Australia's anti-pot 'stoner sloth' campaign is a big success, say firms behind widely mocked ads

Australian "stoner sloth" campaign backfired
(Image credit: CNN/YouTube)

If the old adage that no publicity is bad publicity is true, then maybe advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi is right that its "stoner sloth" anti-marijuana ads have provided a "significant return on investment and involvement" for the government of Australia's New South Wales, which spent $500,000 on the week-old ad campaign. But the general consensus is that having an actor dress up as a sloth and make sad Chewbacca-like noises to discourage kids from trying weed has backfired pretty badly, for reasons that CNN's Amara Walker explains in this report:

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.