Ginna Sulcer-Marston (born Ginna Sulcer February 19, 1958) is an American advertising executive who has worked on anti-drug public service advertising campaigns at the Partnership for a Drug Free America, a nonprofit consortium of advertising professionals which ran targeted media campaigns to ''unsell'' illegal drugs. She was a founder of the organization in 1986. As research director, she studied the consumer motivations of drug users by means of

marketing research Marketing research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data about issues relating to marketing products and services. The goal is to identify and assess how changing elements of the marketing mix i ...

methods. She has served as the organization's spokesperson.

Beginnings

Marston is the daughter of advertising agency executive Sandy Sulcer. She graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1976. She graduated with an A.B. in comparative literature from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in 1980. She worked at the Ted Bates advertising agency before joining the

Partnership for a Drug-Free America Partnership to End Addiction, first known as the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) then later as the Partnership at DrugFree.org, and The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, is a New York, New York, New York City-based nonprofit, non-profit ...

in 1986 as one of the founders.

Partnership for a Drug-Free America

The agency was formed during the middle 1980s by key professionals working under the auspices of the

American Association of Advertising Agencies The American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) is a U.S. trade association for advertising agencies. founded in 1917. It serves over 700+ member agencies across 1,300 offices, which control more than 85% of total U.S. advertising spend. ...

, and included Phillip Joanou, Thomas Hedrick, Doria Steedman, and Marston. Grants from the advertising association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and businesses provided funding to enable the agency to operate. Marston identified two key perceptions involved with the decision by young kids to experiment with drugs: (1) the risk to the user and (2) possible social disapproval, and the resulting media campaigns focused on both messages. The group collaborated with anti-drug crusaders such as Carole Fields-Arnold. In the middle of the 1990s, research suggested that not only

teenagers Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the t ...

were vulnerable to drugs, but pre-teenagers as well, and Marston led an advertising effort to discourage early experimentation. She led anti-drug advertising efforts geared towards inner-city youth, and towards discouraging use of specific substances such as heroin, Ecstasy, and marijuana. Marston advised the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

on anti-drug advertising strategies, and urged

game designer Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in ...

s to not glamorize drugs in video games. In 1999, she appeared in the Robert Zemeckis film entitled ''Smoking, Drinking and Drugging'' as a spokesperson.

Personal life

Marston is married with two children. In addition to advertising, Marston is a singer-songwriter and has performed in local venues.Check with PERFORMERS ... Ginna Marsto
Otis Cultural Council Minutes June 16, 2008
Her son,

Quinn Marston Quinn C. Marston (born May 31, 1988) is an American musician and artist. His music has been featured on TV shows such as '' One Tree Hill'', ''Ghost Whisperer'', and ''The Gates''. He has performed regularly at various New York City clubs includi ...

, is a singer-songwriter and artist.

Publications

* Marston, Ginna ''Growing up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Prevention'', Sally Marshall (editor), Diane Publishing Company, published April 1, 1999,

References

External links

Partnership at Drugfree.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marston, Ginna Living people Advertising directors Phillips Exeter Academy alumni People from Bronxville, New York Businesspeople from Chicago 1958 births Princeton University alumni