SITUATION ANALYSIS
Smoking among youth in Orange County is on the rise. The results of our survey conducted at
Rosary High School concluded that 76 percent of the students there believe the majority of Orange County youth use tobacco because of the "coolness factor." After looking extensively to see what other anti-tobacco activities had been done in the past, Ash decided to create an event that was entirely different from the candle light vigil held in 1998. We wanted to create a visual event that would capture the media's attention and do so in a highly visible venue. Not only did we want our event to be unique and creative, but it also had to target youth. ASH and the IC chose to put on a fashion show that would incorporate model teens who don't smoke as a vehicle to represent what's fashionable and what's not. A fashion show would prove to be media savvy while conveying compelling messages against smoking. Hence the first Model Teens Kick Butts fashion show was created.
Orange County is a very image and health conscious area. There is a great deal of wealth in Orange County with many young people who have money to spend on fashion, entertainment and food. There is also a great emphasis on sports and outdoor activities. The Block at Orange in Orange County, Calif., is a new outdoor mall that is setting a trend for future California shopping venues. The mall is has a very urban attitude that is targeted toward youth. It has a multitude of trend-setting stores offering fashions geared toward young people. The Block is complete with a state-of-the-art skateboard park, theme restaurants and a 30-theater movie complex, all of which draw participants and spectators from across the country. The Block is where kids go to see and be seen.
Due to The Block's outdoor environment, many youth are able to smoke while they shop and hang-out. It is the central meeting place where kids from Orange County go to have fun and be with their friends. For this reason, we chose The Block for the location of our Kick Butts Day event. Based on local media coverage, it is clear that The Block is very involved in its community. One of the mall's key activities is a campaign honoring local heroes. Seeing the parallels between our objectives and their own, the management of The Block was in full support of our Model Teens Kick Butts Fashion show.
Working with the IC of Rosary enabled us to design an event to change young people's perception of smoking and show them why it is "not cool" to smoke. The Model Teens Kick Butts fashion show was designed to reposition youth's perception of what is and isn't attractive to teens. We planned to accomplish this through the use of model teens, hip clothing, trendy music and powerful anti-smoking messages. The models would show their peers how to be "cool" without smoking.
ADVOCACY/EVENT PLANNING
From the time ASH enlisted the IC as advocates against youth smoking, the girls were excited to be part of the National Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The Kick Butts fashion show took months of preparation by each girl of the IC. The IC had to develop five committees that consisted of media, fashion, technical, outreach and sponsorship. This division was necessary in order for the girls to focus on all elements of the fashion show. Within these committees, we held workshops to teach the girls the basic requirements needed to be effective within their committee. ASH held weekly meetings with the IC to brainstorm ideas to create a spectacular event. One of the ideas the IC had for the fashion show was to kick off the event with a Japanese drum corps that would draw a large audience toward the stage. The IC wanted to show their audience at The Block that smoking is "not cool" through the use of creative skits and powerful messages.
To publicize the event, the IC designed Model Teens Kick Butts T-shirts and bracelets. The T-shirts and bracelets were worn during Kick Butts week and handed out during the fashion show.
Another publicity tactic was the creation of a video news release (VNR) that portrayed the sincerity of the girls desire to be advocates against smoking.
The IC researched 18 various elementary and middle schools to see which schools were in the local area. The girls wrote letters and visited each school to ask for participation in their Banner and Chant contest. This contest required from each school, a specific anti-tobacco message to be created on a large banner accompanied by an anti-tobacco chant. The winners of the contest were provided with funds to be used for further ongoing advocacy programs within their schools. As part of the IC's advocacy, several girls went to local schools and presented an educational segment that focused on the dangers and current issues of youth smoking. In an effort to raise money the IC sold candy and Servite High School in Anaheim, Calif., (brother school to Rosary) with tobacco facts and invitations to the fashion show printed on the candy labels. In an effort to lobby the Mayor of Fullerton to declare April 14, 1999 as National Kick Butts Day, the IC distributed a petition among its school to acquire signatures. The IC was successful in its attempts because they received over 400 signatures of students in favor of the proclamation. In addition, the IC also made anti-tobacco posters that were hung at Rosary and Servite. These posters detailed the subversive tactics that the tobacco companies use in its deceitful advertising that is targeted toward youth.
In an effort to draw as many people to the event as possible, the IC wanted local celebrities to head the fashion show who are positive role models. They selected Mayor Joanne Coontz of Orange because she acts as the voice of Orange County. She used her power to solidify the IC's anti-smoking messages. As a healthy athlete, Vince Ferragamo, former Los Angeles Rams quarterback was chosen because Orange County youth look up to him.
ONE WEEK BEFORE THE BIG EVENT
- Our client Camille Rustia lands a five-minute interview on KOCE-TV Channel 50 voicing her message that it is no longer fashionable to smoke while plugging the Model Teens Kick Butts fashion show.
- Our Bateman team was invited to a televised Orange City Council meeting to receive the proclamation from the Mayor Joanne Coontz. Geoff Peters addressed the City Council members regarding the youth advocacy anti-tobacco message.
- Fashion show dress rehearsal: The excitement builds as girls and boys spend a day practicing their skits and modeling techniques.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
- Japanese drum corps drew immediate attention and a huge crowd
- People lined up to sign up for the Go-Ped giveaway while they declared to be smoke-free
- Kids waited anxiously in line for their Model Teens Kick Butts T-shirts and bracelets
- Symbolic candles that remembered celebrities who have died or are dying of tobacco related diseases were displayed. Pamphlets made available to those who wanted miscellaneous information on smoking.
- Camille and Melanie kicked off the Model Teens Kick Butts fashion show
- Emcee, Vince Ferragamo introduced Mayor of Orange
- Mayor Joanne Coontz signed proclamation declaring National Kick Butts Day in City of Orange
- Key-note speaker, Art Leach, laregnectomy patient delivered compelling testimony of how smoking drastically affected his life
- Powerpoint presentation impacted audience with powerful tobacco facts that flashed across a 10" X 10" screen
- Anti-tobacco skits kept audience entertained
- Fashion show began with bright lights, lively music and enthusiastic model teens who strutted down the runway sporting the hippest trends from The Block merchants
- Francine the "no-nicotene queen" stole the show because she represented the ideal model teen
- From sporting the latest trends in surf wear to flaunting formal wear, the audience was drawn to the variety of fashion on stage while each model was identified as "cool" for not smoking
- The winner's of the Go-Ped and Banner and Chant contest were announced
CENTRAL CORE OF DIFFICULTY
The IC must reach the consciousness of as many youth as possible in Orange County to change their views on tobacco use from fashionable to unfashionable. If the current attitudes held by youth are not changed, then tobacco use among teens will continue to increase.
CAMPAIGN GOAL
To empower a core of student advocates to take a stance against youth tobacco use and educate their peers in Orange County through strategically designed awareness and advocacy programs.
OBJECTIVES
1. Enlist the help of local businesses to aid in the promotion of the April 18, 1999 event in order to reach a public audience of 300.
2. By April 24, 1999 earn media attention that increases awareness about the efforts of local youth in fighting tobacco use among their peers.
3. Kick off an ongoing advocacy program in Orange County on April 18, 1999 that continues to raise the awareness of local youth on the negative effects of tobacco use.
4. Get 80 percent of the IC to lobby city governments to proclaim Kick Butts Day in local cities by April 18, 1999.
KEY PUBLICS
1. Rosary High School International Club
2. Orange County youth
3. Sponsors and donors
4. Orange County community at large
Rosary High School International Club Rosary High School International Club is a multi-cultural organization of young women who represent multi-ethnic backgrounds. Rosary High School is an all-girl Catholic preparatory school located in Fullerton, Calif. The IC is interested in educating their peers about the dangers of tobacco use. "Cool youth" are categorized as being trendy, fashionable, smart and smoke-free. The IC is representative of "cool youth."
Self-interests: Because smoking is a multi-cultural killer, the members of the IC are motivated to help educate their peers about the negative effects of tobacco use. They will receive recognition for their involvement in a national campaign.
Influentials: Parents, friends, peers, media, family, siblings, celebrities, and women leaders.
Message design: 90 percent of all smokers begin smoking before the age of 19. This means that in order to affect a change in the minds of smokers, they need to be educated about the negative effects of tobacco while they are still young. Peer advocacy is the best way to get the message across. You can be the key players in the local portion of a national campaign.
Strategy one: Educated the IC about the dangers of tobacco use and convinced them to take an active stance against youth tobacco use in Orange County while teaching them to be advocates.
Tactic 1: Held a preliminary meeting with the IC to introduce them to Kick Butts Day and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Motivated them to teach their peers about the dangers of youth tobacco use.
Subtactic: Discussed events that other youth advocates have done in the past and brainstormed ideas for new events.
Tactic 2: Held media, fashion, technical, outreach and sponsorship workshops where we presented the girls with pertinent information so they could hold a well planned event and develop an effective advocacy program.
Strategy two: Enlisted the support of parents of the IC members. Explained the importance of youth advocacy and their daughters' roles in this campaign.
Tactic 1: Held a parent's round table to field questions and/or concerns regarding the campaign.
Tactic 2: Produced and distributed a timeline of events and meetings that lead up to the event on April 18.
Strategy three: Generated support for the IC's advocacy program for National Kick Butts Day and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids among the Rosary community, i.e. students, faculty and staff.
Tactic 1: Had club members read tobacco facts over the school's P.A. system every day during the week before the event.
Tactic 2: Had club members sell candy on Kick Butts Day (April14) on their campus and Servite High School.
Subtactic: Printed out tobacco facts and invitations to fashion show on labels attached to candy that was sold.
Tactic 3: Enlisted male students from Servite to model and help deliver anti-smoking messages at the fashion show.
Orange County youth These are youth are between the ages of eight and nineteen. This age group is very impressionable. The youth in Orange County are being exposed to new experiences every day of their lives. They are easily influenced by society and their peers and need positive examples and influences in their lives.
Self-interests: Youth are motivated to be trendy and seek peer acceptance, they are encouraged to partake in social activities and concern themselves with the welfare of friends and neighbors. Youth are also concerned about the future, but are more concerned about fun and acceptance now.
Influentials: Celebrities, peers, peer leaders, parents, teachers, older siblings and their friends.
Message design: Smoking is not cool, it's not even fashionable. You can show the community that the deceitful advertising of the tobacco industry does not fool you.
Strategy one: Increase awareness among Orange County youth that tobacco use is "not cool" and is unfashionable.
Tactic 1: Held a fashion show that demonstrated that smoking is not accepted among "cool youth." The main message was "Smoking is NOT fashionable."
Tactic 2: Held an anti-smoking Banner and Chant contest for Orange County elementary and middle schools in conjunction with the fashion show.
Tactic 3: Made an anti-tobacco pledge available for the public to sign at the fashion show.
Strategy two: Educate local students about the dangers of tobacco use.
Tactic 1: Sent a team from the IC to teach their peers through an educational presentation. This presentation should be done at each school that expresses a possible interest in the Banner and Chant contest.
Sponsors and donors. Sponsors and donors include The Block merchants, local corporations, and Chapman University organizations. These sponsors will contribute goods, services and funds that will go toward implementing the "Model Teens Kick Butts" fashion show.
Self-interest: Merchants who donate want to be recognized for their financial contributions as well as their involvement in the community. Merchants want to receive positive media attention and increased publicity for their business.
Influentials: Customers, city government, competitors, business leaders, franchising boards, Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, and The City Mills Corporation (The Block management.)
Message design: This event has the possibility of obtaining a great deal of media attention. Our fashion show deals with an issue that is prevalent in media today and the IC will bring this national issue to a local level. With your help we can have an incredible event that will ultimately save lives. Should you choose to help sponsor this significant event, your name can appear in any publicity related to the fashion show.
Strategy one: Convince organizations to sponsor our events through various publicity incentives available at the fashion show.
Tactic 1: Wrote letters, sent faxes and e-mails and placed phone calls ato potential sponsors.
Tactic 2: Created banners, brochures and posters with sponsor names for event publicity.
Orange County community at large: Consists of a variety of demographics such as age, income, ethnicity and gender. Youth advocacy is highly recognizable in a society that consists mostly of adult messages. Orange County is a health conscious community that is receptive to youth voicing a message that affects their health and well being.
Self-interest: The community of Orange County is concerned about living in a healthy environment and taking advantage of the various activities in Southern California. They want to know there are community programs available to their families. Residents want to be seen as people who care about youth within the community.
Influentials: Community and business leaders, media, local and national government officials, peers.
Message Design: With your help, youth advocacy will be encouraged if the community as a whole takes on the responsibility to support worthwhile causes, such as anti-tobacco use. If you express optimism with positive reinforcement in youth advocates, there is a greater chance of ongoing advocacy programs that result in increased awareness.
Strategy one: Increase awareness among the Orange County community that tobacco use is "not cool" and is unfashionable.
Tactic 1: ASH formed a partnership with the University of California at Irvine Medical Center and Jim Walker of Stop Tobacco Abuse of Minors Pronto (STAMP). Together they provided educational information at the event through literature.
Tactic 2: Held a fashion show that demonstrated that smoking is not accepted among "cool youth."
Tactic 3: Made an anti-tobacco pledge available for the public to sign at the fashion show that declared all signees were "smoke-free."
Tactic 4: Invited laregnectomy patient, Art Leach from The Lost Chord Foundation as the key-not speaker for the fashion show.
Strategy two: Gain the support of local celebrities and elected officials to make a dynamic and credible impact on the community.
Tactic 1: Lobbied to get Kick Butts Day proclaimed in the Orange, Irvine and Fullerton.
Subtactic Invited the Mayors of those cities to the fashion show on April 18 to sign the declarations.
Tactic 2: Secured Vince Ferragamo to serve as emcee for the fashion show.
Strategy three: Pitched the event to local media and obtained both pre and post event coverage.
Tactic 1: Created a media list of broadcast and print media.
Tactic 2: Positioned Camille Rustia for the media, as the founder and coordinator of the IC's anti-tobacco campaign.
EVALUATION - CAMPAIGN GOAL
We were able to successfully identify and empower a core group of students to become advocates against youth tobacco use. The IC worked to create an ambitious advocacy program that measurably grabbed the attention of several media outlets, schools, community leaders, and community members.
EVALUATION - OBJECTIVES
1. Local business played a key role in the success of the campaign. Through the help of business sponsors we were able to raise enough money for the campaign and the event.
2. The media loved this event. The message of youth advocacy came across powerfully. The hits for our campaign are estimated at 2.2 million. Media coverage included:
- Los Angeles Times
Full-color, ¼ page, feature story
Circulation 1,068,812
- KOCE-TV (50) - "Real Orange" News
5-minute two-on-one interview with the co-anchors for Camille Rustia
Coverage area - San Diego, San Bernandino, Riverside, Orange, and Los Angeles counties.
- OCNow.com - Orange County's leading internet news source
1 page pre-event story
4 page post-event story
24 photo, event slide show
Site hits - 840,000
- KPLS-AM (830) - Catholic Family Radio
PSA read
Listenership - 14,000
· "NightCap" - local public access talk show
Story on fashion show
Coverage area - north Orange County
3. The first "Model Teens Kick Butts" fashion show generated an active audience of more than 1,500. Due to its incredible success and the fun the IC had planning it, several members of the IC and their parents have agreed to host next years 2nd Annual "Model Teens Kick Butts" fashion show. They have already booked an emcee.
4. Our efforts to have the IC lobby city governments to proclaim Kick Butts Day in their cities was effective. 100 percent of the IC successfully lobbied the City of Orange, and got Mayor Joanne Coontz to proclaim April 14 as "Kick Butts Day" in the City of Orange. 100 percent of the IC also lobbied the cities of Fullerton and Irvine, although the results were not as successful. The City of Irvine has already proclaimed April 14 as "Kick Butts Day."
EVALUATION - OVERALL
Youth Advocates
By holding a preliminary meeting with the IC (35 girls) we were successfully able to educate them about the dangers of tobacco use. We motivated them to become advocates to their peers against youth tobacco use. We then generated support from their parents by hosting a meeting at which the IC members presented their ideas to their parents.
In order to gain support for the event and campaign from the Rosary community, the girls read tobacco facts over the PA system during morning announcements throughout the week surrounding Kick Butts Day. Additionally, they held a "tobacco fact" candy sale in which they sold candy with tobacco facts attached to the wrappers.
The IC members conducted a benchmark survey before the campaign started, and did a follow-up survey to see the results of their project. The results of their survey prove overwhelmingly that they made a difference in the minds of young people with regard to tobacco use.
"Model Teens Kick Butts" fashion show
The "Model Teens Kick Butts" fashion show was a huge success. We had an active audience of approximately 1,500 people. The Block management said that it was the best turn out they have had an event in a long while.
We used a PowerPoint "tobacco fact" presentation behind runway during the show to keep and a script that constantly drove home the message that "smoking is NOT fashionable," Having City of Orange Mayor, Joanne Coontz model surf wear alongside Vince Ferregamo, our emcee, was a big hit. Additionally, the talk given by Art Leach, a larenectamy patient, was very moving and attention getting. Several smokers mentioned that if anything were to ever get them to stop smoking, the speech by Art Leach would be it.