THE TRUTH ANTI-TOBACCO CAMPAIGN
CLIENT
American Legacy Foundation
CONNECT
For over a decade the truth® campaign—now known as the truth® initiative—elevated the youth of today by enlisting talents across a wide variety of lifestyles and cultures in an active stance throughout the campaigns branded message. From the start, truth® knew that its main key to success would be a desired product that would intrinsically spawn a deeper, more meaningful connection with the young minds of the generation at hand. They wanted their message to always be alive, ever evolving and relevant throughout current trends and popular culture.
COLLABORATE
Before the advent of smartphones and social media, KTC masterfully created an incredible nationwide campaign that grew into a viral global sensation due the impact its presence made across broadcast media. To support this campaign KTC sought out the brightest and most magnetic youth of the time—out of the 2,500 U.S. applicants, KTC handpicked only 1%. Once selected these 25 millennials were carefully trained as brand ambassadors for truth®, touring on a live music and extreme sports extravaganza that truth® still uses as a blueprint for success to this day. KTC ensured that the truth® platform empowered the ebullience of its brand ambassadors to be captured and repurposed into branded content for the cutting-edge cable and satellite network FUSE TV.
ACTIVATE
Achieved during a time when the top three social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were non-existent, KTC’s avant-garde marketing strategies created a peer-to-peer connection that would rival the followings of today’s social media trends. These strategies became a cornerstone of the truth® campaign impacting the lives of over 300K teens—reducing teenage smoking by 33%. KTC delivered truth®’s message in formats that were highly palpable and relatable to millennials. Using KTC’s blueprint the truth® campaign achieved over 8 million meaningful peer-to-peer connections over the course of a decade. The campaign amassed more than 100,000 emails of millennials wanting a deeper involvement and role in future promotions. KTC professionally distributed over half a million branded premiums accentuating truth®’s presence across broadcast media and live events. Our content created a socially forward presence for the truth® brand resulting in FUSE TV’s highest-rated show in 2007.