Tobacco-Free Collaborative Creates
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Dance, party, enjoy time with friends, but don’t light up in my house. That’s the message behind the San Jose Tobacco-Free Collaborative’s 30-second television commercial that aired on MTV and MUN2 on Comcast Cable in San Jose nearly 300 times over the summer. The commercial, produced in English and Spanish, also encourages young people to question the tobacco industry and its unscrupulous marketing tactics. The spot opens with a room full of teens dancing at a crowded party. The camera zeros in on a partygoer who puts a cigarette to her mouth and is about to light it when the music scratches to a stop. As the room falls silent, and the teens all glare at her, the host says, “Hey, what are you doing? You can’t light that in here. We all got to breathe the air too.” After a brief interchange, another teen warns her about the tobacco industry. “They get us addicted while we’re young. Don’t buy their lies,” she tells her. “What about you? Are you buyin’ it?” the host asks as he points into the camera. Nearly 70 teens crowded onto the dance floor to film the spot, shot on location at a house in San Jose. It took the better part of an afternoon to get all the necessary footage, which surprised many of the teens. “I couldn’t believe it took so long to shoot,” said Luis Ruiz, who played the host. “When I looked around the room I saw nothing but teenagers. It was a good feeling and I met a lot of new people.” The spot was the brainchild of Hewitt Joyner III, Project Unity director at the American Lung Association of Santa Clara-San Benito Counties, the lead agency for the Tobacco-Free Collaborative. He came up with idea of using a party as the backdrop for a commercial about smoking. “We have to figure out new ways to get to the tobacco industry’s
target audience, which is our youth,” Joyner said. “This
is one of the most effective ways to educate and empower our youth to
make a conscience decision not to smoke.” To view the 30-second spot, click here. Click here for Spanish version of the commerical |
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Tobacco-Free Collaborative © 2005 All Rights Reserved |
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