The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #45053

Doug Evans, PhD, Prospect Associates, 10720 Columbia Pike, Suite 500, Silver Spring, MD 20901, 301/592-2215, Devans@prospectassoc.com

The truthsm campaign is the largest national mass media campaign ever designed to reduce the prevalence of smoking among youth. The initial strategy behind the campaign was to build a truthsm brand that would compete with tobacco industry brands and, in effect, take market share away from the tobacco industry. Youth who adopted the brand would choose not to smoke, and through their choices and influence on their peers would change the social norms relating to tobacco use, which would lead to reductions in smoking prevalence among youth.

The truthsm brand seeks to “inoculate” youth against tobacco by developing protective factors to counter the attributes of “open-to-smoking” teens that expose them to smoking risks. By developing a sense of control over their lives through brand affiliation and by participating in the movement against tobacco industry manipulation, teens would have a clear-cut replacement for smoking. They would form positive social images of not smoking and prefer a non-smoking lifestyle. They would have a better brand.

We explore the truthsm brand, describe brand equity scales developed by the authors, and present branding data gathered from a national survey of 12-24 year olds. We conclude that the truthsm branding strategy is innovative, offers broad lessons regarding health risk behaviors, and is an effective social marketing strategy. Moreover, brand equity can help to explain campaign effectiveness. Participants will learn about the truthsm branding strategy, how to measure brand equity in a behavior or lifestyle, and applications of behavioral branding.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.The basic components of the truthsm branding strategy,
• 2.Measures of behavioral brand equity, and
• 3.Findings from a national survey of truthsm brand equity.

Keywords: Tobacco, Media Campaigns

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.