Truth, the national youth smoking prevention campaign, is preparing to launch its annual summer tour–truth Orange–designed to connect with young people in their own communities and counteract the marketing and manufacturing tactics of the tobacco industry.
This year’s grassroots initiative will travel across the country with the most heavily attended summer tours ranging from the mainstream to the culturally diverse. Kicking off June 10, this summer’s program will include participation at the AND 1 Mix Tape Tour (22 stops) and the Vans Warped Tour (43 stops) and will visit 69 cities in 32 states.
More than 17 truth crew members will participate, traveling with trademark “truth trucks” rigged with DJ decks, video monitors and gaming systems. The truth crew will provide anti-tobacco messages in cool settings, engaging in peer-to-peer communication.
Each stop will feature impromptu rap sessions, join-in free-style demos and giveaways of popular truth gear including hats, T-shirts and sunscreen. Scratch lessons will be available through the Scratch DJ Academy.
Giveaway gear for this year’s tour also includes a limited-edition run of T-shirts designed by pop culture favorites Mr. Cartoon, Typestereo and Michael Leon.
The summer program will roll out online at www.thetruth.com (http://www.mcb3.com/click.asp?x=16574.3338.980231 ), which receives approximately 400,000 visitors per month. A truth radio campaign, which will run in key tour markets, will also promote event stops.
Arnold Worldwide, Boston, and Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami, are responsible for the design and gear for the summer program. GTM…It means a lot, manages truth crew recruiting and operations and the ad*itive, a cultural marketing communications company, oversees p.r. Mobile Media Enterprises, Atlanta, provides all logistical and asset support.
Truth is run by the American Legacy Foundation, which is also launching its Bob Quits campaign today in its hometown of Washington, DC.
Chronicling the story of one man’s struggle to quit smoking, Bob Quits is a reality-based ad campaign that follows the life and quit attempt of Bob, an “Everyman” who is trying to quit smoking.
The style and nature of the campaign borrows heavily from the genre of reality television as cameras capture a real-life smoker as he contemplates quitting smoking, makes a plan to stop, and carries out this plan in his everyday life.
When the campaign ran in the New York City area in February, more than 130,000 people visited the Bob Quits Web site (www.bobquits.com (http://www.mcb3.com/click.asp?x=16573.3338.980231 )) to track Bob’s daily progress and learn more about how to quit smoking successfully.
Including the Web site, tactical components of the campaign include TV, outdoor and print ads. Austin, TX-based GSD&M, the American Legacy Foundation’s AOR for cessation work, produced the creative for the Bob Quits campaign.
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