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truth® “Infects” Youth
3/23/2009
Exclusive Advertisements Extend Smoking Prevention Campaign
Washington, DC, March 23, 2009 – In late March, truth® will air five exclusive video vignettes illustrating the dangers of tobacco use and exposing the marketing tactics of the tobacco industry. The advertisements augment the current truth® advertising campaign, “Infect 2009 and will air exclusively on MTV. Infect 2009 is designed to educate teens on the health and social consequences of smoking and to make it easy for them to share that important information with their peers; to “infect” them with the truth®.
The latest truth® offering is called “The Infectors,” and follows two young men who represent the typical MTV hosts as they explore facts about tobacco. In all five spots, a crowd of people interrupt innocent bystanders in everyday experiences to illustrate some of the claims made by tobacco industry executives.
The handheld video shooting gives the vignettes a realistic look, which stands in stark contrast to the over-the-top action captured on screen. That dichotomy heightens the disbelief felt at the end of every spot, when a statement from the tobacco industry is shared with the viewer.
“Tapping MTV’s deep experience with teen culture allows us to develop engaging content and best reach the youth audience with information to help them make informed decisions about tobacco use,” remarked Cheryl G. Healton, Dr. P.H., president and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation®, the national public health foundation which directs and funds the truth® campaign. “As we celebrate the ninth anniversary of truth®, we are proud of the success that we have had in preventing teens from starting to smoke, but our current budget situation demands that we find partners who share our commitment and who can extend the message in ways that resonate with teens – and MTV has been one such valued partner.”
“The Infectors” will be seen during MTV programming that is popular with male teens: shows like “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory” and “Nitro Circus” both which feature extreme sports stars pushing the envelope. Other shows where the custom content will appear include “Made”, “Bully Beatdown” and “TI’s Road to Redemption” which follows the Grammy-winning hip-hop superstar as he tries to keep some young men from making mistakes he made earlier in life.
Previous truth®/MTV campaigns have included a tongue-in-cheek spin-off of the Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Island, where 20 former contestants from the MTV programs “The Real World” and “Road Rules” fought for their own survival and a share of $300,000. The spin-off, called The Blaze, pit fictional contestants against one another in short video challenges that mirror those on The Island, but that illustrated the marketing tactics of the tobacco industry and the dangers of tobacco use. Before that, facts about smoking were presented in a humorous way as “pop-ups” during episodes of “The Real World XX: Hollywood.”
Cigarettes are still a strong influence on youth; in fact, 3900 youth age 12 to 17 try a cigarette for the first time every day. The tobacco industry spends nearly $36 million dollars every day on marketing and promoting its products; a figure that exceeds the annual truth® budget. Because of this gap in funding, truth® ads use the in-your-face images and irreverent language of teens that resonate best with them.
Studies show that truth® is working. Recent research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that truth® was directly responsible for keeping 450,000 teens from starting to smoke during its first four years, while a second study found that the campaign saved between $1.9 and $5.4 billion in medical care costs to society, not only paying for itself but also saving billions of dollars over and above the campaign costs. The two papers will be published in the April issue of AJPM but are available on the Journal’s Web site, www.ajpm-online.net. A third paper appearing in the February issue of Ethnicity and Health shows that youth exposed to the truth® campaign were more likely to have antismoking beliefs and significantly higher odds of not intending to smoke.
Description of the “Infectors” spots:
The ads in the “Infectors” series follow the actions of a mob of hundreds of people as they interrupt ordinary people in everyday situations. Every commercial ends with the message: “Knowledge is Contagious. Infect truth®.”
“Gummy Bears” captures a mob of 100 people invading a grocery store, ravenously tearing into bags of gummy bears and pouring them directly into their mouths in a feeding frenzy. The fact, "in 1997, a tobacco executive said cigarettes are addictive like gummy bears," shows up before the end title appears.
“Milk” shows the 100-person mob clearing the dairy aisle shelves of cartons and bottles of milk. After they are done, the shelves stand empty, save for one orange bottle. The host, using a bullhorn, tells the onlookers that "In 1996, one tobacco company said that drinking a glass or two of whole MILK a day is riskier than secondhand smoke. Second-hand smoke kills about 50,000 Americans a year."
In “Pepper” ten people dressed in orange HAZMAT suits rush in and surround some restaurant-goers about to eat some freshly ground pepper as a mob rushes through the restaurant screaming at the sight of the pepper. In the swarm, one of the HAZMAT crew members grabs the pepper mill. After the mob leaves and the restaurant begins to quiet down, the host, using a bullhorn, reveals the fact that "In 1996, one tobacco company claimed that second-hand smoke might be even less risky than eating pepper frequently. Second-hand smoke kills about 50,000 Americans a year. Still waiting on the number of people pepper killed last year."
In “Jogging” the 100-person mob slowly infiltrates an indoor track at a gym until it is filled with people jostling for position. Suddenly, the members of the mob fall down in unison, leaving the gym members to wonder what is going on. Two people enter the track and unfurl a banner that refers to the fact that, in 1997, a tobacco-industry scientist compared the addictiveness of cigarettes to jogging.
“Applesauce” also features a mob gone amuck, but this time referring to a 1983 incident in which a tobacco executive exclaimed that “anything can be considered harmful. Applesauce is harmful if you get too much of it.”
BACKGROUND ON THE truth® CAMPAIGN
truth®, launched in February 2000, is the largest national youth smoking prevention campaign and the only national campaign not directed by the tobacco industry. The campaign exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and the health effects and social consequences of smoking. truth® allows teens to make informed choices about tobacco use by giving them the facts about the industry and its products.
The American Legacy Foundation® is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the foundation develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation’s programs include truth®, a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth smoking; EX®, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use; and a nationally-renowned program of outreach to priority populations. The American Legacy Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. Visit http://www.americanlegacy.org/.
The American Legacy Foundation® is equipped with a VideoLink ReadyCam™ television studio system, providing you with faster, easier access to the nation’s leading tobacco prevention and cessation experts. From this in-house broadcast studio, Legacy can offer immediate access to its experts to comment on breaking news, new research publications, or any news related to youth smoking prevention, adult quit smoking programs, or any issue related to smoking. The studio is connected directly to the Vyvx fiber network and is always available for live or pre-taped interviews. To arrange an interview using the ReadyCam, please contact Julia Cartwright at 202-454-5596.
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Contact: Patricia McLaughlin, American Legacy Foundation, 202-454-5560, pmclaughlin@americanlegacy.org; Patricia O'Callaghan, the ad*itive, 215-525-1404, pocallaghan@ad-itive.com