Tobacco Counteradvertising

Tobacco- Contereductring Get ready for advertising's biggest-ever campaign to get people not to buy some- thing. A huge ad drive intended to keep kids from smoking made its debut on television last night, the opening salvo in the largest, most richly funded public-health crusade in U.S. history. The campaign is being fi- nanced with $1.5 billion from the 1998 legal settlement between tobacco companies and all 50 states. The first of the antismoking pitches is Antismoking Ads Aimed at Teens Hit TV shot in the extreme-sports style often used into uncharted territory. taking on a prod- these days to sell soft drinks to teens. It uct that is legal, used by about 23% of Amer- stars a trio of bungee-jumping kids, the ican adults and promoted with billions of first two of whom dive off a bridge, hurtle dollars in tobacco-company marketing downward, grab a can of soda from the muscle. The antismoking campaign is pro- ground and drink it as they shoot skyward ceeding on a scale that will dwarf AIDS ed- again on their bungee cords. ucation and efforts to combat drunk dri- When the third jumper opens his can, ving. It will even outspend the govern- however, it explodes, turning him into a ball ment's high-profile antidrug campaign. of flame in midair. An onscreen message The focus, initially, is on keeping kids reads: "Only one product actually kills a from lighting up. About 3,000 children start third of the people who use it. Tobacco.' smoking every day, and about a third of The ad, and others that will follow them will die of smoking-related diseases, within weeks, are part of a larger effort or- according to U.S. public-health statistics. chestrated by a nonprofit group called the American But Dr. Healton said the campaign will Legacy soon expand to include messages encour- Foundation, which aging smokers to quit and warning of the wants to change the dangers of second-hand smoke. She said way Americans think about tobacco. The another important mission is creating a po- foundation plans to litical climate conducive to enacting greater restrictions on tobacco sales. employ all the American Legacy's youth strategy weapons of modern mimics a program launched by the state of marketing-from TV, Florida in 1998. The program is credited radio and magazine with reducing smoking among teenagers advertising to the Internet and grass-roots in the state by nearly 10%. The architect of organizing-t discourage smoking. the Florida program, which pioneered the The centerpiece of the strategy is to concept of "counterbranding" and suc- build an alternative "brand" for cessfully organized thousands of teens to teenagers-named "Truth"- that will campaign against tobacco companies. was compete with the cigarette makers' iconic Charles A. Wolfe, now American Legacy's Marlboro, Camel and Lucky Strike brands. chief operating officer. Crispin Porter & "We want to create a brand that, over the Bogusky of Miami, which handles the long haul, kids can relate to," says Pete Fa- Florida campaign, is one of American vat, executive vice president of Arnold Com- Legacy's ad agencies. munications, the foundation's lead agency. Preventing smoking is a tough sell. There are limits, however, on how far "Kids use tobacco for the same reasons American Legacy can go. Under the terms they pierce their ears or dye their hair,' of the tobacco settlement, the foundation's says Jeff Hicks, president of Crispin ads can't include "any personal attack on, Porter. "They're trying to make a state- or vilification of" any individual, company ment to their friends and their parents that or government agency. The chair of the they in control of their life.' The Florida foundation's board, Christine 0. Gregoire, campaign has succeeded, he said, by chan- the attorney general of Washington state, neling teenagers' natural rebelliousness has ordered that some ads be changed to into a revolt against cigarette makers, in make sure that they follow the rules set part by portraying them as manipulative down in the settlement agreement. and out to get kids. Some of American Legacy's spots also A similar approach may be in the cards have been questioned by TV-network cen- for the national campaign. American sors. Of the Big Three broadcast networks. Legacy's ad agencies were recently in New only NBC has approved American Legacy York to shoot a series of future spots at the ads so far, says Dr. Cheryl Healton, chief Park Avenue headquarters of Philip Mor- executive of the Washington-based Ameri- ris, the nation's largest cigarette maker. A can Legacy. Dr. Healton says she hopes film crew showed up in the lobby of the com- ABC and CBS will agree to air the ads soon. pany's building with a lie-detector machine "We're confident we're going to be on the and tried to interview employees. The ad air everywhere we need to be,' she said. agencies also stacked body bags on the side- In many ways, the foundation is headed walks outside the building and filmed them. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 8, 2000