In March 1978, the office of the Solicitor-General of Alberta initiated a publicly funded provincewide crime prevention program through the mass media. The program targeted several offenses: vandalism, residential breaking and entering, theft from automobiles, assaults related to hitchhiking, and auto theft. During the first 6 weeks of the program, nonspecific advertisements were disseminated. The second phase used crime prevention messages to promote preventive behaviors relevant to the crimes and specific target audiences. An evaluation revealed that although large numbers of citizens were exposed to the campaign, a much smaller number perceived the campaign as salient, and very few changed their behavior. The basis problem was that citizens did not regard crime or crime prevention as particularly salient issues. In addition, the program planners did not specify in sufficient detail the segments of the audience toward whom campaign themes and appeals were to be addressed. The program failed because it was not planned and implemented according to proven communication principles. Future mass media campaigns should be monitored through ongoing evaluation programs. Thirty-eight references are listed.