Truth

Pat Grossmann

08 Jan 2022

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Background

Originally developed by the Florida Tobacco Program in 1998, the “truth” campaign has since transformed into a widescale multimedia campaign comprising of extensive TV and digital advertising, as well as forms of guerilla marketing and merchandising. The campaign is run and managed by Truth Initiative (formerly known as the American Legacy Foundation.)

The campaign’s messaging attempts to align itself with US adolescents by encouraging them to construct their own opinions and identities in relation to smoking, and is careful not to directly tell adolescents not to smoke. “Truth” largely achieves this by utilizing countermaketing techniques, such as presenting hard-hitting facts about the consequences of smoking and highlighting various deceptive tactics used by the tobacco industry. The campaign upholds a rebellious tone in order to appeal to adolescents when asserting themselves against the tobacco indsutry.

In 2018, the Truth Initiative collaborated with the US Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Ad Council to develop The Truth About Opioids campaign to prevent and reduce opioid misuse among youth and adolescents.

… when we can get a young person to start internalizing and nodding their head and spreading that message for us, that’s really powerful. So we relaunched our effort, our Truth Campaign with this notion of “Be the generation to end smoking; you can do it,” with the phrase “Finish it!” And that’s what we’re doing.
Robin Koval, Truth Initiative CEO and President.
[Source: www.denver-frederick.com]

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Implementation and funding

“Truth” is funded by Truth Initiative, a nonprofit public health organization and parent company of the “truth” campaign. The Truth Initiative (formerly the American Legacy Foundation) was created from the US Master Settlement Agreement litigation settlement in 1998.

Results

According to Truth Initiative, the “truth” campaign has prevented 2.5 million young people from becoming smokers between 2015 and 2018.^Source
“Truth” has directly reached over 5 million young people in the US. ^Source
The campaign has left an impression, with 75% of US youth surveyed (aged 12-17) able to accurately describe at least one “truth” ad (in 2009).^Source
“Truth” has been effective in changing perceptions of smoking, with youth exposed to the “truth” campaign 66% more likely to say they likely to say they would not smoke in the coming year.^Source

Video and collateral examples

_{Image source: www.adsoftheworld.com/media/print/truth_you}

Active social media channels

Resources

Resources are available on the Truth Initiative website: https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources.

Research and studies

Sustaining ‘truth’: changes in youth tobacco attitudes and smoking intentions after 3 years of a national antismoking campaign (2008) – Link
The truth Campaign: Using Countermarketing to Reduce Youth Smoking (2010) – Link
The Effect of Branding to Promote Healthy Behavior: Reducing Tobacco Use among Youth and Young Adults (2017) – Link
Estimating the Pathways of an Antitobacco Campaign (2018) – Link
Effects of the truth FinishIt brand on tobacco outcomes (2018) – Link

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