About this episode

This episode explores how a 1987 TV ad about the War on Drugs influenced federal policy and public perception despite lacking scientific backing.

The fried-egg ad that defined the War on Drugs was built by a marketing firm, not a doctor, and the science behind it was thinner than the slogan. Lies We Bought traces how a single 1987 commercial turned drug fear into federal policy, who kept the budget flowing for a decade, and why the campaign worked long after the data stopped backing it up. It's a story about advertising as propaganda, and about a slogan so effective nobody thought to ask if it was true. 📱 Follow along on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LiesWeBought/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lieswebought/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lieswebought LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/lieswebough Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lieswebought/

People in this episode

Host: Emily Rask

Topics covered

• War on Drugs
• advertising
• propaganda
• marketing
• federal policy

Keywords

• War on Drugs
• advertising
• propaganda
• TV ad
• drug policy
• marketing campaign
• 1987

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lies We Bought

Books & works: the fried-egg ad

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