The new commercial, which has already started to air, is called "Target." It is a frenetic montage of modern and vintage footage. Dark images are juxtaposed against brighter images of everyday places where the tobacco industry targets youth, like concerts, school parking lots and skate parks.
The campaign intends to reach youth who are at the greatest risk for smoking with a clear, persuasive, impactful message that helps them understand how Big Tobacco tries to manipulate them.
The ads are intended to be hard-hitting, serious, and a bit disturbing because research shows these tactics are the most effective in preventing youth smoking.
It is important for youth to realize that tobacco is unglamorous, causes cancerous tumors, wrinkles and disease.
Efforts like this new campaign have resulted in a 34 percent decrease in youth smoking since 1999.
The tobacco industry spends $60 million each year in Utah peddling their poisons to youth.
Big Tobacco loses 1,200 customers in the U.S. each day due to tobacco caused disease, so they target youth to become replacement smokers in order to maintain profits.
Ninety percent of adult smokers begin lighting up before age 19 and one in three will eventually die of their addiction.
For more information and resources visit www.fighttheugly.com.
