NC’s First Spanish-Language Teen Tobacco Prevention TV Commercials.
March 12, 2004
The North Carolina Health & Wellness Trust Fund Commission, El Pueblo, Inc., a statewide non-profit group, and WUVC Univision 40, North Carolina’s first full-power Spanish language broadcast television station, are partnering to produce the state’s first ever Spanish-language teen tobacco prevention television ads.
The groundbreaking commercials are part of HWTFC’s TRU TV campaign. TRU stands for Tobacco Reality Unfiltered and is North Carolina’s first-ever statewide youth smoking prevention television campaign. The ads use hard-hitting N.C.-centric facts and features real teens telling personal stories about the dangers of teen tobacco use.
El Pubelo,Inc., a statewide non-profit advocacy and policy organization dedicated to strengthening the Latino community based in Raleigh, helped in selecting three girls and two boys between 15 and 19 years old to star in the “What’s It Gonna Take” / “¿Hasta Cuándo?” spots. The teens were selected because of their powerful and authentic testimonials and their charisma on camera.
The Spanish language spots will begin airing on WUVC Univision 40 in mid-April. The entire TRU TV campaign also launches in mid-April. The ads will also be featured on the TRU Website, RealityUnfiltered.com.
On March 13, several hundred teens statewide attended the Tobacco Use Prevention Youth Leadership Institute, at which the state’s first TRU TV spots and the new Web site debuted.
TRU TV is a multi-faceted integrated campaign including television, the Internet and grassroots activities. The TV spots will direct teen audiences to an interactive Web site (tobaccorealityunfiltered.com) that will feature more N.C. teens than just those showcased in the television campaign. The Web site will feature tobacco prevention messages and include information on how to get involved in the TRU movement, including future casting calls for additional TV spots open to all N.C. teens with stories to tell about the dangers of teen tobacco use.
Both the Spanish language spots and the English language spots will air in mid-April on TV stations that have strong teen audiences.
Capstrat, a strategic communications firm in Raleigh, and the HWTFC partnered with WUVC Univision 40 to produce the spots.
