Florida’s "Truth" campaign from Crispin Porter+Bogusky, Miami, continues to prove effective in helping to reduce teen smoking in the state. That’s the bottom-line conclusion of the latest Florida Anti-Tobacco Media Evaluation (FAME) survey, recently released by the Florida Department of Health, Division of Health Awareness and Tobacco. The survey team was led by Florida State University professor David Sly, a senior media evaluation consultant at the Centers for Disease Control.
Ninety-four percent of the 1,810 Florida youngsters surveyed, ages 12-17, said they were aware of the "Truth" campaign. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said the TV spots have prompted them to think about whether or not they should smoke; and one-third have talked about the ads with their friends.
In 1998, when monitoring began for tobacco use among Florida youth, 27.4 percent of high school students and 18.5 percent of middle school students were cigarette smokers. By ’00, those rates declined to 22.6 percent among high school students and 11.1 percent in middle school, according to the latest statistics from the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Epidemiology.
"The ‘Truth’ [campaign’s] edgy humor and rebelliousness against Big Tobacco’s marketing tactics appear to have worked with teens," observed Sly. "There can be no doubt of the success of the television program or its role in the downward trend of teen smoking rates."
The positive results take on added significance in light of another recent, separate finding by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): that cigarette advertising and promotions have increased significantly after 48 states in the U.S. settled lawsuits with tobacco companies in ’97 and ’98. Ironically, the "Truth" campaign is part of an overall Florida anti-smoking push which was funded by the ’97 settlement. The ’98 agreement between states and the tobacco companies imposed phased-in restrictions on the cigarette business, including limits on the use of outdoor advertising and the distribution of free samples. But Big Tobacco has been aggressively promoting to keep smoking a habit.
According to the FTC, the five largest cigarette manufacturers spent $8.2 billion on advertising and promotion, largely in retail stores and through sporting-event sponsorship, during ’99. That represents a 22 percent increase over the total in ’98. And the ’99 tally is the largest (not considering inflation) since the FTC began tracking such expenditures in ’67.
According to Sly, there is emerging evidence that industry promotional advertising is creating a backlash by teenagers against tobacco companies. But the big money being poured into ad/marketing coffers—or is that coffins?—by Big Tobacco is cause for concern. In fact, the FTC’s latest report has helped to fuel support for proposed legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products.
In an Associated Press report, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), co-sponsor of this bill, is quoted as saying: "Big tobacco is blowing smoke in our kids’ faces in an effort to hide the truth. The FTC data shows that the tobacco industry has changed—for the worse. Congress must hold their feet to the fire." Harkin contended that the way to do that is "to pass common-sense bipartisan legislation to protect our kids."
The value of legislative intervention—and what form it should take—may be subject to debate. But, clearly, the anti-tobacco campaigns in states throughout the country remain necessary and relevant.
