truth: campaigns I love

As far as large scale social marketing campaigns are concerned, especially in the field of health where most of my interested tend to lay, there are some campaigns that I love right now and have loved for some time.

truth

After the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998, where the four biggest US tobacco companies were forced to shell out $300 million/year for five years to the Public Education Fund, the American Legacy Foundation, an anti-smoking advocacy group was established, thus creating truth.

2007 ad

2006 ad

2008 ad

Most recent 2009 Ads

Reasons why I adore this campaign:

• It worked, there is data, it worked.
• It's tongue in cheek.
• It appeals to a teen sense of rebellion against "the man" with "the man" being Big Tobacco full of deception and big big lies, only out for a profit. (As opposed to being rebellious by smoking.)
• The campaign segmented the population really targeting 12-17, to prevent new uptake of smoking and create negative attitudes towards big tobacco.
• Within this group they targeted to those that were open to smoking as opposed to smoking, and thus appealed to sensation seeking youth, who get bored easily as see rebelling against authority as cool (where they positioned as Big Tobacco as the authority figure as opposed to parents & teachers telling them to not smoke, as Big Tobacco did in there own anti-smoking campaigns for elementary age children that actually increased tobacco uptake and created more positive attitudes towards big tobacco).
• This campaign lets teens own their own decision, from a teen voice.
• Finally a health campaign used BRANDING, to make itself memorable and effective.
• Again, it worked!

A sad truth:

Once those five years passed, there was a lot less funding for the truth campaign, and even though it still exists, it's not nearly as prominent as it used to be.

Check out the website too. It's snarky and interactive, and full of information.