Florida Anti-Tobacco Campaign Unveils Powerful New Ad That Dares to Ask, ``How Attached are You to Your Tongue?''
10/18/01
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 17, 2001--A vicious dog, a slather of barbecue sauce and a guy with a wild eye come together to create a shocking commercial that's brutally honest about the effects of chewing tobacco: it'll take your tongue, part
The Florida Department of Health's newest ``truth'' ad targets spit tobacco, the smokeless addiction that continues to be popular among those under 21 who mistakenly believe it is safer than smoking tobacco.
The commercial titled, ``Junkyard Dog,'' is now airing in North and Central Florida. The setting is a dusty junkyard, where a young man teases a dog, first by barking at him, then by slathering his tongue with barbecue sauce and sticking it through a hole in the fence separating them. The dog takes the bait. Heard in the background are the dog's lips smacking together, as the announcer asks, ``How attached are you to your tongue?''
It's a shocking and brutal reality that helps illustrate the equally devastating consequences of chew or spit tobacco, which contains high concentrations of cancer-causing agents that increase the cancer risk not only to the mouth but also the pharynx, larynx, and esophagus. The nicotine in chew tobacco - one dip or chew can contain one to five times as much as in one cigarette - is absorbed directly into the bloodstream, making for a quick and powerful addiction.
To raise awareness among youth about the dangers of spit tobacco, the Florida Department of Health has also developed an educational brochure that's distributed through schools. A spit tobacco poster is due out this fall. County health departments are also conducting grass-roots awareness campaigns with youth in their communities.
Overall, smokeless tobacco use declined by 57% among middle school students and 19% among high school students from 1998 to 2001. However, middle and high school boys are more likely than their female counterparts to use smokeless tobacco. The 2001 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey showed that 8.5 percent of male high school students and 4.5 percent of male middle school students reported using smokeless tobacco. Consumption rates also vary widely by region, with the highest prevalence rate (those reporting using smokeless tobacco one or more times in the past 30 days) found in the Panhandle; the lowest rate in the Dade/Monroe regions.
``Junkyard Dog'' is the latest commercial created by Crispin, Porter + Bogusky Advertising for the Florida anti-tobacco ``truth'' campaign. ``Truth'' is a teen-inspired and teen-driven brand and includes advertising using the same production values and edgy humor that commercial marketers use to reach teens. Truth aims to be a dependable source of real facts and information on the harmful effect of tobacco use and the manipulative marketing tactics of tobacco companies. For more information, visit: http://www.wholetruth.com.