Public Health Education Campaigns
Rooted in science, FDA’s tobacco public education campaigns are critical to our public health mission. FDA focuses on audiences with a higher risk of using tobacco products and uses media campaigns with dynamic advertising to convince youth to not use tobacco. To maximize the impact on public health and address the high usage rates, FDA is prioritizing e-cigarette prevention campaigns for youth.
Today, e-cigarette use among youth remains high and e-cigarettes are the most commonly used product among youth. FDA is focusing its prevention efforts to reduce youth use of e-cigarettes through “The Real Cost” campaign.
Campaign Program Evolution
- 2014: “The Real Cost” campaign launched with cigarette prevention messages to reach youth.
- 2015: The “Fresh Empire” cigarette prevention campaign launched to reach African American, Hispanic, and Asian American/Pacific Islander youth.
- 2016: “The Real Cost” campaign expanded to include smokeless tobacco prevention messages for rural male youth.
- 2016: The “This Free Life” campaign launched to prevent and reduce cigarette smoking among LGBTQ+ young adults.
- 2017: FDA prioritized e-cigarette prevention messages due to high usage rates among youth and launched “The Real Cost” e-cigarette campaign.
- 2018: The “Every Try Counts” campaign launched to reach smokers in 35 U.S. counties with high adult smoking rates and encourage them to quit.
- 2020: FDA sunset “The Real Cost” Smokeless, “Fresh Empire,” “This Free life,” and “Every Try Counts” campaigns to focus on youth e-cigarette prevention.
- 2022: FDA launches the “Next Legends” campaign designed to reach American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth.
Today: FDA continues to prioritize e-cigarette prevention messages while maintaining cigarette prevention efforts for youth. FDA also develops adult cessation resources for local organizations.
Current Public Education Campaigns
The Real Cost
FDA’s award-winning public education campaign, “The Real Cost,” continues to prevent youth from tobacco initiation and use. In 2017, the campaign began prioritizing e-cigarette prevention messaging to combat increasing use of e-cigarettes among youth. “The Real Cost” campaign also educates youth on the health consequences of smoking cigarettes.
Next Legends
"Next Legends" is a new tobacco prevention campaign geared toward American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth, ages 12–17. Research has shown AI/AN youth demonstrate higher tobacco prevalence rates as compared to the overall U.S. youth population, and are disproportionately affected by tobacco use, including tobacco-related disease and death.
Past Public Education Campaigns
From 2015 through 2020, FDA implemented several media campaigns to reach discrete audiences and address specific tobacco product usage. These campaigns have ended, and lessons learned from each campaign continue to be incorporated in current campaigns and public education efforts.
- Fresh Empire
Prevented cigarette use among African American, Hispanic, and Asian American/Pacific Islander youth ages 12-17 who identify with hip-hop culture. - This Free Life
Prevented cigarette use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) young adults ages 18-24. - Every Try Counts
Encouraged adult cigarette smokers to quit through messages of support that underscore the health benefits of quitting. - The Real Cost Smokeless Tobacco
Prevented smokeless tobacco use among rural male youth ages 12-17.