The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has come up with numerous anti-smoking adverts and campaigns that specifically target certain groups and ages. The fight against tobacco use in teens is one of the FDA's important fights.
To be able to reach to the wide audience of young teenagers the FDA is using the power of hip-hop to send out a message to the African-American teenage community.
Statistics have shown the there is a higher tobacco consumption in young teens nowadays, especially teens in the minority groups. The ad that is targeted at young adults aged 12 to 17.
The FDA ad will use the power of hip-hop to persuade the young minority teens to quit smoking or better yet to never start at all. A study also revealed that most teens who identify themselves with hip-hop were more likely to smoke.
"Unfortunately, the health burdens of tobacco use disproportionately affect minority teens particularly African American and Hispanic youth," Jonca Bull, M.D., the FDA's Assistant Commissioner for Minority Health, said.
"Fresh Empire" is FDA's given title to the advert and it features artists who believe in reinforcing the thought to the teens that tobacco is not part of the hip-hop lifestyle.
"Keep it fresh. Live tobacco free." The straightforward message of the advert represents.
The ad aims to deliver empowerment to teens that they are able to choose a good and sends a real world message that tobacco kills.
The ad campaign costs $128 million and will run on nationally on television next week. It will be launched on Oct. 13 in conjunction with the 2015 BET hip-hop award. The BET award is a great way to spread the message.
The FDA is hopeful that this will reach many of the teens in America today, not only the minorities but the majority as well.
