U.S. Food & Drug Administration launches hip hop tobacco free youth campaign (FDA)
Posted on
On October 13, 2015 the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) launches its national public education campaign to prevent and reduce tobacco use among multicultural who identify with the hip-hop peer crowd—a group that is often hard to reach and frequently exposed to pro-tobacco images and messages. The FDA is focusing on the hip-hop peer crowd because research estimates that they are more likely to use tobacco than other youth.
The FDA’s “Fresh Empire” campaign, which targets youth ages 12–17, works to associate living tobacco-free with a hip-hop lifestyle through a variety of interactive marketing strategies, including the use of traditional paid media, engagement through multiple digital platforms, and outreach at the local level. The ads and local events feature community influencers who reinforce that tobacco use is not a part of the hip-hop lifestyle.
The ads will air nationally for the first time in conjunction with the October 13 2015 BET Hip-Hop Awards.