» Client: American Legacy Foundation, a D.C.-based national nonprofit focused on youth smoking prevention
» Job: Update the organization’s well-known anti-smoking “truth” campaign — an ongoing, in-your-face series of documentary-style ads aimed at 12- to 17-year-olds — with new television, print and radio public service announcements.
» Agency: Arnold Worldwide in Boston and Crispin Porter and Bogusky in Miami.
» Theme: Arnold and Crispin turned teen slang into a tagline for the campaign’s central theme. The agencies invented a word, “whudafxup?”, to essentially ask teens what’s up with tobacco marketing? The question-as-tagline — which, according to the American Legacy Foundation, is a common phrase used by today’s teens — is used to point out the “absurdities” of tobacco company marketing in a language teens — especially the most at-risk teens — can understand.
“Our latest campaign seeks to highlight the absurdities of tobacco industry marketing,” said Cheryl Healton, president and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation. “The ‘truth’ campaign’s success stems from its ability to consistently reach teens in their own language, and that’s exactly what we do with our new campaign — speak to teens in their own vernacular.”
» The concept: The latest ad in the “truth” campaign, called “Zephyr,” features an interview with an oncologist. The 20-something interviewer asks the doctor how to cure “zephyr.” When the confused doctor doesn’t have an answer, the interviewer explains that “zephyr” — which means “a gentle breeze” — is the code word the tobacco industry used for cancer. The ad closes with the campaign’s tagline splashed across the screen. A second television spot features the same interviewer in a mattress store discussing one tobacco exec’s proposal to ban sleep. Print ads feature marketing claims and tactics that tobacco companies have used in the past, such as suggesting drinking two glasses of whole milk a day is riskier than being around secondhand smoke.
» The plan: A slew of “truth” public service announcements, which are funded by thepayouts from the 1998 landmark tobacco companies settlement, have aired since 2000. The latest ads launched in May with a companion Web site. The Web site’s address is also the campaign’s tagline. The television commercials are airing on networks with youth appeal, such as MTV, BET and Comedy Central. Print ads are appearing in magazines such as Cosmo Girl and Vibe.
» Creative team: Eddy Moretti, TV director; Alex Bogusky and Pete Favat, chief creative officers; Tom Adams and John Kearse, creative directors; John Parker, Mike Costello, Arnie Presiado, Colin Jeffrey and Meghan Siegal, art directors; Evan Fry, Marc Einhorn and Kaelan Richards, copy writers; Chris Kyriakos, TV producer; Linda Donlon, print producer; Kathy McMann, art producer; Eric Rasco, radio producer; Meg Siegal, Chris Valencius and Neal Bessen, Web designers; Barry Frechette, Web producer; Ebbey Mathew, Web programmer; Chris Teso, Web Flash programmer; Cindy Moon, Web Flash animator; Melissa Goldstein and Joe Antonuccio, Web information architects.
» Team ages: 25 to 45
» Background: Co-collaborators Arnold Worldwide and Crispin Porter and Bogusky have many high-profile corporations as clients, such as Jack Daniel’s, Vonage and Fidelity for Arnold; and Coca-Cola, Miller Lite and Volkswagen for Crispin Porter.
» Working on next: Ongoing work with multiple clients, including American Legacy Foundation.
