Methods of an innovative social branding program to reach rural teens in Vermont & Virginia

Background: Rural teens are more likely to use tobacco, including chew and cigarettes. Anti-tobacco mass media and policy appear to be less successful at reaching this population. Research is needed to understand how to effectively reach rural teens.

Methods: Focus groups (FG) were conducted with teens at local high schools in Vermont (FG=8, n=82) and Virginia (FG=6, n=56). Participants were surveyed on personal values, tobacco prevention facts, and responded to a variety of existing tobacco control campaigns. Qualitative analysis focused on understanding differences between urban and rural teens in these two states. A new Social Branding campaign called “Down and Dirty” (D&D) was developed to reach these teens. The research, development of the campaign, and experiences from implementation in two states will be reviewed. Examples of youth engagement will be shared, and campaign elements including social media, brand ambassador trainings, sponsored events, video events, radio, and TV ads will be reviewed and dissected.

Results. “Rural country peer crowd” teens identify with a lifestyle embodied by living outdoors, hunting, and engaging in “mudding” events in their trucks. Past counter-tobacco marketing campaigns have been ignored within this group. Teens are highly skeptical of the source of ad messages and are more likely to believe a message if it comes from a peer. The new D&D campaign has engaged over 14,000 youth on Facebook and over 75,000 on Youtube in just 1 year. Comments from these youth online reflect the barriers discovered during the formative research including a resistance to messages that blame the tobacco industry and that victimize youth. In response, comprehensive online conversation protocols have been developed to focus conversations on more relevant topics including personal responsibility and family protectiveness.

Conclusions. Although still in its early stages, the targeted D&D campaign has reached an audience untapped by past generalized campaigns in both VT and VA. An online analysis shows a significant number of conversions in which teens respond positively to personal responsibility and family protectiveness tobacco control messages after initially responding negatively to tobacco prevention in general. In comparison to previous generally targeted teen campaigns in both states, the D&D campaign has grown faster and more cost effectively, with a higher risk and more engaged audience. Campaigns like D&D show promise as a strategy to target the underserved rural country teen peer crowd in an effective and cost efficient way.