Exploring The “Sunny Side” Of Tobacco Use (NAPSA)—Thelatest phase of a public health educational campaign popular with teens takes a satirical look at just how “positive”—and misleading—tobacco industry actions can be. The American Legacy Foundation’s “Sunny Side of truth” campaign is designed to help teens thinkfirst about the consequences of their choices before deciding to smoke. This year, the truth youth smoking prevention campaign will be using music, dancing, animation and online features to expose the marketing practices of tobacco companies, and to highlight the toll of tobacco use. truth, launched in February 2000, is the largest national youth smoking prevention campaign and the only national campaign not directed by the tobacco industry. The campaign exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction and the health effects and social consequences of smoking. Television ads from the latest campaign, the Sunny Side of truth, unfold in a similar way to previous truth ads—with young people on the streets doing stunts such as gathering in front of a tobacco industry headquarters building. But then the spots continue in a darkly humorous fashion. When the young people consider a tobacco fact—like the fact that the industry manipulates the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to create and sustain addiction— singing and dancing musical num- bers break out. Despite the playful and sunny musical diversion, the ads deliver a strong, anti-tobacco message and illuminate facts about tobacco. In reality, there is no “sunny side” to the issue of tobacco use, when more than 400,000 ieen pesticides ee The truth behind the deceptive messages found in tobacco advertising is parodied in a new campaign. Americans die each year from tobacco-related diseases, and the tobacco industry continues to use questionable practices in promoting and marketingits products. The television spots will be supported by a new Web site design and profiles on popular social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, hi 5 and Xanga. Thetruth.com Web site will feature applications that allow teens to interact with each other, play games, download wallpaper and screensavers and share informatiopn related to tobacco and truth. One such feature is “The Useful Cigarette” where visitors learn how the ingredients found in cigarettes and cigarette smoke can also be found in such common household products as toilet bowl cleaner and nail polish remover, or even rocketfuel. On the big screen, “Sunny Side of truth will also be seen on more than 14,000 movie screens in all 50 states. Radio ads will support the campaign in the summer months, as a grassroots tour makes its way across the country with popular music events like the VANSWarped Tour.
