to alcohol throughout the state.

The Rhode Rules for Rhode Island social marketing campaign utilizes traditional and digital media channels, including TikTok advertisements and concentrated “Sticker Shock” placements of campaign materials in liquor stores and other locations throughout communities.

View the campaign Social Media Toolkit.

Results:

• In its first year, the digital marketing campaign generated nearly 2.3 million impressions to Rhode Island residents over the age of 21.
• Following a press conference announcing the campaign launch, earned media (television segments and news articles) generated over 69 million impressions.
• Preliminary results from year 2 of the campaign (January to September 2022) include over 1.4 million impressions generated and 104,237 engagements in the form of post reactions, shares, clicks, and video views.

Dates: July 2020 – September 2022