Mein falscher Freund – Crystal Meth
Also: My False Friend – Crystal Meth
“Mein falscher Freund.”
Bavarian state government campaign against crystal meth, launched 8 November 2017 by Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann and Health Minister Melanie Huml at a Munich cinema. It casts the drug as a false friend who is always there for you until it ruins your life: cinema and online spots made with the Munich film school (HFF München), a website with information and links to counselling, and explainer videos including versions in sign language. Aimed at 18-45-year-olds at risk, people who use crystal meth and those around them.
- Years
- 2017
- Country
- Germany
- Budget
- EUR 70,000 from the Bavarian health ministry for campaign development (answer to Landtag question 18/1276, 26 March 2019).
- Topic
- Drugs
- Asks people to
- Never startSeek helpStop
- Strategy
- MetaphorService link
- Channel
- CinemaSocial (organic)Website
- Audience
- AdultsYoung adultsPeople aged 18-45 at risk of using crystal meth, people who use it, and their social circle, in Bavaria (which borders the Czech Republic, a main source of crystal meth).
Evidence
Self-reportedUnknown
From 8 Nov 2017 to 27 Feb 2019: 14,514 website visitors in 15,888 sessions; the 'Baby' video had 5,597 views and 'Ein Freund von mir' 8,275 (cinema version) and 1,513 (online version); over 5,000 YouTube views in the first two days (state government answer to a Landtag question, 2019). No outcome evaluation found.
Sponsor (who paid)
- Bayerisches Staatsministerium des Innern (Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior) Foreign government, lead sponsor
- Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Gesundheit und Pflege (Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care) Foreign government, co-sponsor; paid EUR 70,000 for campaign development
- Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt (Bavarian State Criminal Police Office) Foreign government, partner
Credits (who made it)
Executions (individual ads)
- Ein Freund von mir (Kinospot) 2017 · cinema · youtube
- Ein Freund von mir (Onlineversion, lange Fassung) 2017 · social-organic · youtube
- Video 1: Die Substanz 2017 · website · youtube
- Video 2: Wirkung und Risiken 2017 · website · youtube
- Video 3: Mit Crystal wird alles besser?? 2017 · website · youtube
- Video 4: Hilfe und Beratung 2017 · website · youtube
Sources
Research notes
Drafted by Claude (Claude Code) on 2026-10-28 for #130 from the Landtag answer (PDF, read in German), German Wikipedia and YouTube uploads (oEmbed-checked); unreviewed, including the cardSummary. Included because the answer shows it still active into 2019 (inside the 2018-2026 window); end year unknown. Wikipedia names the interior ministry 'für Bau und Verkehr' (its 2017 title). HFF Munich credit from Wikipedia; schönere Welt! credit from its own YouTube uploads (outro animation and a campaign film), so its exact role is unclear. The 'Baby' video named in the Landtag answer was not found on YouTube. A Landtag document seen in search results says the prevention budget rose by EUR 250,000 for 2018 (not opened). Check the view and visitor counts before reuse; they are small, which is itself worth noting.
Record cases/de-by-mein-falscher-freund.json, updated 2026-10-28· Link to this campaign